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Looking For A Job And Turning To Twitter

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Dave Cutler, who is turning to social media to look for a job. (Jesse Costa/Here & Now)
Dave Cutler, who is turning to social media to look for a job. (Jesse Costa/Here & Now)

Despite the positive news that 243,000 new jobs were added to the economy last month, 12.8 million people in the U.S. are still looking for work.

So how do you set yourself apart if you're looking for one? Waltham, Mass., resident Dave Cutler is launching an all-out Internet offensive.

He has a website, hiredavecutler.com, he also blogs, he Tweets, he uses Instagram and FourSquare, he created his own app and his paper resume has QR codes on it.

Cutler is looking for a job in social media marketing, and he's using his job search to prove his skills. He took an interest in social media after he was laid off last year from his job at a graphics production firm.

Balancing Professional And Personal

Cutler says he does not have separate social media accounts for personal and professional uses. For instance, on his one Twitter account he writes about marketing, but also his family and sports. Could a potential employer be turned off?

"I think increasingly the line between personal and professional specifically through social media channels is blurred. The term has been coined 'profersonal,' " he told Here & Now's Robin Young.

Better Access To Prospective Employers

Cutler says that social media allows him more access to employers.

"It provides a mean of communicating with people during conventional work hours," he said.

"In the past, you might not have picked up the phone and called someone and even via email they might not respond until after hours. But so many people are communicating and engaging in work-related tasks on social media channels and that's a way to be able to connect with them during the day."

Guest:

This segment aired on February 6, 2012.

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