Should you include your Blog on your CV?
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This is something that I had previously umm’ed and arr’ed about. Will it affect me getting a job? Will the employer think I am childish or silly for adding it? Will the employer think I am just trying to advertise my blog? These are all questions that ran through my mind, but then I started to look at the bigger picture.
Just take a moment and think about what bloggers actually do? Yes we occasionally get gifted products, asked to attend events and invited to try out places, but that isn’t why we started blogging. Its an interest, a hobby, a passion. We devote so much of our time and effort into making that little space on the web ours. We also spend countless hours perfecting our posts to make sure they are what we would like to read, what would attract a larger audience as well as self-promoting our brand to as many people as we possibly can. I think it’s pretty amazing!
For example, take myself. I have little experience in PR and Marketing “on paper” and despite me studying towards a Journalism and Marketing degree, when it comes to applying for these kind of roles, I would be lucky if my application was even read. And to be honest, when looking at my CV I am not surprised! I didn’t stand out, and I mean why would I when I have constantly worked in retail, customer service or complaints (Yes I worked in complaints, for a very long time. And I actually enjoyed it!) On paper, I just didn’t meet the criteria, experience or qualifications. BUT. And this is a big but. When you look at the job specification and think about what you do as a blogger, it could compare right?
In some cases this is true, albeit as bloggers we are usually on the receiving end of the relationship with PR companies and brands but we still are competent in doing the job role that is advertised (this is assuming you are after a PR, Marketing or Journalism role) and that’s why I think it you just need to believe it, work hard and sell yourself so that employers believe it too! Employers like to see originality, they like to be able to get a feel of what personality you have, how you work, what makes you tick so don’t be afraid to be different!
EXAMPLES
Using some of the above content, I have created a few examples for you to help you understand how to look differently at what bloggers do and how you would explain that on your CV or on Linked In.
PR Samples and Events mean we:
- Provide an honest, trustworthy and detailed reviews on products and/or companies to help increase company sales targets.
- Attend Press Events and provide Media Coverage both written and across Social Media to promote brands and products to a target audience.
- Work with large brands and PR companies across the UK and internationally to engage a large audience and promote products and services.
Writing and Scheduling Posts mean we have the:
- Ability to plan, schedule and write posts to brand, company and personal deadlines.
- Producing high quality content to engage an audience, whilst providing brand and product exposure.
General Tasks involve:
- Management and promotion of 'Charlotte Elizabeth blog' to continuously increase audience reach.
- Actively seeks opportunities within the market to create new content on the latest trends and products prior to launch.
- Creator, Editor and main Writer of Charlotte Elizabeth blog.
I didn’t want to waffle with too much information about what bloggers do, because let’s face it, we all know what we do. Instead this is used more as a guideline to help you think about what we do as bloggers.
TIPS
Include if:
- The overall presentation, theme, grammar, formatting etc is professional. Think about what you like about other blogs, what is attractive about said blog or website? Utilise this and take tips from other blogs to improve the appearance of yours. I am forever browsing my favourite blogs and think about what I like about the layout, is it easy to use? What widgets do they have that make it attractive? Remember first impressions mean a lot in the blog industry, so make it count!
- Have been blogging for a while and has a lot of great content, then it will show employers that you are dedicated, don’t lose interest quickly and are passionate about what you do. Writing about beauty, makeup or food might not necessarily be suited to the job, but the skills you have will be!
- Have worked with brands or companies especially more well-known brands, this will show the employer that brands trust you to work with.
- You have had some great successes from your blog, then share! It’s always good to boast on your CV how amazing you are. Have you been nominated for blog awards? Have you reach certain milestones? Share, share!
Don’t if:
- You are not 100% passionate and devoted to your blog, don’t mention it. As there will be nothing worse than an employer bringing up your blog as a point of topic and then realising you are not as passionate as you made out.
- You also probably shouldn’t include your blog on your CV if it is a little inappropriate for work. I don’t think I need to elaborate on this really?
- You just want to keep it secret from employers or even just not included on your CV so you have an interesting topic to discuss face to face, then that is also a pretty good reason.
Technically, when you think about it we are the Editor in Chief, Content Writer, PR Manager, Designer and Creator, Marketing and Production Manager and much more! So we basically do everything ourselves and I think bloggers are pretty amazing!
So if you choose to broadcast this on your CV and on Linked In, you never know it might just help you bag that opportunity that you’ve been wanting. As long as you do it in a professional way that makes those employers interested, that’s all you need!
I really don’t want this post to “force” any decision regarding what is right for you, and I am certainly not making an opinion about your blog as we all know bloggers work incredibly hard and I honestly think that the blogging industry and the work we do is greatly under rated. So why not brag about it and show off your marvellous work every now and again?
Do you include your blog on your CV/Linked In? What are your thoughts on this?
2 Comments
This is such a great post. I think everybody should include their blog on their CV, like you have said it shows that you have a range of skills.
ReplyDeleteAs a journalism graduate hoping to find a career in journalism/marketing/PR it is essential for me to include it.
Daniella | Freshly Pressed Beauty
This is really a wonderful post.
ReplyDelete