The career resources blog YouTern has named Tina Mello, an associate director in Career Services at Northeastern, as one of the top 100 “MUST follow” accounts in 2012 for jobseekers hunting for top-notch advice. Mark Babbit, who runs the blog, called Mello a “more than experienced college career counselor” and “a great Twitter user.” We asked Mello — known online as @CareerCoachTina — to offer tips on using Twitter and how it can help people land new jobs. In addition to following Mello’s Twitter account, be sure to follow the Career Services office at @CareerCoachNU.

What makes someone a successful and effective Twitter user?

It isn’t just about retweeting someone else’s comments or promoting yourself — you have to get to know people, and you can start just by reposting and responding to what other users are posting. You have to comment, engage in a conversation and connect with people on a topic. A lot of times, people are just broadcasting information about themselves, but it’s best to use Twitter to connect with others about topics you’re interested in and become part of a community.

What makes Twitter such a useful resource for you?

In addition to helping promote Career Services at Northeastern and spreading information about what we do and what’s out there, Twitter has very much been a professional development tool for me. Rather than start research from scratch, you can look for people in your field and find resources you might never have found on your own. All the information is out there, and it’s already been pre-screened for you.

How can someone searching for a career use Twitter to help land a new job?

A lot of companies with Twitter accounts post about jobs, but they’re also posting tidbits about life at the company and details about corporate culture — the stuff you might not find on an HR website. Those details about life at the company can help give more information about a possible job and can serve as a way to start a conversation, which I know has been a way some students have landed interviews.

Unless you’re in a communications field or doing something in which you’re always producing new content, it isn’t as important to be constantly posting about yourself as it is to learn as much as you can and connect with people to get advice and information.