Job seekers have a new way to stand out from the pack of prospects.
6 ~ u( E4 X3 q q3 q1 AThere is now no need to knock on any doors, call recruiters or even send a resume. L1 H# f# U+ U U; E+ @& m$ O* |* U& }
Forget online job boards or even old-fashioned networking.7 s" S2 \$ x' h% K
Click here to find out more!& J3 y9 j: `8 i1 \9 y F
The hottest way to land a dream job is to write a blog, a Web journal of sorts.
$ H: M! U! S& E s+ G1 l' P“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.”) p4 v" ?/ K; F. r4 ~8 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.0 o! ^: G0 i$ D7 C/ y5 c! M
“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.1 g- r7 s5 M0 i
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.
+ G' d' ^! o1 T ]0 L“Blogs are a great way to find employees,” said Russell Glass of ZoomInfo.com." f: ~ q2 P, e; f
Glass selected Brian Balfour to work for his Internet search engine company because of his blogs on social networking.
. ?- D5 D- X* p“The most impressive thing about Brian’s blog was how each post was succinct yet on target,” said Glass. m, ?6 v4 q* n' j
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.
0 F# B5 ]# { H' ~2 C; j7 {/ |“I had just come off of selling a previous company that I owned, and I was looking for new opportunities,” said Balfour.
0 e& B4 j- J" pExperts said it’s critical to focus your topics on your industry and highlight what you know.
. \' R* F- F# ?9 Z* q) j0 v5 u( L“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.& c8 g" r& b; b3 \3 D0 x
Balfour added, “You want to try and be creative, be yourself, show your personality.”
0 o9 b+ | m! V4 R2 L* ~Pay close attention to your writing style, spelling and grammar, experts recommended. Also, avoid anything too controversial or personal.
+ ^0 [% |3 w8 `' y e: k“Basically, if you wouldn’t want an employer to see it or read it, I wouldn’t post it on your blog,” said Glass.8 X+ L$ H0 l. ^6 g
Balfour is happy in his new position but is amused he is still getting job offers.% F2 x* Y \ `5 K. f: ]6 S8 @
“I have been contacted quite a few times from my blog to be hired,” said Balfour.
" r. O" g1 o: y& A8 dSome 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.
0 l* t, \7 m4 v1 gIf you are writing a blog and want to get noticed, experts said it is important to increase your readership.
/ }! [ r2 l. B1 e" [4 `, s/ OOne way to do that is to post comments on popular blogs that are similar to yours and to leave a link to your blog.
$ [. a" R, t. _5 J8 sThat way, experts said, readers will click through to get to your Web site. |