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SUI watched an episode of Panorama on Monday night called Real Apprentices. Basically, it was looking at 4 young unemployed people and their search to get a job. It’s very well for the Daily Mail Brigade to say “Get a job you lazy bums”, but I know people who have been long term unemployed and have been promised work only to find it snatched out from underneath them. They had one person on the programme who was only guarenteed a day’s work. These companies make a fortune and can only guarentee a days work? No wonder why so many people don’t bother.
One statement got me thinking a lot though, as it was a statement I used a few years ago.
“I can’t get a job because I don’t have experience, I have no experience without a job.”
This got me thinking. Most of us want to blog for an income, but realisitcally most of can’t, but what about using it as a reference to get a job, particularly if your CV is a little thin?
Primarily, the focus has always been on the negative side of mixing bloggign and work (see “Dooced“), and obviously some blogs should be shown to potential employees. However, a lot of blogs in my mind can be used in some way shape or form to promote yourself – my mate Tom wants to be a sports journalist, so he blogs about football, Han could (and should) but her wordpress templates on her CV if she wants a web design job.
And I’m not talking about journalism or web design skills. Three areas which have improved with me thanks to my blog have been the following.
1. Improves Your Language Skills
I don’t really like talking about my current employment on my blog, but I’d be lying if I said that my blog wasn’t mentioned in my interview for the job. I also have acquired an ability to bash out fairly coherant sentances, that you lot seem to enjoy. One of the issues raised within the programme on Monday night was the fact that a lot of school leavers have a weak grasp of the English language. I’m pretty sure that blogs over time assist you in improving those skills.
2. Improves Your Organisational Skills
Blogging can be a tough hobby, especially on how seriously you take it. People like me (who take it very seriously) need to be ready for every eventuality. You can’t do this unless you improve your organisational skills. Which’ll stand you in good stead elsewhere.
3. Can improve your Management and Budgeting Skills
Recently, I’ve become a bit entrepreneural with my blog – buying and selling links and services to hopefully get more readers to read my blog. I don’t use my own money. Well, technically I do, but it’s all money I’ve got from Text Link Ads or Ad sales. Either way, I made the concious decision a while back that my money was better off sat in a paypal account than in my back pocket (for now, plan on withdrawing a bit for my hols), and I take calculated risks on my blog. I never spend more than I earn though, and hell, I’m enjoying it a lot more than gambling (which I used to do quite badly).
Either way, I believe blogging is a worthwhile hobby that does give you good skills. Of course, it’s a matter of proving them to future employers which is the tricky thing.
What things have you learnt blogging?
EDIT: To further prove that great bloggers think alike, Rich Minx posted a similar post to me today: Blogging Skills To Add To Your Resume.
Rhys Wynne, the author of this blog, is a 20 something web designer from Colwyn Bay.
The irony…..
noticed a couple of spelling mistakes but thats just me being pedantic! (and getting in there before HB!)
I have improved my web coding/design (believe it or not) through blogging – so much so my temp job at the moment has led to me setting up large chunks of intranet pages for them!
My only concern would be that some employers might look at blogs and have a stereotype about them (weirdo teenagers hating the world etc etc) that could also hinder your chances of getting a job…??
Lets try that again….
The irony…..*
“1. Improves Your Language Skills
… bash out fairly coherant sentances…”
*the irony now extends as i tried to add in block quote (as it said i could below the comment box) and it fudged up… score one for my coding!!
I know somebody would’ve mentioned it!
I learned how to do full css websites, even though it is stupidly hard to teach yourself. But this will have improved my job prospects.
[...] PS. Coincidentally (I swear), Gospel Rhys has written a similar post today called Blogging To Get A Job. [...]
I agree with Guy about the stereotype that can be attached from some employers about blogging. Those who know very little about it can often look down on it..but bloggers who do a lot of the coding and behind the scenes work really do learn a lot from it.
I went about trying to learn some Photoshop and some basic code with my blog and during the quiet periods of Uni I like to keep playing around with things so I have definitely learned a lot. I just need to learn a hell of a lot more
It improves your networking skills too!
I have no valuable comments to add. I’m not getting inspiration. So la lala la la
I wish I could get better on the language part. English is my second language and I know that I have some grammar problems. The spelling isn’t hard when you have a spell checker but, the grammar, I wish I had an assistant telling me what I do wrong
wow.. english isn’t your first lanugage yet you make less mistakes than Rhys! (and most other english people!!)
im living with 4 germans at the moment and all of them speak really good english… god damn being english and too lazy to learn other languages! (my basic german is improving thou! )
[...] Rhys Wynne has blogged about the skills that he has gained from blogging. And, via Rhys Wynne, I have also found this list of useful skills that bloggers have. [...]
I agree completely that it can help you get jobs. Well I was offered a job blogging anyhow! But i can’t put in 8 hours a day to blog right now, so it won’t work. They do report on the news here that some people are getting fired from what they’ve posted online, so I imagine that online blogs can help you get hired too!
I have a client who’s a freelance journalist who blogs about celeb gossip via his site, and it seems to be working well for him, he’s been getting noticed a lot more recently
[...] Rhys Wynne and Rich Minx think that blogging gives you lots of skills that employers find desirable. The Devil’s Kitchen has added his thoughts here and asks if there are any more skills that anyone can think of. [...]