How starting a professional blog opens doors in your job search
If you called the CEO of the company you’re dying to work for, would she know your name, take your call, and be excited to hear from you?
Scenario #1: You’ve identified the company you really, really want to work for. You get your courage up and call the CEO (start at the top, right?). She has absolutely no idea who you are (and is upset to be interrupted by a stranger calling out of the blue), and simply says, “I’m sorry, you’ve reached the wrong extension; I’ll transfer you to HR.” She hangs up and that’s the end of your chance to connect with the CEO. If, that is, you even managed to get by her administrative assistant in the first place!
Scenario #2: If, however, you are the author of a professional blog about a hot topic in her field, you would have already interviewed her, made her look good, and promoted her on social media. She would already know your name and have been impressed with your skills and industry knowledge. So she would pick up the phone enthusiastically and say, “Amanda! How are you?! I loved that blog post your wrote about me; all my friends said it was terrific! What can I do for you?!”
That difference, that connection, that relationship, that positive feeling about you at the highest level of your target company is worth its weight in gold.
And you got it simply by starting a professional blog and interviewing the key players in your field.
What’s not to like?
Bottom line: Most jobs are filled through connections. HR people start trying to fill open positions by advertising in-house to people they know. Then they ask for referrals from employees (what employee is going to recommend a loser?). And if the CEO recommends someone, what HR person is going to say, “no”?
If no one inside the company or friends outside the company have any candidates, the HR folks will then scour LinkedIn and other online sources looking for profiles of people who fit their needs. Finally, and only when they are really desperate, will they post the opening online. Only 10-20% of all job openings are advertised.
Which means: If you have connections in your target companies (whether it’s the CEO or a department head or other key player), they will know about openings in their own companies and in other companies in their field that they learned about through their professional grapevine.
By writing a professional blog about that field, you are making a name for yourself and plugging into that grapevine.
And by writing a professional blog, you are proving to those people that you are skilled, up to date on industry trends, personable, intelligent, eager, and driven. You’ve proven yourself, unlike all the people who are just sending in look-alike resumes and don’t stand out from the crowd.
So, while you’re hobnobbing with CEOs, your friends are sending dozens of resumes out to “black hole” job postings and never hearing a thing. Their self-esteem is sliding toward depression while yours is soaring higher with every interview and blog post.
Don’t wait another day. Start your professional blog and start making friends in high places!
Wondering how to start? Check out our posts by Lauren Terry about launching a professional blog:
Blogging to Land a Job Series:
- Step One: Connecting with industry leaders
- Step Two: What do I write about?
- Step Three: Targeting the companies you want work for
- Step Four: Showcase your skills and industry knowledge
- Step Five: Choosing the blog topic most likely to land the job you want
Photo at the top of the page is a Creative Commons-licensed photo by combust