Another Reason Why Admin Should be on Twitter

This past week I got a Direct Message on Twitter from a member of my PLN from a couple hours away within my great state of Nebraska.

The message asked, "What is your Skype name?  I had a teacher apply for a job here & she list you as a reference, I'd like to touch base with you".

So we exchanged Skype contact info quick and in a matter of minutes we were video conferencing via Skype, me, and the group of educators who interviewed an old teacher of mine I hired when I was principal a few years back.

I was eager to find out who it was, and once I heard who I quickly shared all my thoughts about their candidate for the job in their building, their district, and their community.

My reason for this post is simple:  without TWITTER this would not have happened.  This connection is because of TWITTER.

Without TWITTER this person would have applied and my name would have been listed as a reference, but the key is they would not have known me from Adam.  I would have been a fancy principal name on a piece of paper listed as a reference that they may or may not have called and or contacted.  And even if they did call me they would not "know" me, because of TWITTER, they know me!

She may or may not have got the job, but guess what. . . . yep. . . . SHE GOT THE JOB!!!

I'm not saying it was all about me that she got the job, but it didn't hurt her.  The connection I had on TWITTER with the people interviewing her made all the difference.  Bottom line.  And anyone who would try to say different is fooling themselves.

As a past administrator I was once again struck by the POWER OF TWITTER and the network you can build and how that led this group of educators to me.  I know when I was principal and I was hiring new teachers to come into my building I ALWAYS depended on references from someone I knew and someone I trusted before I hired them!   That was before I found TWITTER.

In retrospect now, I continue to say how I thought I had things together as a principal, but I didn't have TWITTER and I should have.  I do now of course as an Instructional Technology Trainer for my district, and I can see how as a principal it could be such a powerful tool for something like hiring a new teacher, which is a very big deal to the culture of a building.

Once again, this is one more reason why you should be on TWITTER.