Once an arena reserved for overwhelmed moms who needed to vent, blogging has become big business for individuals and companies worldwide. And savvy job seekers are harnessing the power of blogging to find a job. If you’re not convinced about this point, here are reasons a blog can get you your next job.
It keeps you sharp. Sending out resumes and cover letters day in and day out can be a dreary and dull full-time job in and of itself. Blogging not only allows you to keep your industry knowledge current, but it will also sharpen your skills in writing and social media. It can motivate you to keep going with your job search, as you stay connected with an industry and career that you love.
It expands on your resume. With only one page to encapsulate all of your work experience, education and personality, a resume often doesn’t give an accurate depiction of you who you really are—and what you can do for a company. When you get to stretch your literary wings with a blog, you can give potential employers a bigger picture of your knowledge, beliefs and work ethic. In turn, this helps to establish you as an expert in your field.
It gives you a positive online image. No matter how you try to have a squeaky clean online image, there’s always going to be some knucklehead Facebook friend who posts an unflattering—and public—tagged image of you for the world to see. Having a blog allows you to have greater control of what your Internet image is like and allows you to portray a more positive (and professional) self-image. And with so many hiring managers scouring the Internet looking for info on potential candidates, it makes sense that one of the first things he finds is your polished blog—and not that photo of you from last year’s Christmas party.
It helps you build a network. Gone are the days when you were hired to do one specific job. Today’s job market almost mandates that employees be multitalented—and highly connected. Having a blog that has a fairly large readership showcases not only your talent but your ability to connect with an audience, which is a skill set that is highly desirable to any employer. And being able to work at home as you pen your blog shows your ability to work independently, too.
It makes you appealing to potential employers. Sure, everyone has a resume, but not everyone has a blog. And in today’s job market, employers are looking for employees who can bring something extra to the interview table. When your blog represents you, your knowledge (and your intelligent, yet caustic wit), it can be intriguing to hiring managers whose eyes have glazed over after reading so many boring resumes. You’re no longer another resume in the pile, but a real person with interesting thoughts and opinions—and someone a potential employer would like to meet for a potential interview.
Writing a blog can not only be a fun experience as you create content that is meaningful to you, but makes you marketable to potential hiring managers as well.
Jennifer Parris is a Career Writer for FlexJobs.com, which specializes in flexible work options including telecommuting, part-time, and freelance.
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Image via Dick Johnson
