Twitter is wonderful. I LOVE Twitter! In some cases, it has been the downfall of careers through hasty posts, unmentionable photos and awkward requests for job search help. You can avoid these hazards and leverage Twitter to support your career management goals. It is as easy as 1-2-3. Follow these straight-forward tips.

1. Establish Your Presence:

• Write a compelling bio that supports your career goal.
• Upload a photo of yourself that projects your desired image. (A real photo of you, not your hamster.)
• Carefully choose whom to follow, people who are reflection of your values, ideals and image.
• Choose to follow thought leaders and experts in your field. Try Twellow to get inspiration for people to follow in particular fields.
• Link to your website, blog and LinkedIn page.

2. Be a Good Citizen of Twitter:

• Interact! Reply to tweets, answer questions, offer references to articles and books, and share personal knowledge. Ask questions and you'll find others are willing to help. Avoid repetitive requests via direct message to the same person or outright requests for a job interview.
• Be polite. Avoid foul language, insults, slams against your employer (or anyone), confidential information and inappropriate photos.

3. Tweet Smart:

• Think before tweeting. You only have a few words to be interesting, intelligent, timely and relevant. (No pressure.)
• Learn and appropriately use the lingo and codes on Twitter, such as #, @ and RT. Check out Twitter Basics to guide you.
• Always discuss private information offline.
• Search for employers tweeting job openings or job fairs.

Debra Wheatman, CPRW, CPCC is the founder and owner of Careers Done Write, a professional branding and marketing company. Debra's company provides full-service career consulting and writing services to help clients stand out in a hyper-competitive environment to secure interviews and ultimately offers of full-time employment. She may be reached directly via her site at careersdonewrite.com. Follow Debra's social media Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn.