Quintessential Careers Press:
Job Search 2.0: Advancing Your Career Through Online Social Media
Chapter 5: Blogging for Jobs, Visibility, and Employer Research
Page 64
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At the heart of blogging as a boon for job candidates is that most of them provide two-way communication -- interaction and conversation between blogger and reader. Whether you blog or read blogs, you have the opportunity to add contacts to your network.
As a job-seeker, you also have the opportunity to start a blog about your profession or other topic you're passionate about and show off your expertise to employers. A blog can establish you as an expert and thought-leader in your field, again raising your visibility with hiring decision-makers. Since blogs are updated regularly, you enhance your digital presence every time you blog.
ExecuNet conducted a study in which 70 percent of executive recruiters reported that finding positive information online improves candidates' job prospects and can therefore elevate them to the top of the consideration list. The membership organization for executive leaders suggests blogging as a method for amplifying a job-seeker's web presence.
Candidates also have increasing opportunities to learn through blogs about prospective employers and recruiters and get a feel for a company's culture and what it would be like to work for a given employer. Job-seekers can also learn who's hiring by reading recruiter blogs. They can join the conversation and become known to employers and recruiters by leaving comments on their blogs. Check out the Top 50 HR Blogs and Top Recruiting Blogs.
Not convinced? Read a blog entry that includes a list of Ten Reasons Why Blogging is Good For Your Career.
See some career-related blogs here.
One of the newest concepts in the world of using blogs in the job search is the notion of the blog as a replacement or accompaniment for a resume. Sarah E. Needleman reported on The Wall Street Journal's former Career Journal site that Ryan Loken, a Wal-Mart Stores, Inc., recruitment manager, had filled an estimated 125 corporate jobs by reading blogs. Well-known recruiting blogger Heather Hamilton, a staffing manager at Microsoft, noted in her blog that "recruiters are searching blogs specifically for resumes." Recruiters who responded to blog postings on the topic of blogs as replacements for resumes made such comments as:
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