Blogging: A Great Career Move
A colleague of mine said that, although this blog is supposed to be about careers, I should never post any resume tips on it. I'm fine with that, seeing as how I already weighed in on resume mistakes some time ago.
But then I came upon this post which, as the title plainly states, views blogs as the new "CV" (which I believe is the English, as well as academic, term for "resume"). Blogs can certainly give folks greater insight into your interests, expertise, personality, and thought processes than a traditional resume ever could, so I'm all for them. But the Servant of Chaos portentiously adds the following: "Blogs are great for strategic planners and for creatives in general ... but make sure you are aware that some of your readers may be your future employers!"
I believe that those words were meant to be cautionary, but they could also be read in a prescriptive way. That is, don't just be careful what you say about whom in your blog, but be ever mindful that a blog gives you a unique and evolving opportunity to present yourself to the world. In other words, instead of asking yourself, "How can I avoid sabotaging my budding career with this infernal blog?" ask yourself this question: "How can I compose my blog so as to turn my readers into my future employers?"
Comments
Hey Matt ... you are exactly right. I have heard of some bloggers who have STOPPED because of their career.
I do believe that blogs are the windows into our own personal brands. And while you may have forgotten about something you have written -- a potential employer may dig up something juicy to throw you off in an interview. And while this may be a risk, there are a number of bloggers who have recently taken up new positions thanks to their blogging activities.
Thanks for the link!
Posted by: Gavin Heaton @ Dec 18, 2006
I find your blog insightful and interesting, Gavin, so I'm happy to link to it. Also, the more I think about it, it's hard for me to imagine creatives and marketing folk actively pursuing their respective professions in this day and age without blogging to some degree. Thanks for the comment.
Posted by: Matt @ Dec 19, 2006