People get hung up on Twitter being difficult to search - it’s not at all, you just have to know which tools to use – every public aspect of it is searchable easily.

Perhaps what really stumps people is the brevity of all the information. Bios are small so even when someone hits your keywords it is impossible to be 100% sure that they have got the skills you are looking for.

Tweets are not always a good source of information either – the majority of people that use twitter to demonstrate their expertise are probably self-employed or running their own business and not interested in the opportunities you have. The folks you want to find are using twitter to chat to their friends, get advice, gripe about trains and twitpic their cats.

It’s important that you don’t see this as a negative thing. You can attract the right people to you and twitter is just perfect to aid real life meet-ups and networking. If you are honest and open and tweet about the things that really interest you in your geography, your industry and your niche then the right candidates will find and follow you and chat to you. Then they’re part of your network. Twitter is immensely powerful for building trust – you are now part of your candidates’ trusted network and they of yours. Ask them the next time you need help with a tricky search assignment. You never know, one of them might be the perfect candidate – or at least know the perfect candidate.