Have you heard the term ‘social presence’? It refers to a person or organization’s online profile, which advertises them to the world. Employers often “get to know” a job seeker via his or her social presence before interviewing the candidate. In fact, about 35 percent of employers are less likely to interview candidates who are not present online. This proves the importance of creating a strong social presence before or during a job search.
Blogging Helps Job Seekers Establish a Social Presence
Social presence is something every job seeker needs, and blogging helps establish it. ACCA Careers wrote,
“Blogging is a great way to build your online profile. If you have time and knowledge it can be an effective way to show potential employers that you know a lot about a particular subject and are passionate about it.”
A blog tells a hiring manager who you are and what you can do, and announces your professionalism in ways a resume can’t. Believe it or not, blogging to find a job is easy and can be done in just three steps.
Find a Job by Blogging in 3 Steps
Today’s job seekers need to utilize every possible tool that can maximize their process of finding employment. Blogging is a powerful tool in a job search. The steps to finding a job through blogging include…
1. Open a free blog account — If you are unfamiliar with blogging, don’t let this step intimidate you. Starting your blogging journey is as simple as creating a free account on WordPress or Squarespace. Learn how to navigate WordPress in this video tutorial. Here’s one for Squarespace.
2. Publish blog posts regularly — Once you have your blog account set up and have familiarized yourself with the usage of your platform of choice, it’s time to go live with blogging. Do this by publishing 300-500 word posts weekly (at least). Posting regularly signals Google to rank your blog higher in its search results.
3. Use keywords to your advantage — When blogging to find a job, keywords are critical. Keywords are words that describe what your blog post is about. For example, if you are an IT professional writing about cloud computing, your keywords might be “IT, professional, cloud, computing.” When an employer Googles “IT professional with skills in cloud computing,” your blog might pop up early in his or her search if you’ve properly handled keywords by:
— Choosing 2-4 keywords or key phrases.
— Using at least one keyword in each heading and subheading of your blog post, as well as in the title.
— Placing keywords organically throughout the body of a blog post.
— Avoiding the overuse of keywords. Stuffing a post with keywords will not increase your blog’s search rankings, and it looks unprofessional.
Discover additional blogging best practices here.
Job hunting can be a thankless task. Blogging adds an element of fun to the process, strengthens your communication skills, and can increase your odds of an employer finding you. Win-win-win.
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