Hello friends! I recently landed a dream job of mine and I wanted to share my experience with you on how I got the job: my blog! Before I walked in the door for my first interview, the employers had my resume along with my website pulled up with many questions prepared for me: So you speak french? Your theme looks difficult – how do you manage your WordPress by yourself? How is going to New York Fashion Week? As the Social Media Coordinator for a marketing agency I could not have been better prepared for my role. Between managing social media, a website and newsletters for myself – I could easily apply these competences to my new position. My blogging and social media endeavors of Stop, Drop & Vogue without a doubt landed me my job. In this post I’m sharing 5 reasons why you need to have your blog on your resume:
1. Show that you can build a social following – Not many people know what it takes to maintain and grow a social following. It’s not as simple as posting a picture and getting a bunch of new followers and likes. It’s understanding the algorithms, researching ideal post times, curating lists of relevant hashtags, and much, much more. Show your new employer that you can help achieve their goals of growing an engaged and bulky number of followers, just with the techniques you’ve learned while blogging! After all, if you can grow your personal brand into a namesake of its own, you can most definitely do it for another company!
2. Show that you are creative – Make a professional binder of your portfolio, be it photography or writing samples. EVERY interview I went to I did not show up empty handed. I made mock media plans for the business, I showed them magazine snippets of my journalism, I printed out blog posts and I showed them my NYFW photography. Make a collage of your best flatlays to show the company how you have an eye for being creative. Or print out a blog post that went viral and highlight key aspects that helped it gain traction. Having something tangible to give to an employer will help you stick out, and it will show them how creative you are – in actuality, not many people do this!! So take advantage over that.
3. Show that you can track data – If you aren’t tracking your data, you are doing something wrong. The skills you learn from blogging and social media can be applied to a wide variety of communications, marketing, business management, advertising and logistics. Businesses LOVE big data, and the better you are at analyzing web traffic, clicks, likes and the different demographics of audiences – you have a skill set that sets you apart from your peers. Show the brand why you named your blog post what it is because you used Google Adwords to track how many people have been searching key words. Track the number of likes, followers, clicks, posts, etc. in an excel spreadsheet and give a monthly report of your loss/growth. As mentioned before, data is everything and numbers are the most important thing to a business. Being able to read, understand and translate data into effective business methods makes you an incredible asset to a company.
4. Show that your blog can stand as a resume on its own – I truly believe having a blog can share more about you than any employer can read on your resume. While resume’s are great for listing job experience, blogs will not only showcase your success, but they will also showcase YOU. It’s a great way for a business to get you know you before an interview – that being said don’t put too much of your life out there – always keep it professional. I knew a guy (who knew a guy) who got a starting position inside the John Hancock building in Boston as a financial analyst because in college he started a blog about finance, which impressed a lot of people when he was applying to jobs. He wrote about financial trends and his opinions on them, which to an employer is like striking a gold mine. Blogs are the perfect space to showcase yourself – be it your work experience, your savviness or your creativity.
5. Show you understand branding – In today’s social world corporate identity is extremely important. Brands want to set themselves apart and in order to do so they need to create an identity that is both unique and fitting for the brand. According to Investopedia, “a company’s brand identity is how that business wants to be perceived by consumers. The components of the brand (name, logo, tone, tagline, typeface) are created by the business to reflect the value the company is trying to bring to the market and to appeal to its customers.” In fashion blogging, branding is everything. It helps us stand apart from the crowd of other bloggers, it helps us create an aesthetic, and it helps us define who we are to the world. Whether it’s a color scheme on your Instagram, the typeface you use in your logo, or the design of your website – all of these skills and traits can be applied to another business. After all, we do this successfully with our blogs. Being able to apply this creativity to another organization will blow their minds!
Image sources: 1 (unknown) 2 (Pink Peonies)
Here is a snippet from my resume on a word document. I normally use a creative PDF template that I edit on Photoshop, which is more focused on details and bullet points rather than sentences. I always have a word document copy available since I can add more information about my experiences. Sometimes I send both over since one is a quick read and the other is more detailed. I assess which one the employer would value more and send it over. In addition, I customize each skill to the job description I am applying for. You should never be sending the same resume out twice, switch it up for every job you are applying for:
Here is a snippet of my blog section on my Linkedin account:
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Monika
March 14, 2017Great read! Very informative! Thanks for sharing!
tayloraube
March 15, 2017Thanks for reading Monika, I’m glad you liked it!
Emily
March 14, 2017I have never even thought of including my blog on my resume! What a great idea!
tayloraube
March 15, 2017It’s a great way to add job-related experience, although not every resume needs your blog on it. For example, I work in marketing and communications so the blogging and social media skills I’ve learned while at SD&V are perfect to add, but if I was an engineer or accountant, it might be a different story! I still think blogs are a great way to showcase your interests in hobbies if they don’t directly associate with your field.
Laura
March 14, 2017yay that is so awesome you landed your dream job because of your blog!
xo
http://www.laurajaneatelier.com
tayloraube
March 15, 2017I’m so happy where I’m at – I feel so blessed
Chuky Reyna
March 14, 2017Brilliant article! If I were your interviewer I definitely hire you!
tayloraube
March 15, 2017You’re so sweet!! Thanks so much!
Leah
March 14, 2017Loved reading this post! I’m actually experiencing quite the opposite currently. I worked/work in the fashion industry before starting my blog so they see it as a ‘conflict of interest’. Trying to make it work is hard! I enjoyed reading your tips on how to use your blog as a positive attribute! Thanks for sharing!
x – Leah
http://www.ellemaebloom.com
tayloraube
March 15, 2017That’s so strange to me to hear that! I can understand how you promoting products that are direct competitors can cause an issue, but at the same time something you do personally and for fun should not affect your job. Especially since they are not paying you directly to promote the products either, you just work for them. If that’s the case then I’d leave it off your resume for the time being. I’ve never heard of anyone experiencing this issue! Thanks for sharing.
Katherine clemins
March 14, 2017This is extremely awesome!! My friend just told me she has her blog on Linkedin and I never thought of that!!
Jannine
March 14, 2017This is such a great idea! I have an upcoming career series and I am definitely going to link to this post!
xo Jannine | http://www.happystylishfit.com
tayloraube
March 15, 2017Thanks so much girl! I’m glad you liked it, and I appreciate that
vanessa
March 14, 2017This is great advice Taylor! Now that I’m out of college experience really is what makes up my resume so will definitely add this to mine!
Vanessa | http://www.vanessarenae.com
Cassidy O'Connor
March 15, 2017Wow! You do so much I’m not surprised you landed the job.
I’m trying to start a Real Estate blog for work so this is great advice! Especially the part about putting it on your resume- makes you a stinger candidate.
tayloraube
March 15, 2017Thanks so much! I’m sure your new blog will be great, it’s a wonderful creative outlet for any profession
Kayleigh
March 15, 2017Such interesting tips! Definitely great for those about to job hunt
http://www.kayleighskloset.com
megan
March 15, 2017Such a great idea! I am going to put mine on my resume right now, thanks so much for sharing this – I love the inspo!
xo Megan | pinebarrenbeauty.com
Sarah
March 15, 2017I completely agree about this! It’s your own person business and you should definitely put it on your resume!
Erica @ Coming Up Roses
March 15, 2017My blog always got the most comments in any interview while in college – it sets you apart!
Coming Up Roses
Rebecca @ Strength and Sunshine
March 15, 2017Of course! It’s an industrious small business I grew by myself all starting while I was in high school! It’s a “full time” job!
Shannon
March 15, 2017Taylor, I TOTALLY agree with this. I think these days it is so important! Not to mention, if you ever find yourself in a situation such as being laid off, etc, it shows what you did to pass the time. There are sooooo many skills you learn with blogging – not to mention, it’s a side business – that it must be on your resume! If a company sees it as a conflict of interest, well, looks like that company is a conflict of interest for you & your blog too (generally speaking). I LOVED this post & you go girl!!!! xx Shannon
Barbara
March 15, 2017Very well written, Taylor … your talent and motivation shines through !!! … A fantastic idea to add your Blog to your resumé … no wonder you landed your dream job … be proud <3
Ashley
March 15, 2017Great post! What a great idea to put your blog on your resume!
Tristan Dennington
March 15, 2017This is such great advice! I never thought about putting my blog on my resume. Makes total sense, and how awesome that it helped land you your dream job?!
-Tristan
http://www.thepolishedposy.com
Kasey
March 15, 2017I did the same thing! I’m also a social media manager and my blog literally got me my interview and my expereince with it and building up my channels got me the job! You are so right about having it on your resume!
Anna
March 15, 2017Never thought of a blog as showing a way you can track data – thanks for that pointer!!!
xx – anna
fleurdille.com
Lacey-The Glitter Gospel
March 16, 2017Such a great read! I agree that blogging can certainly lead to other opportunities! People see your hustle and it pays off!
xx,
Lacey
http://www.theglittergospelblog.com
Lexi
March 17, 2017This is such an awesome post and I couldn’t agree with you more. I think I need to update my linkedin profile!
Annie
March 19, 2017Great post! I definitely agree that your blog should be on your resume but hadn’t thought about it like this before!
alyssalynndenny
March 19, 2017first of all great topic .. second i love your space! so pretty!!
tayloraube
March 20, 2017Thanks so much babe!
Diana
March 22, 2017I loved reading this post. It is very informative and eye-opening. I never thought of the (now very obvious) relationship between personal blog posts and a future job. Even if a blog does not relate to the job, it is a great way for an employer to see who the potential employee really is. Fantastic job with this one Taylor.
tayloraube
March 22, 2017Thanks so much Diana I really appreciate it!