The transformation of the Saudi Arabian economy is one of the success stories of the past few decades. With new regulation set to standardize the working environment across the different sector of the Saudi economy, and the new generation and increasing number of university graduates, most companies are confident and hiring more Saudi employees. Although websites and online portals have long been used as tools by both recruiters and potential employees in KSA and the region to look for and find suitable opportunities, social media - particularly open platforms such as Twitter - are increasingly being used by companies to select their preferred candidate. But how do job-seekers find these openings, and more importantly, stand out from the crowd to get noticed? It all starts with prospective employees finding and following the companies they are interested in. Official Twitter profiles are a great source of constant news and updates from organizations, including their HR teams. Following businesses not only helps keep job seekers up-to-date on their announcements, but also gives an insight into the their culture. Moreover, engaging with companies and their Tweets makes candidates visible, giving them a leg-up in the hiring process. Additionally, Twitter accounts of recruiters or specialized handles that work as job boards for various industries are worth following, giving a wider insight of who's hiring and for what positions. There are several recruitment accounts in Saudi Arabia that are active on Twitter that give prospective employees a better chance for landing their dream job including: @saudiemployment, @job_4_sa, @2def_news, @SQEmployment, @jobksa, @wdaef, @rwadnet, @JOBSKSA, @wadhaef, @jobsforsaudis, @AYYNACOM, and many more. Using Twitter can boost a candidate's personal brand by allowing them to create meaningful content to show people who they are and what they care about. Twitter also gives them a chance to better market themselves, and improve how others perceive them, starting with their bios, especially since a huge number of companies check the social media profile of a potential employee before moving further. In essence, the bio is the new elevator pitch - it needs to sum up a person's interests, expertise and background, all in 160 characters. But creating content goes beyond bios; Twitter is a great platform for candidates to showcase their knowledge of their field, such as sharing industry-relevant articles or commenting on industry topics. Another way that Twitter can help people reach their career goals is networking with others outside their immediate circle. With its wide array of users, Twitter allows job seekers to make new “important” contacts including those they never thought they could connect with. They can take advantage of the different communities and chats on Twitter to connect with those of similar interests. New features like group Direct Messages (DMs) and sharing a public Tweet privately make it easier than ever before to create and maintain those connections. Once candidates have found relevant accounts, started building their brand by commenting on meaningful subjects and grasped the fundamentals of networking, the next challenge is to constantly find good content to read and share. One of the best ways of tapping into and engaging in existing conversations is tracking hashtags, which allows job seekers to follow topics and fields they are interested in. In a few days, Saudi Arabia will witness a first forum of its kind in Saudi Arabia and the Middle East that provides academic and career guidance with a select group of experts in various fields, effective assessment tools, as well as opening doors of dialogue between ministry officials and the youth to discuss the development plans for their future - The CYM Forum (@CYM_guide). According to CYM, last year's event witnessed over 1.9Million tweets, engaging and connecting young men and women with education and employment academics and professionals and assisted them choose both their academic and career path systematically, serving the nations development plans corresponding with the abilities and talents of its youth while working on educating and guiding them professionally. The forum will take place in two cities in the Kingdom: Jeddah and Riyadh. Attendance is open for free and for more than 6000 participants from youth and will host the participation of representatives from 3 ministries and governmental sectors and more than 10 distinct private sectors. CYM 2015 is set to provide more than 1500 "Part-Time Job" opportunities directly to students targeting more than 350 thousand students in a distinguished marketing and media campaign spread around the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. The forum will witness the participation of more than 25 distinguished expert in this field both national and global. A platform like Twitter gives users the opportunity to create lists to group together people and receive their Tweets and updates in a separate feed. Alternatively, candidates can follow already curated lists created by other users. The main benefit of lists is that they provide real-time updates from particular accounts (usually Tweeting about a similar topic), but separate from the main timeline, which makes it easier to access and utilize this data. Ultimately, Twitter is all about engaging - what makes the platform stand out among others is the opportunity to interact liberally with brands, organizations and people in real-time. For candidates, the most important aspect of using Twitter as a tool to land their dream job is to constantly listen, interact and respond to others, whether proactively Tweeting to people, Retweeting, or replying to mentions and DMs. At a time when recruitment is foregoing the traditional route for social, one fundamental truth of the process remains the same: it's all about creating an impression. — SG
