Can blogging be good for your career? It is a question that you may never have considered before. But, think about it. What better way to improve and grow your personal brand and professional credibility and online presence than to start a blog?
It is likely that you follow one or more blogs. In addition to the seemingly ubiquitous political blogs, there are sports blogs, how-to blogs, humor blogs, even blogs on how to blog. Business magazines and websites blog about the economy or specific industries and/or, the interaction between the two.
So, if blogs addressing all those topics (among others) exist, then why not a blog about you? Why not a blog showcasing your expertise, intellectual curiosity, interests, and problem-solving skills?
According to Hosting Tribunal, there are approximately 500 million blogs on the internet, and the trend will not wane. In fact, some career experts have argued that a blog is an essential tool for a successful career.
So, why should you blog?
The three most obvious motivations include:
- Passion: You can create a personal blog and use it as a digital portal to share your passion. You can do this by writing texts and including multimedia.
- An expert’s expression: As an expert in your industry, you can use your blog to distill your thoughts, experiences, and any lessons that you have learned during your life journey, education, or career.
- A way to make money: If your purpose is to blog with the purpose of advancing your career, this is a less obvious reason why you should consider creating a personal blog. But, your blog could become a sideline business. You can write professionally and work with advertisers and other brands to get compensation.
The reason why you should consider blogging for your career lies hidden in between the three.
Still, why should you consider blogging?
For the same reasons why you should start working on your personal brand today, a blog can help set you up for any eventualities in your career. Blogging allows you to tell people across the world who you are, what you do, and how you do it.
Do you have an online profile on Twitter, LinkedIn, and other platforms?
Have you been featured on your company’s website?
If your answer to these two questions is yes, then you should know it’s still not enough because you still don’t have full control of your digital footprint.
When you have a blog, you’re in control of what you post and how it looks.
1) Blogging increases your online presence
If you wish to increase your online presence, then you should consider blogging. Your blog will help you be found online on search engines such as Google. Can you imagine how you would benefit if a hiring manager or recruiting agency does a simple Google search and finds your blog that demonstrates your experience and knowledge in your field?
Blogging will also produce a history of written communication that can serve as a sample of the quality of work you are capable of producing should you ever be requested to do so (for example, when you are job hunting).
2) Blogging makes you an authority in your field
Another important reason why you should be blogging is that you will become an expert in your field. You will have to come up with content, which means that you will need to do in-depth research on the topic.
While conducting your research, you will read and learn more about the subject. Therefore, your blog will force you to research, learn and write more about the topic. In the process, this will aid your personal development.
3) Blogging expands your network
Having a blog will create more opportunities than you could ever conceive. As you blog on the web, you will join an online community of other like-minded people. This network can lead to new and exciting ventures for you and your career.
Your blog will increase your exposure not only to those in your network but, potentially, the networks of those people as well. A wider audience provides greater opportunities when job hunting and seeking to build a successful career.
Achieve Career Success With Your Blogging
Let’s be clear about something right away: We are not suggesting that you start a blog when you begin to think about a new job or, heaven forbid, find yourself unexpectedly unemployed.
In fact, job hunting shouldn’t be the primary purpose of your blog, it should be something you do that might assist in a job search should it ever become necessary, by promoting you as an expert in your field or industry.
In some ways, you can think of a blog as a self-driven, self-perpetuating form of continuing education. Once you determine you possess the interest and ability to write about something, start writing!
You needn’t blog daily or, for that matter, even weekly. What you do need to do is to notify your audience when you’ve posted new content (e.g., notify your Facebook friends and LinkedIn contacts). If you can create a buzz around your posts, the likelihood will increase that your readers will share them with people you don’t know, thereby increasing your exposure.
Let’s assume you’ve established a following. What should you provide for those folks to actually follow? Anything that conveys to them what you know, what interests you have, and what you’re good at. If you can engage the reader by making him or her think, perhaps including a question or requesting feedback, you’ll have a blog that is not only informative but interactive as well.
While blogging can help grow your career, there is no silver bullet or magic formula to making your blog a success. Be ready to work hard and be consistent if you want your blog to succeed.
About the Author: Michelle Dumas
