With a highly competitive job market and an alarming amount of young people finding themselves unable to begin their career, it’s not surprising that people are opting to go one step further when it comes to getting noticed by employers. Of course, having a strong resume is still crucial, however, there are additional steps a job searcher can take to show their skills and passions – such as starting a blog.
Watch:How To Generate Leads Through Blogging
We’ve taken a look at why you might want to take a shot at blogging and how to go about it in order to make a fantastic impression on potential employers.
How?
Recent online polling from 'Blog Pulse' has calculated that there are currently over 161 million blogs on the internet. Just how many of those are updated and frequented on a regular basis is unclear, but it cannot be denied that over the past decade, blogging has really come into its own as an art-form.
Of course, just because you have a blog, doesn't mean you should throw that CV away just yet, but for those in creative professions and recent graduates especially, starting a blog is a great way to bolster your online profile, a profile that potential employers will be checking out pre-interview.
A blog could effectively work as an extension of your social media profile or as a completely fresh tangent. It doesn't have to be specifically dedicated to your industry of choice for example. In fact, limiting your blog to one specific 'niche' topic might not be the route you want to go down, especially if there simply isn't that much of interest to say about it.
Find A Niche
A niche doesn't have to be something particularly obscure, it just has to be a subject of which you are knowledgeable and have a passion for. It's almost impossible to write reams of copy about something you couldn't care a less about, but if you focus your blog on something that interests you, the words should flow easily. Try not to focus your blog on your trade or industry though, or it might read as a cynical and clinical 'checklist' for potential employers.
Of course, you can touch on your industry in your blog, but don't make it the focus (unless you are particularly enthused by it of course). By making employers see that you are a passionate and literate individual you should (at the very least) earn their respect.
Keep An Eye On Current Topics
Try and keep tabs on what is going on in the world of the topics you have chosen to write about. The best way to do this is by following other blogs and social media. Finding out who the influencers are for your chosen area also works as they will likely have their finger on the pulse and know what is happening. Not all posts have to be breaking news, but in order to write fresh and interesting content you should know what people wish to read about.
Market It But Don't Go Overboard
Although you should definitely be posting links to your blog on your social media networks and telling all of your friends and associates to read it, you don't want to become that irritating “Hey, have you read my blog?” guy. Market your blog to people who will actually be interested in reading it by streamlining your social media presence and doing some guest blogging on other, similar blogs to drive traffic to your own.
Engage with the users in your comments section and post comments in other blogs that might make others think you have something interesting to say for yourself. Once your blog starts increasing in popularity, your name will become more 'googleable' and you might even be approached by companies who want to offer you affiliate marketing opportunities but it will take time. Rome wasn't built in a day right?
Commit
Consistency is absolutely key in the blogging community. You can't 'have a bad week' as your readers may decide to get their fix elsewhere. Post on a regular basis and let your readers know!
Ultimately, you're writing the blog to impress people and this should always be in the back of your mind. With the right attitude though you should be able to construct a blog that manages to demonstrate your skill set, commitment, tech savvy and connections, whilst building your own personal 'brand' by coming across as witty and informative. It's a difficult balance and it probably won't come naturally, but with enough work you'll find that a blog can be an invaluable tool in helping you net the job of your dreams!
Is your job search turning into a grind with no end in sight? It may be time to take a step back and reevaluate your entire approach.
In cold weather climates, the beginning of spring is a time to clean the house and get organized—a practice known as spring cleaning. Through the years, spring cleaning has taken on a larger meaning with people using the time to organize and declutter things in their lives.
For professionals on the job hunt, a little spring cleaning (metaphorically speaking) could be a great way to reinvigorate your job search. Here are a few strategies your job search spring cleaning should include.
Reevaluate Your Job Search Approach
Bigstock
Make a list of the last handful of jobs you applied for and see if you can identify any positive or negative trends. Consider things like:
How did I learn about this job?
How did I apply for the job?
Did I earn an interview?
What was the ultimate result?
A lot can be learned about your job search approach just by answering these questions and identifying patterns. For example:
Negative Trends
You discovered five jobs through job boards, applied to all of them via the job boards, and never heard back from any of them.
The common pattern here is applying through job boards. This isn't to say that job boards don't serve a purpose in the job search process, but they have their limitations, and you can't run your job search entirely off of them. When you apply through a job board, there's a good chance that your materials will never get past the applicant tracking system (ATS) and never be seen by an actual person.
One simple fix is to research who the hiring manager or recruiter is that posted the position and email your materials to them directly.
The more efficient fix would be to take a proactive approach by putting together a bucket list of companies that you want to work for and start making connections on LinkedIn with people who work at those companies. You may already know some people who work there or have connections that can refer you to some individuals.
This is a great way to network your way onto a company's radar.
Positive Trends
You applied to three jobs via referral, were invited to two job interviews, and made it through multiple rounds of interviews for one of the jobs before being passed over for someone with a little more experience.
The pattern here is that getting referred to a job by a professional acquaintance is a great way to land a job interview. This indicates that you're leveraging your network well and you should continue to focus on your networking efforts.
The next step is to review the interview process and determine what went well and what needs to be improved. Sometimes the interviewer will provide feedback, and that feedback can be valuable. However, not everyone is comfortable with giving feedback.
Chances are you probably have a good idea about areas of improvement and the skills you need to gain. Put together a plan for addressing those shortfalls.
The good news in making it deep into any interview process is that it indicates that the company likes you as a potential employee (even if the timing just wasn't right) and the experience could be a roadmap to a job with that company at a later date, or another similar opportunity elsewhere.
Give Your Resume & Cover Letter Some Much-Needed Attention
Bigstock
Are you continuously sending similar resumes and cover letters to each job opening with only minor adjustments? If so, your strategy needs some serious spring cleaning.
The reason why it's so important to tailor your resume is that throughout your career, you acquire numerous skills, but the job you're applying for may only be focusing on 6-8 of those skills. In that case, those skills must rise to the top of the resume with quantifiable examples of how you successfully used those skills at previous jobs.
Remember, recruiters go through hundreds of resumes. They need to be able to tell from a quick glance whether or not you're a potential candidate for the position.
While updating your resume, you could also spruce up your LinkedIn profile by highlighting the skill sets that you want to be noticed for by recruiters.
As for writing a good cover letter, the key to success is writing a disruptive cover letter. When you write a disruptive cover letter, you're basically telling a story. The story should focus on how you connect with the particular company and job position. The story could also focus on your personal journey, and how you got to where you currently are in your career.
If your resumes and cover letters aren't unique, now is the time to clean things up and get on track.
Build Your Personal Brand
Just because you're looking for work doesn't mean that you don't have anything to offer. Use previous career experiences and passions to build your personal brand.
Ask yourself, "How do I want other professionals to view me?"
Pick an area of expertise and start sharing your knowledge and experience with your professional network by pushing out content on your LinkedIn and social media accounts. Good content can include blogs, social media posts, and videos.
By sharing content about your experiences and passions, you slowly build your personal brand, and others will start to notice. The content could lead to good discussions with others in your network. It could also lead to reconnecting with connections that you haven't spoken to in years, or making new connections.
You never know when one of these connections could turn into a job lead or referral. The trick is to get on people's radars. So, when you're cleaning up your job search, be sure to build a plan for personal branding.
Maintain Healthy Habits During Your Job Search
Bigstock
Your job search is important, but it's even more important to know when to pull back and focus on personal health and spending time with family and friends.
There are actually things that you can do for your own enjoyment that could help your job search in the long run, such as:
Grab coffee with a friend - It's good to engage in light conversation with friends during challenging times. And if your job search does come up, remember that most people have been through it themselves and you never know when a friend may provide you with a good idea or lead on a job.
Volunteer - Volunteering is a great way to get involved in the community and help others. In addition, if you develop a little bit of a career gap while looking for a job, you can always talk about how you filled that time volunteering, if you're asked about it during a job interview.
Continue to focus on other passions - Are you a fitness nut? Blogger? Crafter? Continue to do the things that bring you happiness. And if you're in a position to profit from your passion through a freelance job or side hustle, even better!
Spring is the perfect time to clean up and improve your job search so you can land the job you want. If you're struggling to find a job, follow the tips above to reinvigorate your job search—and watch your career blossom!
Need more help with your job search?
Become a member to learn how to land a job and UNLEASH your true potential to get what you want from work!
This article was originally published at an earlier date.
Bigstock
Bigstock
Bigstock
