Blog Your Way into a Job

If you really want that job, what are you going to do that others aren't prepared to do that will put you ahead of the pack?

For this particular role that you want right now, you've only got one bullet. You're going to want to aim, hold steady, pull the trigger and get the bullseye. If you do, your job is done and you won't need to spend any more time or effort applying to other places. But, it's hard isn't it, when...

There's too much competition for jobs these days

Actually, if you're good enough, there's never too much competition. And 'good enough' means:

• having the right (minimum acceptable) skill set (but preferably being damn good in this area)
  
• having the right attitude and personality for the role (being hungry to learn and grow is useful here)
  
• clearly demonstrating your interests or passion for this line of work
• being able to effectively convince the decision makers of the above (hint: make it easy for them)
  

A chain is only as strong as it's weakest link. If these four points formed a chain, then which one is your weakest? For most people it's the fourth one. Doesn't matter how strong the other three links are, if the fourth is weak, you don't get the job. You miss the bullseye. Your bullet is wasted.

Of course to effectively convince the decision makers, you need to get NOTICED by them and then get them INTERESTED in you, your relevant achievements, and your future goals and ambitions. Hard to do with just a cover letter, CV/resume and application form.

So what else could you do?

I've blogged before about resume alternatives. And I've acknowledged that for many roles, you'll still need to lead with a resume. But here's an idea that's easy to implement, has plenty of other benefits for your own learning, development and career progress, and can come to your aid when you need to stand out, get noticed and get the job you want:

Start a career based blog. Not very exciting advice you say? Hold on, don't go! Don't underestimate this one. Think about it in more depth. What if, once you've decided what your ideal career is and you've identified the right role..what if you had a casually written (updated as and when) but professional career blog that documented things like:

• what you've been working on
• the challenges you've overcome
• the small things you've achieved that have personally satisfied you
  
• the training you've received
• the learning and development that you've self-directed and plan to self-direct moving ahead
  
• how you've applied it
• your self-feedback, and learning from mistakes
  
• your career plans for the future
• your (smart) thinking and reflection about the projects you're working on
• ideas and innovations that you think could work

Don't make this blog a chore, keep it simple, and don't write it expecting a following of readers (however if you get one then that's a bonus). The point is, you have a real-time account demonstrating the things your potential employer is interested in.

Of course if when you come to apply for the position you think any of your old posts would hurt, then remove them or edit them.

Now, all you need to do is get this blog noticed by the right people. So what if you attempted to connect with them through Twitter, Linkedin or even Facebook? What if you joined any social online groups they belonged to, before the application process even begins? What if you made them aware of your blog before they even see your resume, and mention it in your resume as a project you've been working on? You'll need to get them interested enough to type the URL in and find it. So how about purposefully writing the most relevant blog post you can for this particular recruiter? Why not do some research on the company, see what they're currently up against, and blog your intelligent thoughts on the issue? Show your interest. Give it a compelling title, and then in your cover letter, or via social networking, invite them to read that specific post. Which of your competitors are doing something like that?

You have so much more flexibility with this approach than you do with the conventional cover letter, resume approach. You can really show case some important points about yourself, and if you really are aligned to your ideal career, then you'll have little trouble convincing them to invite you in for interview.

When you're at the interview stage for your ideal career, you've basically got the job already (so long as you positioned yourself strategically enough).

So there it is. Give it a go. Yes it takes upfront (and ongoing) investment. But think about the pay off when you need it most. What are you going to do if you don't have one? And think about the skills you'll learn from the exercise itself. It will improve your writing, your thinking, your interaction and networking, your engagement and motivation in what you do, and will provide a useful record to look back on to measure your own progress.

Finally, two pieces of advice about blogging:

1. Use a free service like Wordpress (that's what I'm using now) or Blogger and you'll be up and running in 5 minutes.

2.  Learn all you need to about blogging and marketing your blog here at CopyBlogger I've trawled through plenty of resources about blogging, most of them hyped up salesy nonsense, and have recently found this level-headed sensible resource that has tonnes of useful information. You'll probably see me applying much of what I learn in the months ahead!

Any thoughts or questions on this or related, let me know in the comments below and I'll be glad to help.

Nothing is Right Anymore

It probably never was either. Just about every idea, opinion or thought has it's flip-side, counter argument or opposing view. What's right for one person is wrong for another. There are always exceptions. (Except the few things that don't have any). Everyone will have their fans and their critics. When we're being someone's critic, someone else is busy being our critic. That's just the way it works. Most of our problems will come down to wrong assumptions or limiting beliefs of ours, that stopped us behaving in such a way that would have avoided the problem.

So how do we know what's right?

We don't. But I'm pretty convinced that what's not right is accepting a new thought, idea or opinion as it is without question. Too many people do it too often. This might sound obvious to you, but you may still do it without realising. Some people do it almost every time they read or hear something. If it's in writing, it must be true. Others like to think they don't do it, but when they learn something that supports their existing beliefs and worldview, they don't question it. They just nod and enjoy feeling 'right' about it. We all do this. It brings a quote to mind:

"Any man who reads too much and uses his own brain too little falls into lazy habits of thinking" - Einstein

What sparked this post off? I just read an article that began with, "Resumes are essential in order to find a job". But I know people who found good work without them. It made me wonder how many people would read that without questioning it. And how many would then, head hung low, get on polishing their resume through their tears. And then what 'game' or league they'd now be playing in, and head to head with who? And what would be further down the road for them?

Versus a reader who'd question it and consider alternative approaches.
Versus another reader who'd not only question it, but actively google, "resume alternatives"
Versus another reader who'd just ignore it altogether and find work their way (perhaps because they haven't yet got caught up in how things have been done in the past.)

Each of those readers would take different journeys to different places and face different challenges along the way.

So here I am challenging that article, and you may be challenging my post. But of course, I know the advice is right for certain people (probably the people who want it to be right). I know that the majority will go down the resume route because it's a known approach. Some may even enjoy it. But my blog posts are for the other people around the edge. Those who aren't convinced yet. Those who are ready to challenge convention and outflank the competition (or maybe even collaborate with them to steal everyone's attention?), those who want to differentiate themselves (because after all, we are all different - why hide it when you can turn it into an asset?) and those who are looking for alternative, easier or faster ways to get a job done and demonstrate your value.

So ask challenging questions when you learn:

Is this true? (or who is this true for?)
What if the opposite is true?
What are the exceptions?
What type of people have made this advice work?
What were their circumstances at the time it worked?
Would this advice still work in today's world?

It's this approach that makes self-directed learning powerful. As a learner you can make your own decisions and take what road you want to your destination. And of course you make sure it's a learning destination that takes you towards your goals.

2 more related resources:

1. Despite the big ad that popped up when I opened this, this article 'Burn Your Resume' gives some good ideas. And I wrote a related blog post here.

2. Ignore Everybody - an excellent book by Hugh Macleod, labeled as a book on creativity, but it's definitely a business book.

The Fastest Way to Get Your Resume Binned

This article shows some commonly over-used, dull phrases in resumes:

http://better-jobs-advice.blogspot.com/2010/07/13-most-overused-resume-phrases.html

There'll be plenty more too. They make the reader squirm and they're used by people who are playing the 'cog' job hunting role. Doing what they think is the norm for job hunting (and they're right, it is the norm). But of course, most people who do it the normal way don't get the job.

Of course, if you're aligned perfectly to your ideal career, not only do you find yourself not needing to use phrases like these, but better still, you don't even dream of it. You're not left playing that silly game of acting and 'trying' to sound like you're right for the role. You're on to something much bigger, bolder and more honest with more life in it. You're authentic. You know you're right for the role. You know your value will be recognised by being your natural self, and letting your natural passion do the talking. You'll also be more naturally inclined to approach finding a job differently. For example, you're unlikely to tolerate knocking the life out of your passion and potential value by squeezing it on to a resume in the first place. You're more likely to start a speculative job search by making phone calls and connecting as a human. You're more likely to smile as you do it too. And your voice will sound different. And you're more likely to get meetings and make more solid dependable connections. You may get your ideal job without even needing a resume.

The best and fastest way to get your resume binned in my eyes, is to bin it yourself, and adopt a smarter strategy.

If you're using these over-used phrases in your resume, question if you're really applying for the right job. If you don't know what your ideal career is, you can find it by working through this e-course: Find your ideal career.