Is Authoring A Blog The Best Career Move You Can Make?

For 10 years I was an ultra successful recruiter in the tech sector. I hired for companies like Disney and Oracle doing battle with the likes of Twitter and Facebook for top candidates. At a time when other recruiters were picking over social networks like Linkedin and Facebook for candidates I had a secret weapon....blogs. Not my blog but the blogs of my candidates. I learned a long time ago that candidates with their own blog were of a higher caliber and more likely to receive a job offer than any others I worked with.

When a recruiter sets about looking for candidates they're not only looking for a resume and skills they're looking for some sort of proof that you are an expert or thought leader in your field. I can't think of a better way to demonstrate that than with a blog. I could almost be certain of a few things by virtue of the fact a person authored a blog:

Here's a good example of a career blog post and no less by Evernote Ambassador Kristi Willis

Here are a few reasons a blog is better than just a Linkedin, Plaxo or Facebook profile.

1. You can convey much more information with a blog. Our careers and lives cannot be summed up in 140 characters or the alloted space in the experience section of a resume or profile site. Most of us could probably talk for hours about what it is we do but are counseled to keep our resume to 1 page or be as "concise" as possible when writing about our experience. A blog gives you free reign to express yourself and the time and space to convey complex ideas.

2. You are in charge of the content and how it looks. This is especially important for creative workers who want their blog to reflect their creative and artistic tastes.

3. You don't get lost in the social media shuffle. When I'm looking at a candidate profile on Linkedin or Facebook, along side it I am seeing a lot of other stuff. Other recommended candidates, ads, and sponsored updates from companies are all competing for my attention and trying to distract me from looking at you. As a job seeker you want a recruiters undivided attention and a blog delivers that for you.

4. Search engines love blogs. In fact Google and other search engines are becoming more and more optimized towards ranking content over keywords. That means if you write an intelligent post about Javascript Development or Lean Business Principles you'll get farther with the "Google" than someone stuffing a bunch of skills and keywords into their online resume.

If you want to read a fantastic article on exactly how Google creates your ranking check out this search engine article by Postach.io blogger James Gunter

After reviewing hundreds of career blogs the list below is what I consider the recipe for an effective blog.

1. Structuring your blog. It should deliver every bit of information a recruiter needs about you without making them leave your blog. That's means. A contact section, online/downloadable resume or CV, links section and of course a good bevy of insightful and thought provoking articles written by you. It's also recommended to add a smattering of relevant and interesting reposts from other sites.

2. Reposts don't make you an author. It's ok to reference material from others sites and in fact it's good for SEO and readership but you should be focusing on creating your own content. Write about subjects you feel you have expertise on and include analysis of trends and recognized thought leaders in your field. Save the philosophizing and hyper personal info for your personal blog.

3. Works In Progress. If you happen to be a programmer or artist I highly recommend including a WIP section or work in progess section for code or art that you are working on. One of the first things a good hiring manager will look for is a candidate with personal projects. Personal projects show commitment to learning and passion for your craft or vocation.

4. Regular Entries. I advise posting at the very least each month. Too little and you'll lose your SEO traction but worse yet you may simply fall out of the habit of writing.

5. Get social and allow comments. Postach.io does a lot of this work for you by adding in links to all your relevant social media accounts and even an RSS feed. Comments are a great way to generate awareness and backlinks for your blog which all serve to make it more visible. Postach.io currently integrates with Disqus one of the largest social commenting systems in the world.

So I put my recruiter hat back on to show you some examples of great career blogs. For this example I looked for a Teacher and a Python programmer by searching Google exclusively for blogs. Here are the winners of my search below. Congratulations Raymond and Jabiz whoever you are I'm sure you're getting more job offers than you know what to do with.