With the growing phenomenon of social media, job hunting is no longer about writing traditional cover letters and filling out Microsoft Word template resumés. Job hunting in the digital age is about optimizing the power of social media and the creation of your online brand as a tool to sell yourself to prospective employers.

Within the online job market, there are two influential audiences: recruiters (including hiring managers) and colleges, who have the potential to make referrals for openings within a company. But how do you find these leads? And how do you make a lasting impression?

Many job hunters believe LinkedIn and Facebook are the best platforms to network and engage with recruiters, industry insiders, and prominent companies. In fact, Twitter is the only online platform where there are no barriers to connecting with industry leaders and is commonly used by recruiters to advertise vacancies within a company. On Twitter, job hunters can receive up-to-the-minute job leads while benefiting from the ability to share their talents, interests, and personality to prospective employers.

Visiting the Twtrland

With millions of employees online, finding the right person to connect with could be the hardest part of the job hunt. So how do you find these leads?

Twtrland is a free-to-use social directory that helps job hunters discover people in the industry that they should be connecting with based on the content they share. Launched in November 2012, Twtrland narrows down the Twitterverse and allows job hunters to search Twitter users by age, gender, location, and industry. The site then creates a profile for them broken down into their top followers, links, replies, and more.

The Twesume

The Twesume is a catchy combination of the words Twitter and resumé, coined in 2008 by Richard Skaare in his article, The 140 Character Resume. The Twesume challenges job seekers to put their creative minds to the test by condensing their resumé down to 140 words or less. Say goodbye to the many hours wasted away waiting for a reply from an employer or for a request to connect on LinkedIn to be accepted. Not only does a Twesume allow job seekers to connect with potential recruiters faster, but it also gives you an edge in the torturous job market that receives numerous traditional CVs daily. When creating a Twesume, the job seeker should include the job they're seeking, description of roles, hashtags, and a link to an online resumé or LinkedIn profile.

Words to tweet by: The power of the hashtag

Hashtags allow tweeters to categorize the subject of their tweets to make them more searchable. Searching for hashtags such as #jobs, #recruiting, #jobadvice, and #jobsearch will help narrow down the job hunt. Participating in online conversations or sharing links that are relevant to the industry you're interested in will help potential future employers envision what your role will be within the company.

Twitter lists

With over 58 million tweets being sent out daily, it could be very hard for job hunters to keep up-to-date on potential job leads. But don't fret; there is a solution for this! Twitter lists help job hunters optimize their job search by allowing them to categorize leads by creating different lists of recruiters, job boards, and companies. This list will organize all the tweets from its members to simplify the job search and you will have the option to make the list private or public.

So what are you waiting for? Take the #trendy approach to job hunting by visiting Twitrland, creating a Twesume, and utilizing hashtags and Twitter lists.

Photo: rvlsoft/Thinkstock

Lauren Della Vedova is an aspiring PR star with the gift of gab, a passion for fashion, and an undying love for her Toronto Maple Leafs. Follow Lauren on Twitter at @laurenDVD.