Blogging and the Job Search
Blogging has become a very popular thing to do these days. It is a way of venting, ranting and raving, getting things off your chest, and just sharing experiences. But do you ever think about how your blogging can hurt you during your job search?
If you are currently looking for a job and happen to have a public blog there are some things you should consider. 1. What do the contents of your blog contain? 2. Would you want a potential employer to find your blog and read it? 3. How would the contents be percieved?
These things are all very important to consider. Personally I feel that a blog can help you with your job search as long as you are careful about what you write. If an employer searches you, finds your blog, and gets to read about your dating/drinking/dramatic escapades you may almost count on them not calling you in for an interview. It is acceptable to be personable at work but nobody wants to hire or work with a drama queen or king. Another thing to be careful about is writing/venting about past employers or coworkers. Blogging about those subjects reflect badly upon you and again make the hiring manager ask themselves what you might publicly say about them. If you must blog about such personal issues make it a private blog that your friends have to subscribe to.
This is a very short blog for this reason: To me, it is a matter of common sense that you watch what you blog about and who can access it, just as facebook and myspace along with any other social networking site should be set to private. It is perfectly acceptable to share personal experiences with coworkers but keep the hard core stories to yourself or your close friends. You don’t want to ruin your chances before a potential employer can see what a good candidate you are for their position. A helpful tip is to google yourself and see what comes up. Do some damage control before it hurts you.
Jessica Moomaw
