It’s Friday, and you’re sitting at your desk staring at the computer.  That’s a good first step *grin.*  Now, let’s help take your #HireFriday usage to the next level.  Here’s my top tips for HireFriday effectiveness.  By now, most of you know the basics of what to include in your HireFriday tweet: name/jobtitle/location-relo or no/industry key words/link to linkedin profile, or resume. You’ve got to stand out in a crowd to get noticed.  Here’s my top 5 tips.

1. Research your industry to identify key words that receive the most hits. Google Adwords search is a great place to start.   It will show you the local, and global number of monthly searches on a term.  This can be a great place to start to figure out which terms pop up most often.  Now cross reference those terms with hash tags on twitter.  That will clue you in on which key word to use in your HireFriday tweet.  The goal being to use the key words that will be viewed in volume on twitter,  to be indexed on google, and to be found by those who are looking for you. An entire post could be written about this topic!
2. Another great way to determine what people are saying about your industry on twitter is tweetcloud.com   You can enter any term, and it will form a keyword cloud that will show you the strength of the key words relevant in your industry.
3. The best HireFriday tweets are short and sweet.  Include your first & last name (if your twitter name does not include it, I suggest you get an account that does).  People will be able to find you based on your real name.  The search engines will also index your tweets, so make sure you are findable.  The whole point is to be found, right?
4. Keep it simple & smart 140 ch is precious real estate, make sure each word counts.  Our linkedin group has a discussion thread dedicated to the practice, and critiques of our HireFriday tweets. Use our group, it’s free, and a great way to make sure your tweet stands out. Always use a link to your profile in your HireFriday tweets.
5. HireFriday is a pay it forward community that builds momentum with the multiplier factor of retweeting your peers.  The more you retweet one another, the more your name gets out into multiple networks.  You can grow by engaging with others, and at the same time, build relationships by helping one another get connected.  You never know who might be able to help–it’s not just a good deed–it makes good business sense too.

I’ve already written a great deal about #HireFriday in my Guidelines posts.  I have some strong opinions about how and how not to use HireFriday.  Here’s my top 5 “Don’ts:”

1. Don’t over hash tag, or use hash tags nobody watches.  It’s a time waster, and over hash tagging can be a turn off-the avg is 2 to 3.
2. Don’t use a silly twitter name.
3. Don’t use a graphic image for your avatar.  A high resolution picture of your face is best.
4. Don’t forget your location, and whether or not you are willing to relocate.
5. Don’t forget to use a link to your linkedin profile, or visual cv or resume.  This is critical so that people can find you.

I genuinely hope this post is helpful.  Did I leave anything off this list?  Please comment below.  Thanks everyone.

Margo Rose or HireFriday is not affiliated with other hashtags using this name.

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