Weekend Questions: Is Blogging a Good Idea?

I've heard that people are blogging as a way to promote themselves online.  What exactly are they blogging about?  How does that help them?

Kara

Hi Kara,

Blogging can indeed be a great way to help you get jobs!  But you have to be careful what you blog about.

For example, if you are blogging as a means of helping you get a job you should not blog about:

• Bad experiences you've had on interviews.
• Employers that you have worked for in the past if you do not have something good to say.
• Your struggles with getting a job.
• Why you hate job searching
• Why the last place you interviewed with was stupid not to hire you.

I think you get my point. You should never blog about negative things that make you appear like a big cry baby or make you seem immature!

So what should you blog about?

Here are some ideas:

• Blog about recent trends in your industry.
• Blog about why ethics are important to you.
• Blog about something you have learned from a mentor.
• Blog about why working on teams is important.
• Blog about your successes.
• Blog about where you get inspiration from.
• Blog about class projects that you have learned from.
• Blog about people you admire.
• Blog about the job you'd like to have

Keep it positive.
Demonstrate your value.
Become an expert in something.

If you want to start your own blog, blogger.com is an easy and free way to do it.

If you have any questions about blogging to help you get a job feel free to ask!

Weekend Reading #8

I'm back with some more reading for you to do!  Remember that the more you read, the smarter and more knowledgeable you become!  If you're only going to check out one of these I highly recommend the first one!

• A Career Tip from the Academy Awards: Milk It! | Lindsey Pollak: Generation Y Career Expert, Millennial Expert, LinkedIn Spokesperson, Career Trends
• Top 10 Career Limiting Moves | Career Rocketeer
• 10 Ways to Look Busy at Work - Jobacle.com BLOG - Career Advice Blog & How to Quit Your Job
• What is the Elevator Speech Or “Me in 30 Seconds?” | EmploymentDigest.net
• 5 Things You Should Know About References | CAREEREALISM.com
• On the Job by Anita Bruzzese: Is It a Curse -- or Blessing -- To be a Remote Worker?
• Social Media Job Search Tips & Advice for 2011 - Using LinkedIn
• 5 Cover Letter Mistakes You’re Making & How to Avoid Them | Career Rocketeer
• How to Request a Letter of Recommendation - Jobacle.com BLOG - Career Advice Blog & How to Quit Your Job
• Making the Shortlist for Job Interviews | Career Rocketeer

Respect Copyright When Using Pictures Online

Image by mikedarnell1974 via Flickr

Many times when we are putting together a document or a presentations we use pictures to illustrate a point.  We may want to make it more interesting or we might want to draw attention to something. Pictures can also be used to add humor or to present information in a new way.

The important thing to remember is that you cannot pull just any picture off of the Internet and use it!!!  Many people think that they can simple search Google images and save the pictures to their computer but this is an infringement of copyright.

When it comes to using pictures you have several choices.  You can:

• Find a picture and get permission from the owner to use it
• Purchase pictures
• Take your own pictures
• Ask others (friends, family, co-workers) to let you use their pictures
• Use royalty free pictures.

If you have chosen to use free use pictures here is one of your options: