11 Ways a Blog Can Get You a Gig, a Job, a Career (so stop whining)

baby crying because she does not want to blog

But I don't wanna blog!

“There are too many blogs out there.”

“I’m not a writer.”

“What if I put in all that effort and it doesn’t work out?”

Finished whining yet?  Because you will need that energy to get started on your blog.   A blog? Who has time to do that? You.  Because here’s what it can help you do:

  1. Stand out from other applicants (for gigs, jobs, grants, promotions)
  2. Get writing gigs in your industry
  3. Get offers to teach seminars and workshops
  4. Set you up as a consultant
  5. Get a book deal

Why even a small blog makes a big difference in your career

What if your blog doesn’t get a million adoring fans? Here’s a secret, even with just a small group of readers, it’s still a big success for you because you will:

  1. Be blown away by how easy and fast it is to set one up – and it’s free
  2. Get to explore your creative side
  3. Learn a lot by actually doing and creating stuff – the best way to learn about the web is to actually be part of it
  4. Become a much better writer.  Nothing improves your writing more than consistently writing
  5. Have a great excuse or reason to get in touch with the top people in your industry, in order to interview them for your blog
  6. Have a website you can put your resume on since most companies hate attachments  (Note: All blogs are websites but not vice versa)

You have a unique angle on your industry

No one else has what you do:  your unique point of view.  Pre-internet, it was difficult to publish anything without close publisher connections or using a vanity press. Now it’s literally free.

But I’m not a professional writer

If you’re not a professional writer, you’re in luck, because you’re not competing with the top writers at The New Yorker.  You only have to write better than people in your industry.  For example, if you’re an architect that focuses on making commercial buildings greener, that’s a great niche.  To stand out in your section of the blog world, you just have to write something slightly more interesting than the other three green commercial architects that are bothering to make an effort.

Need help getting started?

You know at least five people with a blog right now. Read them and leave some positive and sincere comments. What do you like about the blogs? What would you change if it were yours?  Here’s a great excuse to reach out to them and ask them how they got started, what advice they have, and what they wish they knew when they first started out.  Then, sign up for your free blog and get started yourself.

Mojo Moves

  • Read some of your industry blogs and keep notes on what you like and don’t like, and what you think is missing
  • Write down five potential blog ideas
  • Create your own blog. It takes five minutes to set up
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  • http://www.andysimprovabilities.com andy wainer

    good post – succintly written, informative, persuasive and may well get me started thinking “What can I write a blog about?”

    • http://www.mojo40.com Susan Kim

      Andy-
      One way to get a feeling for what you could blog about is to think about your areas of expertise. List at least three — although I am sure you have more. Then, under each one, start listing possible post topics. You’ll find the ideas seem to flow a lot easier for one area of expertise than the others. That’s a good starting place.

      Susan

  • http://laura-e-kelly.com Laura

    A great starter blog platform is Tumblr.com. If you don’t feel up to writing a long post every day, just stick up a photo, cartoon, YouTube link, or simply reblog another Tumblog with a click. I call mine a scrapbook blog (a scrapblog?), and it can be as professional or personal as you want. Mainly, it gets you going— today. PS If you wait too long, someone might have already taken your name. Happened to me :-(

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  • http://computing4society.blogspot.com/ Lisa Kaczmarczyk

    I agree with everything you wrote. A blog is a great way to build community – a key is to just keep doing it and to work out ways to keep down the amount of time it takes to put up a post. You don’t want it sucking up hours or you will have trouble keeping up with posts.

    Oh, and I have to mention, it can be a lot of FUN to write a blog.

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