(Author’s Note: Just an FYI – while typing this post tonight my pen, camera, and notebook went missing. I think Rommie might be up to something as I overheard her mumbling the word “Thursday.”)
Blogging And My Job Search
On January 13th, 2011 at 3:15 p.m. JoyReturns went live. Right after I hit the publish button, I got ready to attend a seminar by several local inspirational/motivational speakers. What I did about 1 week before attending the event was order new business cards with my blog name in addition to the typical business card information. Doing this forced me to get this site up and running before attending the seminar.
New Technology
Blogging showed potential employers I could learn new technology. So many job seekers my age refuse to learn anything new. They are stuck in 1980’s job search mode, which is the subject of a whole other post.
Online Presence
Most managers google potential new hires. When they googled me, they found me and my blog. If I did not have a blog they might mistake me for the Michelle Kearns who is an “adult performer”. Egads!
Vulnerability
One of the hottest buzzwords in today’s world is “vulnerability.” Well publishing stories about my adventures through widowhood definitely qualifies as making myself vulnerable. Most widows would not dare publish something so personal, even to help other widows. My willingness to be vulnerable led to…
Respect & Admiration
I gained respect and admiration from some hiring managers. However the jobs those managers had did not pay over $10 an hour and were a 40 – 45 minute drive and in the words of one manager “not worth your time, gas and wear and tear on your car.”
Morale Boost
The biggest effect blogging had on my job search was meeting people online. There is Maureen in Germany, Nicholas in England, Charissa in the USA, and Michael in the USA, are some of the many, many bloggers I met during the past 2 3/4 years. They were a great support system (and still are) during a tough time. It was a real morale booster to log in after a day of interviewing and/or networking and read comments from people who loved what I published that morning.
Moving Forward
If you are a job seeker who is not willing to learn blogging or anything new during your job search, you are making a major mistake. You must update your skills so you can move your career forward into a glorious future. If I can learn a skill, surely you can too. 😉
Are you willing to keep moving forward, whether through your grief or job search journey?
Are you willing to update your skills even though you already have a wonderful job?
JoyReturns 