Experts: More Job Seekers Using Blogs As Resumes

Job seekers have a new way to stand out from the pack of prospects.6 B8 D+ a1 D5 B* j- F% S
There is now no need to knock on any doors, call recruiters or even send a resume.8 E, B9 O0 A+ Y3 C! e7 |
Forget online job boards or even old-fashioned networking.
' _6 s* C" w: MClick here to find out more!' Y. [% i, U/ Q. q9 b
The hottest way to land a dream job is to write a blog, a Web journal of sorts.* m8 N. k5 u  Q. t
“There’s definitely a trend to using blogs both for looking for a job and a recruiter looking for a prospect or a new employee,” said Debbie Weil, author of “The Corporate Blogging Book.”: r. y7 D" O6 W9 W: _5 t
Experts said blogs can give employers insight into a person’s writing ability and how one thinks. Blogs also provide a more in-depth look at qualifications than a standard resume.
1 |% `( z( l1 U" S' p- y% f“There’s so much more you can put on a blog. You can put video, you can put pictures, you can write in a much more expansive way about who you are and what you know about,” said Weil.2 M% S: h* {' L$ K6 U
With more than 75 million blogs on the Web right now, recruiters and employers ranging from national superstores to Internet companies are using these online journals to search for talent.
; T  Z+ H1 A, c& ^“Blogs are a great way to find employees,” said Russell Glass of ZoomInfo.com.7 l1 I! t3 f. |% \4 x
Glass selected Brian Balfour to work for his Internet search engine company because of his blogs on social networking.
( z5 X8 w# B% o. B! q' S. o! V' c“The most impressive thing about Brian’s blog was how each post was succinct yet on target,” said Glass.3 f) t3 x( t7 I4 k& j. t
Balfour said the unsolicited job offer surprised him at first since his blog was relatively new. But it couldn’t have come at a better time.
$ @- m5 o8 T; I0 A: N: E“I had just come off of selling a previous company that I owned, and I was looking for new opportunities,” said Balfour.2 T6 M9 \" y0 G) b! ^7 w4 V: d6 Q  r
Experts said it’s critical to focus your topics on your industry and highlight what you know.
7 J# Q' V( J  o5 _3 x$ f  @$ x“It’s pretty easy to show you’re on top of industry issues by referring to an article in the Wall Street Journal or a trade magazine related to what you do,” said Weil.2 o# V  k) M% ?5 B8 s: {" s7 j
Balfour added, “You want to try and be creative, be yourself, show your personality.”* m% M( \  a8 u, ]; X  K9 p5 f  |
Pay close attention to your writing style, spelling and grammar, experts recommended. Also, avoid anything too controversial or personal., z6 y, A5 Z  r8 b0 p1 }! R
“Basically, if you wouldn’t want an employer to see it or read it, I wouldn’t post it on your blog,” said Glass.9 F' B$ x0 l7 [/ N9 T
Balfour is happy in his new position but is amused he is still getting job offers.
" F- x% E5 A  g“I have been contacted quite a few times from my blog to be hired,” said Balfour.
: h* u, W4 R3 `+ f$ C2 fSome companies are now creating their own blogs as a recruiting tool. They often include information about the company, personal stories from employees and details on how to apply for a job.3 H9 k' g3 V0 u& N! P8 J
If you are writing a blog and want to get noticed, experts said it is important to increase your readership.
2 f  i2 A3 C3 q) `: {( fOne way to do that is to post comments on popular blogs that are similar to yours and to leave a link to your blog.% p+ b& `* B7 S1 B$ W
That way, experts said, readers will click through to get to your Web site.