Should You Have A Blog As A Marketing Job Candidate

In the fast-moving world of the Internet, many people view blogs as outdated tools for just about everything. Unless you're blogging as a full-time job, why should you bother writing long, well thought-out posts and articles--especially if you're a job seeker? Isn't that what LinkedIn and Facebook are for, with shorter formats that you don't have to spend as much time on?

The fact is that for marketing candidates, creating and maintaining a blog can bring a lot of benefits to your job search. Here's how a blog can help you strengthen your position as a marketing candidate and land a great job.

It's your resume--on steroids

You might have a fantastic resume that frames you as an ideal candidate, but there's only so much you can fit on a single page. Writing a blog lets you expand on your resume, discussing your skills and experiences in a more detailed, personable, and entertaining format.

With a blog, you can include information that wouldn't fit or doesn't belong on a resume, but would still interest employers. Writing opinion pieces about current marketing strategies, well-researched posts about the latest industry news, and your thoughts on the future of marketing also helps to expand your value as a candidate.

Blogs enhance your digital footprint

What's the first thing an employer is likely to do if they're interested in your resume? If you said "Google your name," you'd be right. Plugging candidates' names into a search engine is standard practice for employers, especially if they want to find out what kind of impact your marketing work has had so far.

Maintaining a blog can really flesh out search engine results for your name, and demonstrate that you're active and knowledgeable in the industry. For even greater impact, open (or freshen up) a Google+ account and link your blog to it, so your profile shows up along with your results in Google searches.

Network (almost) effortlessly

Any marketing candidate who's done their homework knows that networking is crucial to a successful job search. Running a blog helps you enhance your professional network, make new connections in your industry, and can even get some job offers to come to you as your blog readership grows.

Of course, it takes time and effort to build a blog readership. Make sure you're posting fresh material frequently, responding to reader comments, and commenting on other industry blogs--particularly influencers. If you're blogging with professional networking in mind, one great strategy is to cross-post all of your entries to LinkedIn, or even maintain your blog directly on LinkedIn through the Long-Form Posts option introduced this summer.

Blogging makes you interesting

Hiring managers go through a lot of resumes every day when they're trying to fill a position. It doesn't take long for this process to get boring and repetitive. The ability to offer hiring managers an active blog in addition to your resume makes you stand out from the sea of same-old candidates with supporting material that's interesting to review.

This means if you're going to blog your way to a marketing job, you'll need to make sure your blog posts are actually engaging and up to date. You don't have to produce new, polished material every day--but adding great content two or three times a week can build your archives quickly, and give hiring managers something to get interested in.

If you're willing to put in some effort, blogs can be a great tool to help you get attention and land a great marketing job.

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