How a blog can help you get a job

by MARKO SARIC

When I started my first blog back in the beginning of 2009, I had no idea that it would end up having readers, who weren’t in my immediate family, let alone become profitable and land me my dream job.

The first time I encountered the benefits of having a fashion blog was when a company contacted me asking me to choose a handbag from their latest line. Even though the high street bag wasn’t in any way unattainable for even a student I felt special and motivated to continue working.

Show off your blog

However, in my early years of being a blogger, I preferred not to tell my friends in the real world about my new hobby. Somehow, I thought a fashion blog would collide with my professional life.

As the blog grew and became an increasing part of me, I slowly started to let my colleagues in on my hobby and imagine my surprise when they not only thought it was a great hobby, they were impressed when I told them about how many readers I had!

Because I opened up about my blog and because I shared my views (and the growing number of readers) people started to think of me as having a special knowledge about blogging. A little while later, an old colleague of mine contacted me asking me to meet with his boss who was interested in adding a blog to his company. That was the start.

After successfully completing the task for the first company, I started contacting companies on my own, branding myself, and adding the blog to my CV citing my experiences with social media marketing and blogging.

Today, I work as the community manager for a site with over 1.000.000 monthly visitors – a job that I have my blog to thank for.

Use your blog professionally

• Experiment with marketing techniques. Don’t just use your blog to have fun writing about your interest, use it to learn about how marketing and business communication works.

• Showcase your skills on your blog. Make sure to do what you do best. Give tips, advice, examples!

• Use your blog for networking. Get to know people from your niche. Learn from them, teach them!

• Build real life relationships. Some of my best friends, I’ve met through blogging. It’s a great way to interact with people who share your passion for blogging, no matter what the topic is!

• Use social media sites to brand yourself. Build a following and engage on social media sites keeping in mind that your creating an image of yourself.

• Add your blog to your CV. Just like any other job, except this is better. This one is your own little company that you’ve built from scratch.

• Don’t call yourself a blogging guru or expert, show that you are one as the world is full if fakers and people with empty promises. Show your skills and help others, but never think you know it all.

These days finding a job can be difficult. Start a blog and give yourself the experience that might be hard to find these days. If your dream is to be a writer, a stylist, a filmmaker, a dance teacher…whatever! Start a blog and take the chance on doing what you really love. It’s hard work, but it’ll pay off!

Milana Saric is a lifestyle blogger who blogs about fashion, beauty and food! Check out her other guest posts on how to start a fashion blog and how to start a food blog.