Have you ever considered the ways a blog can help you get a job? I meet a lot of young people entering the work force, and I always recommend blogging to get ahead in almost any career. Here's why:
1. Show what you're made of.
In a job interview, you have to try to convince people of what you know. In a blog, you can show them. Blog about recent events in your industry and your views on trends. Demonstrate your areas of expertise. Blog about what you aspire to be.
2. Build a professional network.
There are lots of examples of people finding jobs through connections in a blog community. Last week I helped connect a young woman with the marketing scene in Chicago because I was impressed with her blog. Your blog community can be a network that gets you a job.
3. Engaging versus advertising.
Face it. No matter how creative, a resume is still an advertisement. I struggle to read a long resume carefully. I will read interesting stories on a blog all day long. Compelling content gets and holds the attention of employers.
4. A marketable skill.
If you look for an entry-level job in sales, marketing, PR, and even HR, there's a good chance that part of your job will involve social media and blogging. Showing the ability to create content may be the difference that gets you the job over a non-blogger. I would never hire someone who hasn't shown a capability to blog.
5. Sharpen your professional skills.
If you're going to blog about a subject, you need to know your stuff. Putting out thoughtful content requires that you stay on top of your game, which will be an advantage to you, especially if job-hunting goes on and on. The more you blog, the more you learn.
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6. Expand your reach.
Building your personal brand means showing up in all the places an employer might find you. That usually means LinkedIn. But having a link to a blog on your profile, as well as displaying a feed of your blog posts, gives an employer stalking you on LinkedIn more ways to connect with you and learn about your skills.
7. Blog for the job
A few years ago I interviewed for a VP job at Fortune 100 company. The position had five key deliverables. The week before my interview, I wrote five blog posts, one about each of those goals. If interviewers looked at my blog (and I know they did), they must have thought I was the perfect candidate. Use a blog to connect with job prospects.
8. Extend the interview
The last thing you say to your interviewer: "I've enjoyed our time together but there is so much more I could tell you about my abilities. I hope you'll take a look at my blog (the web address is on my resume) so you can see for yourself the way I think about things." You know what? They'll do it. You just extended your interview by another 15-30 minutes. That may make the difference!
What do you think? Has blogging helped you in your professional life?
A version of this article originally appeared on Mark Schaefer's blog, {grow}.(Image via)
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