Should a Jobseeker Blog?

Today’s career management is ramped up from what was the norm only a few short years ago. Not only do current job seekers have to think about new tools but future-thinking career professionals should realize that no job is forever.

You need to have many tools in your arsenal.

1. → The well-written, keyword-infused, accomplishment-focused resume is the starting point.

2. → Your fully completed LinkedIn profile is just as critical.

3. → Twitter offers you an opportunity to get in front of hiring managers too. But you are still speaking in 140 characters.

Should you blog?

A blog will help you differentiate yourself and show your command of the subject matter. Here are some considerations and caveats.

1. → Do you have “excellent written communication skills?”

My friend and colleague, Jacqui Barrett-Poindexter would shudder at those trite words that are way over-used in resumes, but to write a blog, you really need to know how to communicate in writing. Before I ever thought of writing my own blog, I dug deep in and read. You need to see how others do it.

Here’s my short list of bloggers I read regularly (and I read many more):

• Jim Connolly – Marketing Coach providing marketing tips for small to medium sized businesses who long ago mastered the art of copy-writing. Selected as a top small business blog by Technorati, Jim’s built a strong blogging community that follows every post he writes.
• Danny Brown – Smart Marketing – Social Media, Building Brand Loyalty through community and engagement comes to mind whenever you talk blogging or social media. Danny builds community through his blogs and catches your attention with intriguing copy.
• Jacqui and her husband, Rob Poindexter on their Career Trends blog, inspire and motivate with brilliantly written posts that tie well into career management and resume writing.
• Jason Alba – Jason was one of the first bloggers I read. He writes at least three blogs regularly and keeps me interested with both his writing style and the information he pushes out.
• TheJobQuest aka Melissa Cooley was unknown to me but I was not unknown to her. Melissa studied my blog and those of many others and has become an outstanding source of career marketing and job search strategies that evolved when she started a blog with her husband who was then facing unemployment.
• InterviewAngel aka Brent Peterson  definitely makes a mark in the career blogging field. Every post he writes is retweeted in high numbers.

I said short list so I will stop there. But I had trouble deciding when to stop. I never tweet a post I haven’t at least scanned. I could trust any of the above writers for great content but I still read them.

2. → Can you be considered a subject matter expert?

Any of the above bloggers can be considered experts but they built their knowledge base. If you know your way around information technology and do have those “excellent written communication skills” – meaning you can write in a way that compels the reader not only to finish the current post but come back because the readers knows you know your topic and communicate well about it, maybe you can blog.

3. → Are you committed to long-term projects?

A blog is not a flash in the pan kind of project. It takes time to learn the skills, learn the technology, learn the communication strategies, and build recognition in the blogosphere. If you think you are willing to take this on, blogging might be for you.

In my post, 7 Resources for Bloggers, I listed fixes for getting traction for your blog and how to make it eye-appealing.

A blog is a great way to communicate, to connect with others, and to build more skills in using social media but it is not an easy fix. It is also a great way for someone who sees their career as a lifelong project and wants to build on their expertise by building community who sees them as a subject matter expert. Those subject matters can be very diverse but if you don’t meet my three points, blogging may not be your solution.

What do you think? Is blogging for you?

Julie Walraven can help you achieve results through using a personalized job search and resume writing  strategy to take the mystery out of the process. To find out how, simply click here!

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