Do you keep a blog for professional reasons? What do you write about?
I just read a hiring manager’s description of how he reviews resumes. One of the things he said he looks for is whether you have a weblog. He also Googles you. Do you keep a blog for professional purposes? I have to say that I find this idea a little daunting—thinking that I’d need to keep a professional blog just to further my career. It seems kind of forced.
I’d have to write everything assuming that a recruiter was looking at it. I’d never write my real feelings (unless they were good). It would be kind of pollyannish and full of a kind of understated bragging. You know: problems I face and how I successfully (always) overcome them. Nothing about the problems that weren’t overcome. Maybe one, to make it seem real. Yech!
I have a google problem, too. There are so many people with my name (not John Smith, but close) that you couldn’t even find me if you paged through 20 pages of google. Maybe I should put stuff on the web that raises me up higher? If only I could use daloon. That name is very high up. Maybe if I switch careers.
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One thing that I learned a long time ago is NEVER post under an identifiable name. More and more bloggers are getting sued for expressing opinions that others find defamatory. There are headline this week about a woman being imprisoned for expressing an opinion on a blog.
Facebook and similar social website users are learning the hard way that employers, jealous or malicious workmates and recruiters examine those networks very closely.
Weird. Isn’t Linkedin enough for that type of thing?
I’m glad I’m not going into a field that needs to google you. I already have to submit child abuse clearance, criminal record history, a physical…that’s all invasive enough I think.
If your “forcing it” then stick to LinkedIn. It also depends on your industry, my industry requires me to dominate listings when my name gets typed into Google and since I have done nothing interesting enough to have other people write about me by name I run my own blog with a couple posts per month to ensure content is being listed for my name. Unfortunately though when you are forcing it the content isn’t always that great and you end up with a mediocre blog and imo no blog is better than an uninteresting blog.
If you do a google search for my name, my professional blog is the first hit. I don’t update it regularly, but when I do write a post it’s always about programming concepts, personal programming projects or other things related to my career; never anything opinionated or personal. I have a password protected blog that I use to talk about my family, share pictures, and that sort of thing. Everywhere else on the internet I write under an alias.
No blog and I deleted out of anything else associated with my public name. Like so many people, I do have a facebook acct. now but keep the settings so that even if you see a profile pic of me somewhere, clicking on it will give a blank blueface. Where I’ve worked, most people have had Myspace, Facebook, Linkedin, etc., managers too and they all Google each other and new hires. I’ve had people tell me to my face with no hesitation at all that they’ve Googled me to see what they could find.
Be careful people
@hungryhungryhortence: So are you surprised that someone would google you?
I just googled myself (not the first time, but I probably hadn’t for 6 months or so), and now there are more than 20 hits about me, which taken together pretty much read like my resume, but with a few holes. I welcome potential employers to google me. They can see that what I say about myself is true, and confirmed by the organizations that I’ve worked with and by the news media.
@La_chica_gomela: about two years ago, I’d never been on a social site and had never heard of Google so yes, I was freaked out when a date told me he had Googled me before our going out but nowadays I assume everyone does it, I do it too. This getting to know the internet better is what prompted me to delete out of as much as possible. My co workers and family don’t need to know what I do with my private time unless I share it directly.
Yes, I keep a blog and I am writng about electronics. We have a lot of Open Source projects:
Embedded systems.
PCB design.
Power Supplies.
Analog design.
Firmware and device drivers development.
RF and data transmission protocols and circuits.
Your Electronics Open Source
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