FORT LAUDERDALE – Twitter and LinkedIn rule when it comes to finding potential mentors who will open up the door of opportunities for you.

The law of Reciprocity blooms in the social media circles, but you must understand the etiquette of participation. Once you start following potential mentors on social media, you need to add value and contribute to their group and contribute genuinely to their experience in the forum. If someone reaches out to you out of the blue, you are probably more inclined to ignore them because you never built a rapport. However, if you watch their commentary and listen to their podcast and paid them a compliment through a retweet or direct response, they are more inclined to follow up with you. Much of the strength of Twitter and LinkedIn comes from the assumption that followers and users will reciprocate — either through retweets or a compliments or a shout-out with hashtags (i.e. #success).

Once you start following potential mentors for some time and you feel like the moment is right to get your foot in the door, you can send a response such as, “I loved your last article. If you’re ever looking to hire someone, give me a shout. I am looking for a job that challenges me. I would love to work with you.”

Mentors love to receive compliments. For you as the job candidate, it’s a great way to contribute to the feedback mechanism built into Twitter and LinkedIn and position yourself immediately for potential job opportunities. Many job candidates fail when it comes to building their network of potential mentors through social media because they either feel isolated and it requires a higher level of confidence which many job candidates lack, mostly because the stress of job hunting can be seriously overwhelming.

Most job candidates fail to realize the Twitter is one of the best job search tools that they are not using. First, start following the companies that you want to work for and monitor their Twitter Feeds. Read all of their articles, posts and press releases. Once you start to spot the same names on press releases and articles, “BINGO” you just gained insider-knowledge on how is calling the shots in the company, especially for small companies where one person wears multiple hats. Your potential mentors (and employers) will take a look at your social media profile by means of how you reach out to them. If you are lucky and you play your cards right, you might score with an interview with the person who had written the blog post or press release and you’ve just step up your game with a job interview that promises to be engaging with great content. The Interviewer and job candidate are both on the same wavelength which spells “S.U.C.C.E.S.S” — people hire people that they like!

Start by sprucing up your social media profile with a professional and identifiable photo so recruiters and mentors recognize you easily. First impression is everything! Your social media profile is your elevator to the top floor. Second, make it easy for potential mentors to migrate from a great first impression with your social media profile to viewing your credentials with an online resume webpage link. You should have a short and sweet “bit.ly” resume webpage that is mobile-friendly for those tight, discreet moments when Hiring Managers squeeze in some time to view your resume on the elevator on the way to a Meeting with the CEO. Your Profile will make a firm impression well before you even have a chance to meet with your potential employers. If you want to stand out from the crowd, be as engaging as possible with repeat and genuine engagement – retweet, “like” posts and press releases and retweet some more!

Make a list of target companies. Get up to date on recent business developments in the company and make sure you know the latest “news” and social media happenings. Quite often, jobs are posted by hiring managers who have no title with the company. Social media is a back door gateway to filter your way through the gatekeepers by location, industry and keywords. Many companies wont’ admit it out loud but the boss is smart about how he wants to hire and fill the positions – they don’t promote the job vacancies anywhere else but on its social media accounts with the clear intent of finding the right candidate through social media.