I excerpted some of the highlights below from a recent WSJ article about bloggers and the double-edged sword they wield for themselves and their employers. I think the article is worth a full read. 'May even be worth passing along to friends and colleagues. Especially those who supervise or manage people. Or those who run HR departments.
In between the lines is validation of previous posts in this blog about the importance of scrutinizing our online presence. (Previously blogged here and here.)
Also, The Learning Circuits blog also had some lively discussion about this back in October in their monthly "Big Question" "Should All Learning Professionals Be Blogging?" The general sentiment was yes. Among other justifications: it helps each of us form and structure thoughts, practice written communication, justify arguments, and so on. Personally, I'd add to that the fact that blogging also seems to make me more aware of things around me. I figure that's because I'm subconsciously always looking for things to talk about, so I tune in more. (Though my wife may challenge that claim.) ;-)
One quote I love from the article below: "Everybody has an online identity whether they know it or not, and a blog is the single best way to control it,"
How Blogging Can Help You Get a New Job - WSJ.com Annotated
- Ryan Loken, a Wal-Mart Stores Inc. recruitment manager, says he spends one to two hours a week searching through blogs for new talent or additional information about the candidates he has interviewed. "Blogs are a tool in the tool kit," he says.
- Web journals have helped him fill 125 corporate jobs
- In addition to blogs that focus on their industry or field of interest, recruiters say they check candidates' blogs about noncareer-related topics for evidence of writing skills and clues to how well rounded they are.
- Greg Sterling, a strategy consultant for Internet companies and a blogger in Oakland, Calif., describes job offers as "a natural byproduct of the exposure you get from blogging." He says he gets about 15 inquiries a month
- Mr. Sterling believes that one reason his Web journal, Screenwork, regularly generates job offers is that he has never written about wanting them. "If you [blog] to get a job, you'll be less successful," he says. "It's just like dating. If you appear too hungry, nobody wants to date you."
- Debbie Weil, a corporate blogging consultant in Washington and the author of "The Corporate Blogging Book," which was published last summer. "Everybody has an online identity whether they know it or not, and a blog is the single best way to control it," she says.
- "You're going to be Googled. No one hires anyone or buys anything these days without going online first and doing research."
- Indiscrete bloggers can derail job opportunities.
- Some companies encourage employees to blog because they can use them to recruit others.
