Globeandmail.com
Musings that matter: Blog to a job
By MARY GOODERHAM
Wednesday, May 16, 2007 – Print Edition, Page C1
As a high-tech marketing executive, Darryl Praill learned the value of blogs for establishing a Web presence and branding companies and their products.
So, when he lost his job last year, he turned the value of blog branding on himself.
The online journal he began as part of his job hunt offered his candid views on marketing, leaving no doubt about his expertise in his field. Syndicated to subscribers, high in the search-engine rankings and sent by direct mail to potential employers, it acted as an online résumé that showed he was up on the current techniques and technologies - and not afraid to use them.
"I had to market myself," he says. "I needed to create my own brand, my own thought leadership ... to establish my credibility with prospective clients and employers."
And it worked. Mr. Praill, 39, of Ottawa, is now vice-president of sales and marketing for Organization Metrics Inc., a Toronto-based software company, largely as a result of his blog.
Scott Murray, the firm's chief executive officer, says he was attracted to Mr. Praill's "new-age, real-time" tactics, his air of honesty, leadership and initiative in his blog, adding that, for employers, blogs "help move the interview process forward before it even starts."
In a world where job turnover is a fact of life, keeping up the blog means he continues to have his profile - and his shingle - out for all to see.
"A blog is a wonderful investment in your career," says Mr. Praill, who lost his earlier job because of a merger. "If you truly believe you are qualified for a job, it pays to convey your abilities and your opinions online so you stand out."
Blogs - electronic journals published on the Web - can be a tool for those looking to land jobs, further their careers, secure regular contract work or promote their abilities in the event that a new opportunity might come along.
Indeed, bloggers who are not actually looking for jobs - known as "passive candidates" - especially find themselves the focus of corporate recruiters and professional headhunters (many of whom also blog,) who are drawn to the ideas, skills and non-career elements in their online journals as they look to find new sources of talent.
"Blogs are about connecting," says David Perry, managing director of Perry-Martel International Inc., an executive search firm in Ottawa, and co-author of Guerrilla Marketing for Job Hunters. "Getting a job is no longer about who you know, it's about who knows you."
Alyson Schafer, a 43-year-old Toronto psychotherapist who specializes in parenting, saw her career take off as a result of the blog she established four years ago at the urging of her husband Ken, an Internet marketing expert.
She initially worried the blog would eat into her revenue "because I'd be giving my advice away for free." But the blog meant that people looking for teachers, speakers and experts could find her, while offering an online community and "go-to place" for people interested in parenting.
Working in a niche area, Ms. Schafer learned to make her blog postings "digestible," brimming with keywords that the search engines favour, and perfect for lifting and pasting into other sites linked to her own.
"The more you give away, the more comes back - three-fold," she says, adding that she recently signed a deal to produce a book, without providing a sample chapter, because the publisher felt her blog was sufficient proof of her writing.
Recruiter Jim Stroud, a self-styled "searchologist" for Microsoft Corp., who is based in Atlanta, sifts through mountains of information on the Internet looking for people to place in jobs. Mr. Stroud says that a blog provides an "infinite amount of leads," singling out not only the blogger, but also highlighting those who leave comments related to the postings and linking to additional blogs that might yield recruits.
Indeed, a good way to be noticed if you don't want to start your own blog is to contribute to other leading blogs, he notes.
Mr. Stroud also participates in a corporate blog at Microsoft that engages candidates in discussions about positions with the company.
"Blogs are about authenticity," he says, adding that most employers are especially keen to recruit people currently in jobs, on the theory that they are more qualified than those out of work.
Indeed, Mr. Stroud keeps his own blog about recruiting and has received a number of offers for jobs and consulting work from people who find him there. "It's nice to be able to turn down work."
Getting your blog to stand out is crucial: According to San Francisco-based Technorati Inc., an authority on the so-called "blogosphere," there are 75.2 million blogs, with more than 175,000 created (and 1.6 million new posts) each day.
"As a job-seeker, one of the key things you want is to have stickiness," Mr. Murray says. "You want people to remember you."
Michael Kelemen, a Toronto-based headhunter, says that, before considering a blog, it's important for a job seeker to establish an online presence, posting a profile on social networking sites, such as Linked- In.com, setting up a personal website and putting together an online résumé full of samples, which can be built as a blog to make it easy to update and present professionally.
Mr. Perry, who recommended Mr. Praill set up his blog , says "the secret to leveraging your blog for job-hunting purposes is to blog on the area you want to become designated as the expert in, and then get people to connect to and read your blog."
Continue the blogging even when you have work, he says, and "you may never need to go looking for a job again, because employers will continue to find you."
Blogging takes minimal technical skills. However, Mr. Kelemen cautions would-be bloggers to tread cautiously, especially because of the communications skills and commitment that are required.
"Most people can't write résumés; how are they going to write a blog?" he asks.
Mr. Kelemen also says that the address of the blog should be simple and memorable. Make sure that headhunters and potential employers can find you by using a dot-com domain, incorporating keywords that are apt to be used in searches and signing up with blog search engines like http://www.technorati.com and http://www.blogdigger.com.
Keeping a blog current, avoiding off-colour material (especially any criticism of past, current or potential employers) and going with a design and overall presentation that are intriguing and professional are important, he says. "If you're looking for a job and your blog's full of typos, it doesn't look good."
Mr. Murray is not only delighted to have found Mr. Praill, his company continues to benefit from the blog, because one of its key people is seen to be embracing the latest technology, he says.
But it does have a potential downside, he says: The firm runs the risk of having a competitor recognize Mr. Praill's talents, and snap him up.
Knocking on doors in the blogosphere
Thinking of blogging for a job? Here are some dos and don'ts:
Do:
Demonstrate you are a specialist in your field, and up on current issues and topics.
Impress with your writing and communication skills.
Entice readers back. Keep it fresh and-up-to-date by writing regularly.
Include a "call to action," telling the reader what to do next or making it easy to reach you.
Incorporate other people's content (credit the source) and link to other on-line materials, known as "filter blogging."
Contribute and link to other people's blogs and encourage them to contribute and link to yours.
Include in your "about me" section that you're on the job hunt or open to new opportunities.
Present a clean, professional image, "branding" your blog in a similar way to other materials, such as your résumé and covering letter.
Make your blog easy to find. Give it a memorable name, incorporate keywords, sign up with blog search engines and syndicate your postings so they are broadcast to others, rather than sitting passively on the Web.
Include keywords that recruiters are likely to search the Internet for. If your blog has a "projects" section, include hyperlinks that connect to your current and past employers; associations you belong to; articles in which you or your project are mentioned; universities and colleges you have attended; special certifications you have received.
Establish an on-line presence beyond your blog, such as setting up a personal website, posting a profile on social networking sites, making electronic business cards and a downloadable résumé, and linking to them all.
Continue blogging even if you are gainfully employed.
Don't:
Slag current or past employers or companies that could end up considering you for a job.
Link to any questionable Web sites or blogs of a religious, political or sexual nature, which could label you an extremist or offend readers.
Post personal information that you'll regret, such as your partying habits or taste in lingerie.
Resort to folksy or cute writing. Using annoying acronyms or buzzwords, can be a turn-off. But do make sure your blog reflects you.
Post large image files, which could clog readers' computers.
Use your home address and phone number - get a second line and suggest contact through e-mail - or include information that could lead to identity theft. Also avoid posting pictures of your family - especially young children. You don't know who's reading or for what reason.
Mary Gooderham
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