Published on Wednesday, Jun 04, 2008
With the Internet explosion knowing no bounds and the world shifting to online, blogs are slowly but surely coming of age.
It is true that blogs have earned a bad name and we are constantly bombarded with shocking ‘people-fired-for-blogging’ stories. But compared to the colossal number of people blogging, the damaging instances are few and far between.
The lesser-known fact is that more people are actually getting jobs thanks to their blogs!
Come to think of it, a text resume provides just a brief outline of a candidate’s qualifications, skills, accomplishments and experience, nothing more. The vague bulleted list of flat, static information does not shed light on the person’s personality, perspective or even actual contributions.
Comparatively, your blog conveys your voice to the world - to people who do not know anything about you. It represents who you really are and helps you get noticed, get hired, get promoted!
In fact, Adam Darowski, an ardent blogger goes as far as to suggest that, “The blog is the new resume”.
After all, both employers and recruiters are actively ‘googling’ candidates for background and discovery. They read blog posts to get an insight into what work a person has really done - how he used his skills to accomplish a certain task, what role he played in a project or how he transitioned in his career history.
All that anyone needs to know is out there. Employers can judge what a person is like - how he thinks, communicates and even handles disagreements (by the nature of his responses to negative blog comments). The choice of blogging topics also reflects on his opinions, passions and values.
Presented with a candidate’s true essence, they can judge everything from his thought processes, judgement and achievements to even his team spirit, ability to innovate or whether he can actually fit into the organisational culture.
As one recruiter says, “We have hired two people, fresh out of college in the past four months that we found through their blogs - one didn’t even have a formal resume.
Frankly, he didn’t need one. A blog trumps a resume every single time!”
It is true that blogs have earned a bad name and we are constantly bombarded with shocking ‘people-fired-for-blogging’ stories. But compared to the colossal number of people blogging, the damaging instances are few and far between.
The lesser-known fact is that more people are actually getting jobs thanks to their blogs!
Come to think of it, a text resume provides just a brief outline of a candidate’s qualifications, skills, accomplishments and experience, nothing more. The vague bulleted list of flat, static information does not shed light on the person’s personality, perspective or even actual contributions.
Comparatively, your blog conveys your voice to the world - to people who do not know anything about you. It represents who you really are and helps you get noticed, get hired, get promoted!
In fact, Adam Darowski, an ardent blogger goes as far as to suggest that, “The blog is the new resume”.
After all, both employers and recruiters are actively ‘googling’ candidates for background and discovery. They read blog posts to get an insight into what work a person has really done - how he used his skills to accomplish a certain task, what role he played in a project or how he transitioned in his career history.
All that anyone needs to know is out there. Employers can judge what a person is like - how he thinks, communicates and even handles disagreements (by the nature of his responses to negative blog comments). The choice of blogging topics also reflects on his opinions, passions and values.
Presented with a candidate’s true essence, they can judge everything from his thought processes, judgement and achievements to even his team spirit, ability to innovate or whether he can actually fit into the organisational culture.
As one recruiter says, “We have hired two people, fresh out of college in the past four months that we found through their blogs - one didn’t even have a formal resume.
Frankly, he didn’t need one. A blog trumps a resume every single time!”
Blogging is serious business
A blog creates a personal brand that sets you apart from the rest of the herd. It creates opportunities, connections and opinion about you.
You can get a better job or maybe even meet your potential employer via the blog – someone reads your post and leaves a comment/job offer.
But blogging can help you only if it is done correctly.
So, develop a mature, coherent and well-written blog that does not indulge in unnecessary flaming or venting.
Remember that the blog is part of your professional reputation and steer clear of divulging your deepest secrets, indecisiveness or other gory details that can come back to haunt you. Also, pay heed to your company policy on blogging as unconstrained online antics can land you in hot water.
Again, your blog should say the right things and not paint you in an unfavourable light. Be purposeful and specific in choosing what you will blog about.
It’s all about self-promotion; show that you are the best by exposing yourself, your ambitions, motivations, work history and skills to the world.
Write posts that delve deeper into your experience and document your accomplishments. Tell interesting stories about the projects you are working on and build an ongoing profile of your work.
Hit them between the eyeballs by showcasing your creativity, talent, spontaneity and the influence that you wield at work.
Also, incorporate your views on industry trends to prove your credibility and expertise on major issues.
Then again, while a blog is not just about what you ate for dinner last night, do round off your personality by blogging on personal interests outside of work.
You can pen your political views, social causes, hobbies or even the music you like, to generate a sense of what is relevant to you.
Maintain the blog on a regular basis and soon you will have a well-studied web presence that can augment your position no end.
And the next time, someone wants to know more about you, you can confidently flaunt, “Just Google my name and you will find me!”
Little wonder then that blogs are emerging as the new job-hunting technique with jobseekers actually taking to ‘blogging for jobs’. But, while its true that your blog can catapult your career to the next level and do more for you than the conventional CV ever could, it can by no means replace the resume completely.
Nor is the resume redundant; a blog only serves as an extension that supplements the resume information with a reference point for the candidate’s interests and professional activities.
For instance, you cannot send a link to your blog URL in place of the resume.
So blog away, but do not ignore the ‘cut-and-dried’ resume either!
A blog creates a personal brand that sets you apart from the rest of the herd. It creates opportunities, connections and opinion about you.
You can get a better job or maybe even meet your potential employer via the blog – someone reads your post and leaves a comment/job offer.
But blogging can help you only if it is done correctly.
So, develop a mature, coherent and well-written blog that does not indulge in unnecessary flaming or venting.
Remember that the blog is part of your professional reputation and steer clear of divulging your deepest secrets, indecisiveness or other gory details that can come back to haunt you. Also, pay heed to your company policy on blogging as unconstrained online antics can land you in hot water.
Again, your blog should say the right things and not paint you in an unfavourable light. Be purposeful and specific in choosing what you will blog about.
It’s all about self-promotion; show that you are the best by exposing yourself, your ambitions, motivations, work history and skills to the world.
Write posts that delve deeper into your experience and document your accomplishments. Tell interesting stories about the projects you are working on and build an ongoing profile of your work.
Hit them between the eyeballs by showcasing your creativity, talent, spontaneity and the influence that you wield at work.
Also, incorporate your views on industry trends to prove your credibility and expertise on major issues.
Then again, while a blog is not just about what you ate for dinner last night, do round off your personality by blogging on personal interests outside of work.
You can pen your political views, social causes, hobbies or even the music you like, to generate a sense of what is relevant to you.
Maintain the blog on a regular basis and soon you will have a well-studied web presence that can augment your position no end.
And the next time, someone wants to know more about you, you can confidently flaunt, “Just Google my name and you will find me!”
Little wonder then that blogs are emerging as the new job-hunting technique with jobseekers actually taking to ‘blogging for jobs’. But, while its true that your blog can catapult your career to the next level and do more for you than the conventional CV ever could, it can by no means replace the resume completely.
Nor is the resume redundant; a blog only serves as an extension that supplements the resume information with a reference point for the candidate’s interests and professional activities.
For instance, you cannot send a link to your blog URL in place of the resume.
So blog away, but do not ignore the ‘cut-and-dried’ resume either!
PAYAL CHANANIA
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