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When blogging platforms first launched, they were considered a way for people to share their angsty lives, write thoughts about the world around them, share their families or show off their creative talents. While it’s true that a large number of people still blog for those reasons, blogs have grown and changed drastically since their inception.

Think about where and what you read online. When you’re searching for a topic, odds are that you stumble across someone’s blog or a company’s blog in about half of the searches you do. That’s because as much as blogs are personal, they are also business. The non-profit sector is not immune to the blogging circuit. In fact, many non-profit organizations have blogs. They are used to keep visitors and subscribers up to date on fundraising efforts, industry news, and public outreach.

But what does that have to do with you and your job seeking efforts?

Quite a bit.

You already know that blogging and social media can impact your non-profit job seeking efforts in a negative way if you’re not careful, but blogging can have the opposite effect as well.

Many job seekers create a personal website to accompany their online resumes. In fact, having a professional online image is common among independent contractors or freelancers. It’s a way to get exposure in your field as well as highlight your skills in and knowledge of your industry.

Starting a blog to go along with your online resume can be a great addition to how you’re marketing yourself but only if you do it properly. As I mentioned earlier, many people start blogs as a way to vent and talk about their lives; this is not what your blog should be about. Your blog needs to be industry focused complimented with your professional experience and opinions. Anything other than that, and you’re treading on the path of getting too personal when it’s not necessary and not appropriate.

Writing The Blog

Not everyone is cut out for blogging, so just because it would be a nice addition to your online profile doesn’t mean you need to do it. Blogging can be work all by itself. Of primary importance, you need to like writing and sharing information. It’s one thing to update a Facebook or LinkedIn status, but it’s quite another to sit down and create a blog post about the ins and outs of fundraising or volunteer relations. Remember, what you put online is out there. It’s viral and permanent.

That leads me to Knowing Your Topic

Perhaps you were an Assistant Director of Development in your former non-profit position. That’s great — you can write about fundraising, planning, working with volunteers and recuitment, donations… you get the picture. However, can you also write about public relations or grant writing?

If your hope is to obtain a new job, stick to writing about what you know. A potential employer or recruiter will read your posts and know right away if you know your subject or not. The last thing you want to do before you even get your foot in the door is blow your credibility.

While I mentioned keeping your blog focused on your career interests and the industry you’re in, you do need to pay special attention to what you say and how you say it. By drawing on your past employment experiences, you can give readers, other job seekers, recruiters and other industry experts valuable information as well as a glimpse as to what kind of employee and leader you are; while important, you should carefully consider whether you’re violating any disclosure or privacy policies from past employers when creating a post. Use discretion when posting.

Again, creating a blog is an excellent way to demonstrate what you know without the pressure an interview can bring. You get the opportunity to be creative, give useful information and share your knowledge with others while adding another skill to your CV.

Last updated on January 21st, 2010 at 12:34 am

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