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Blogging to a Job

Comments 14 by Rebecca Bollwitt

“On-line journals have become hot tool for those looking to land a position or ferret out new opportunities” – Mary Gooderham [Globe & Mail]

I was sitting at work the other day and someone handed me the Careers page of the Globe and Mail – not being immediately insulted I noticed the headline he was pointing to at the top of the page “Blogging to a Job”. I scoured the urls noted to see if it was anyone I knew or anyone from the local community and continued to read….

As a high-tech marketing executive, Darryl Praill learned the value of blogs for establishing a Web presence and branding companies and their products. So, when he lost his job last year, he turned the value of blog branding on himself [Globe & Mail]

It’s an interesting story but peppered throughout they offer advice and suggestions for those who blog, why to blog and what you should be blogging about. I agree that when I was first on the job hunt all of my blogger friends suggested right away “you should blog that you’re looking for work”. Some of the quotes and advice listed in the Globe article however, are a little less helpful.

  • “A blog is a wonderful investment in your career,” says Mr. Praill, who lost his earlier job because of a merger. “If you truly believe you are qualified for a job, it pays to convey your abilities and your opinions online so you stand out.”

    • For sure, it’s first and foremost about self-promotion. But some really don’t want their blog to have anything to do with their “real” life let alone their professional life. It took me almost 3 years to open up in this regard – and about 2 hours until I had my life posted up on Facebook as well. But once I opened up and even posted my URL on my resume, the offers came pouring in (by pouring I mean I got 2 offers right off the bat). I gather the theme of this article is when you do open up and put yourself out there on your blog, beware.


    Photo credit: duane storey on Flickr
  • “As a job-seeker, one of the key things you want is to have stickiness,” Mr. Murray says. “You want people to remember you.”

    • Definitely.

  • “the secret to leveraging your blog for job-hunting purposes is to blog on the area you want to become designated as the expert in, and then get people to connect to and read your blog.”

    • Helpful.

  • “Most people can’t write resumes; how are they going to write a blog?”

    • Writing a resume is far different from writing a blog. I know of people who use basic, bland, MS Word template resumes but have the most exciting and interesting blogs. There is the separation of personal and professional and if you do want to mix the two and promote your professional side on your blog then there are always interesting ways to go about it.

  • “If you’re looking for a job and your blog’s full of typos, it doesn’t look good.”

    • Well yes, but that’s what Firefox spell checker is for, eh?

    Toward the end of the article there is a laundry list of “Do’s” and “Don’ts” if you want to blog for or about, getting a job. Again, it all depends on your personality and the career you are building. The “Do’s” are handy tips, making your blog searchable, linking to others, being active on your site, write regularly etc. Those are all pretty basic rules of thumb for any blog. When I originally sent the Globe & Mail link with some friends and got some instant comments, with which I couldn’t agree more, but I believe it was some of the “Don’ts” that just rubbed some people the wrong way.

  • DON’T: Link to any questionable Web sites or blogs of a religious, political or sexual nature, which could label you an extremist or offend readers.

    • Hmm so basically your blog must be dry 😛 Well…not really, I can understand what they’re trying to say about being professional but do you want to work for an employer that would censor you or judge you based on a blog you linked to?

    And although they encourage you to be searchable and hip to the current ways of your industry they also advise…

  • DON’T: Resort to folksy or cute writing. Using annoying acronyms or buzzwords, can be a turn-off. But do make sure your blog reflects you.

    • Eep! I write how I speak, most of the time, and I think there’s something to be said about being real on your blog. Some of the most popular blogs (that make money) are real people, with real quirks.

    The reason why this article hits close to home is because my current employer hired me, more or less, based on my blog and podcasts. I’m not sure if my Surrey posts affected their judgment or dissing Dan Cloutier on the Canucks podcast had a hand in it, regardless I’m pretty sure they knew exactly what they were getting.

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    14 Comments  —  Comments Are Closed

    1. DuaneSunday, May 27th, 2007 — 3:32pm PDT

      Good post.. I used to have more work-centric type stuff on my blog, but since my company is public, there was one fiasco that sort of came about due to some flickr photos I put up that had a few people drinking in it (even though it was on our own time out in Boston after a conference). A few investors found those images, and all hell broke loose for some reason. So, I no longer blog about my job. I do however still blog about things that interest me in the same field, just nothing related to what I do daily.

    2. Dan SchawbelSunday, May 27th, 2007 — 4:00pm PDT

      I think a great point is to be sticky. To do that, you must establish a personal brand online, with your blog as a tool for communicating your value proposition to your audience.

    3. GZ ExpatSunday, May 27th, 2007 — 9:57pm PDT

      If you were to suddenly lose your job and change your blog to something it hasn’t been for years…well, then you’ll probably lose readership because the bond you have established with those readers would be broken for the purpose of ‘self promotion.’

      I keep my personal life out of my blog…heck, I don’t even mention my name (you know it) because the expat community in Guangzhou is very small and I really don’t need people bugging me about the blog. That doesn’t mean I don’t have pictures posted…but you can’t really Google up a picture of someone specific, unless the picture is titled that persons name. I don’t blog about work except on a couple of occasions although there are times when it would be juicy to do so. My employer does have a blogging policy and they ‘say’ you can blog whatever you like, so long as you don’t hand out trade secrets. Uhhh…sure. Wait until they want to get rid of you and they will find something, trust me.

      I also try to write as I speak…but, you don’t include the ‘eh’ at the end of sentences. Heh. I’ve heard those sneak out on the Crazy Canucks!

      Good luck with your new job! I personally think they hired you because of the pictures of you scarfing down donuts!

    4. Miss604Sunday, May 27th, 2007 — 10:03pm PDT

      It was all a test – everything is controlled by the CBC, GZ 😉

    5. Behind the glasses » Blog Archive » Boost your career with technologyTuesday, May 29th, 2007 — 10:51am PDT

      […] Blogging to a Job […]

    6. Recruiting AnimalTuesday, June 5th, 2007 — 1:30pm PDT

      “Most people can’t write resumes; how are they going to write a blog?”

      I said that. It was meant as a smart ass quip but it’s probably true. Most people aren’t good writers. And being “real” won’t get you very far unless the real you is fairly articulate.

      The good bloggers you refer to who write bland resumes can write. They just choose to make their resumes bland.

      There is an extended discussion of blogs as resumes here.

      http://www.darowski.com/tracesofinspiration/2007/03/06/the-blog-is-the-new-resume/

      I sometimes get asked for referrals to people who got their jobs (not business engagements) through blogs. Now I know you.

      Regards.

    7. Recruiting Bloggers.comTuesday, June 5th, 2007 — 2:27pm PDT

      Blogging For Jobs…

      She got her job via her blog. We keep hearing that people get their jobs through their blogs but Gord knows they are hard to find. So here’s one in case you are looking. Her name is Rebecca Bollwitt. Her blog is Ms604 (the area code in Vancouver). “M…

    8. Chris RussellWednesday, June 6th, 2007 — 7:04am PDT

      Great job Rebecca! I just posted your example on BlogforJobs.com
      http://www.blogforjobs.com/2007/06/girl-blogs-gets-job.html

    9. Recruiting AnimalWednesday, June 6th, 2007 — 7:17am PDT

      http://www.blogforjobs.com/2007/06/girl-blogs-gets-job.html

      Blogs For Jobs picked you up from my blog. But I don’t think it’s proof that blogs lead to jobs or that most job hunters can maintain them.

    10. My Photos on the Web – the duane storeySaturday, June 16th, 2007 — 1:44am PDT

      […] A photo of Rebecca on her blog […]

    11. Employee Evolution – Marketing Yourself Outside the BoxTuesday, October 9th, 2007 — 2:08pm PDT

      […] Build a blog, score a job (She did!) […]

    12. Job ProwlerThursday, April 3rd, 2008 — 9:57pm PDT

      You bring up interesting points. I recently was advised by a career counselor to look for a job that appeals to my interests. Since I like writing, I decided to start a blog based upon my job search. Before this, I reasoned that since everybody wanted to be a writer, I’d never make money from writing. But, from what I notice, it’s pretty much the only way to differentiate yourself from the get-go. Maybe, just maybe, it will work.

    13. Job SeekerWednesday, July 23rd, 2008 — 5:11am PDT

      […] Build a blog, score a job (She did!) […] nice point -two of my best friends are doing that and the results are bigining to outline. Her ideea with this blog will make other poeple happy.

    14. bingFriday, September 10th, 2010 — 5:33am PDT

      Thank you for this blog. Thats all I can say. You most definitely have made this blog into something thats eye opening and important.

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