Enough has been said about using Twitter to find a job that I don’t feel the need to repeat it here.  For background reading and helpful tips targeted for a job search in the legal industry, I’d recommend Amanda Ellis‘s newsletter from September, 2009 (Attorneys Finding Jobs on Twitter).  She explains three ways in which attorneys can integrate Twitter into their job search.

Instead, I’d like to use this example – conducting a job search on Twitter – as a way to illustrate the benefits of using Twitter Lists to manage information.Last Fall, Twitter launched Lists, a new feature that would “make it easier to curate tweets into meaningful real-time experiences….”  Many users had already seen the advantage in categorizing tweets which is one reason why TweetDeck became such a popular platform.  Even before Twitter Lists, TweetDeck users could assign their followers into groups, e.g. “news,” “friends,” or “co-workers.”  Of course, these groups were saved on TweetDeck, which was saved on one’s computer, only allowing for personal access….

With Lists, any user can create a list, add people to a list, and then make the list private or public.  Even cooler, in my opinion, is that once you create a list, you can add people to it even if you don’t follow them.  This is key if you’re near your following limit.  Also, users may follow public lists created by other users or subscribe to the list’s RSS feed (more about that below).

So, how does this fit into the legal job search?  Well, let me use my list “legaljobmkt.”

For a quick snapshot of the legal job market, I compiled a list of law job boards, legal recruiters, career counselors, and the like.  [Please note:  This list, like all of my lists, is an ongoing project.]  Basically, this feed shows me jobs posted on Lawjobs, LegallyMinded, GoInHouse, and many other attorney job boards.  (Another reason why Amanda Ellis’s newsletter rocked!)  In addition, I can easily monitor any insight that legal recruiters and career counselors may offer about salary trends or interviewing tips.

As a public list, any user may follow my list or use my list as a reference but customize their own. Again, a user’s customized list may be public or private.

And about those privacy settings….

Usually, job seekers don’t like to publicly announce their job search.  A Twitter List may be an efficient way to gather information but it may not be the way to tell the world that you’re interested in what legal recruiters or job boards have to say.  Not only does Twitter show who creates a public list but it also shows who follows them.

Say you’re a job seeker and you want to take advantage of a public list’s feed?  Perhaps, you don’t use Twitter or don’t want to make a private list but you’d prefer to follow a public list as an RSS feed so you don’t miss any tweets?

Although Twitter does not pump Lists out as RSS feeds, thankfully, there’s an app for that.  Here’s the RSS feed to my legaljobmkt list.

(Like Niki Black, I found Twitter Lists 2 RSS first but 3 Geeks pointed to another one.)

Further reading:

• How To: Use Twitter Lists
• Jobsearch Twitter Lists on Listorious
• TweetDeck Ups the Twitter List Ante for all Twitter Apps

Related Reading:

1. netTools 102: Legal Industry (Lawyers, Law Firms, and Legal Professionals) Meet Twitter
2. netTools 103: Creating and Maintaining a Twitter Account (Part 1 of Series)
3. Twitter BFFs