A decent blog allows you to display your abilities, build a network of like-minded professionals and possibly even obtain offers to earn money with your talents. Whether you previously had a blog, or are looking to start one, here are some tips for mixing your blog into your new job search.
How using a blog can lead you to a new job:
- Grow your personal network. Blogging is fairly a social endeavor. You can use your site to meet new people with techniques like guest blogging, holding interviews or swapping links with other bloggers to gain traffic. You can inquire amongst your existing readers and ask them to share your blog with friends and family.
- Develop long-term connections. It’s typical for people to take a year or more to search for a new job. A blog can make it simple to stay linked with like-minded individuals over an extended time frame.
- Support others. Interacting with your network is more likely to be gratifying and constructive if you put some extra focus on helping others. Your blog is a method to assist people in finding solutions to problems you have already experienced. You have the possibility of receiving job offers from people who are looking for a similar answer to a problem. If you market yourself throughout your blog posts and website, people will know you’re available for hire!
- Increase your knowledge. You will come across a variety of information when you begin researching topics for blog post writing. This is a wonderful technique to stay current in the area of your choosing. Even if you are in between positions, or looking for a job that better matches your long-term goals, it never hurts to grow your skillset.
- Generate a portfolio. Your blog is a showcase of your hard work and know-how. Prospective employers can get to know you through the content you publish. You can even turn your best posts into eBooks or YouTube videos!
- Work within your means. If you don’t have the funds to market your new blog, starting out small is just fine. You can set up a free site on Blogger, WordPress or Wix. All three are relatively easy to use and you can always search for tutorials on YouTube.
Efficient Methods to Make Blogging Your New Job
- Post on a regular schedule. Two of the main reasons given for unsubscribing from a blog is that the author is posting too seldom or too frequently. Sounds like they’re never happy, right? Don’t worry! Just maintain your blog by keeping it fresh, and being careful to limit your e-mail blasts to valuable content only.
- Stay in your niche. Identify your topic right from the start and consistently offer content that your readers are expecting. If you feel yourself diverging from your niche, keep a list or “blog file” and maybe you can start a separate blog in the future!
- Be present on social media. Sites like Twitter, Reddit, or other social media forums are a great place to network and find like-minded people. You can search for people you want to connect with and offer them useful information. Give them a reason to get to know you and in return they may spread the word about your blog.
- Utilize options such as guest posts. Associate yourself with other bloggers in your niche. If you write about homeschooling, create give-and-take deals to provide content to other local blogs that focus on homeschooling. In return, you can market the partnering blogger on your own site.
- Be the writing that readers crave. You need to inspire your readers to return to your blog. Be openly thankful when people leave comments and answer their questions in a timely manner. Make a list of your most popular posts so new visitors want to read more.
- Inspire respectful debates. To gain positive attention, take a strong posture when you have facts to support your viewpoint. Come up with a thoughtful post about something that is seen as questionable in your field of expertise. Research to find an expert who takes the opposing position, and link to their blog or article. Better yet, reach out to said person and see if they would be willing to contribute to your post with a quote.
- Find a good balance. As a universal guideline, most successful bloggers provide original content about 70% of the time. You can use what’s left to add your individual flair and, of course, scatter in links and other items that help build relationships and maybe even revenue.
Taking advantage of any and every resource that is available to you is important in a competitive job market. Having the right strategy and valuable content will make your blog look like one in a million…and that’s the way you want it!
