Prove You Are The Best Person For The Job With a Personal Blog

I have interviewed many people over the years for jobs. It’s difficult to difficult to know if someone has the skills and attitude to do a sales and marketing job based on just resume and a few interviews.

What I want to know about a candidate is more than just a list of personal traits, technologies, past workplaces and a listing of training courses. Some of the questions I want answered are:

  1. Does the person have a can do attitude?
  2. Are they persistent?
  3. Are they passionate about sales and marketing?
  4. Have they developed the skills that are critical to the position or will I have to train them?
  5. Do they have a track record of success

As I look through mountains of resumes I see the same information presented. Some with a nice presentation and others not so nice. As I carry out the interview process, I am looking for something that jumps out about a candidate. You know, that X factor.

As a marketer I use blogs to:

  1. Educate my prospects before they are ready to make a buying decision
  2. Build my company’s authority so we are seen as they #1 vendor in the space
  3. Capture the prospect’s contact details so we can remarket and sell to them on our terms

These goals are very similar to that of a job seeker. Each job seeker needs to do the following to win a new job:

  1. Educate employers to the skill set they have acquired over the years
  2. Build themselves as an authority in the industry so they are seen as a top candidate
  3. Capture the attention of an employer so they stand out among the crowded marketplace of job candidates

My #1 recommendation for all marketing and sales people I give advice to is to start a personal blog. A blog will enable you to move to the top of the shortlist if used correctly. Here are my tips:

Document Your Successes

Use your blog to document your wins in marketing. When you complete a successful campaign write a case study including the strategy, the assets (eg Facebook Ads, copy etc) and the results. Each case study should outline in detail the process you used so you can use it in your interviews to prove you not only have the experience but have had success.

Teach what you have learned

One of the best ways to learn a new skill is to teach it. The process of teaching a topic solidifies the principles into your DNA. Writing a blog post on a new topic or recording an instructional video for your blog is one of the best ways to learn a new skill.

Employers want to know that their employees are the best in the field and seeing a blog full of instructional content confirms that candidate is on the cutting edge of their field.

Test your strategy

As a marketer, there are many strategies and tactics you will need to test. At times it may be a new structure for social media updates, different types of blog posts, a new position for a sign-up form on a website or a new type of video platform.

All of these can be tested on your personal site to prove it is a good change. Each of these tests can also be documented in a blog post and used to confirm your skills and passion for marketing to your potential employer.

Integrate into your Resume

Your best blog posts should be linked to from your resume. Your goal should be to be able to confirm each skill set or accomplishment with a link to a relevant post on your blog.

If you can accomplish this your resume will definitely stand out. Even better is to use screenshots for videos in your resume with a link to the video. These videos will enable the employer to hear your voice and see you present while reading your resume.

Very few people are using content in this way and you will separate your resume from the rest.

Weave into your interview

Finally, during your interview, you should try to relate the points you make to a blog post. Providing a blog post to back up your claim to success or skill will prove to the employer you are the best candidate for the position.

Conclusion

While interviewing candidates for my sales and marketing positions, I look for someone who stands out and proves their skills. When I see a well written personal blog I am able to validate their claims and see their success.

A personal blog captures my attention and convinces me of their worth. Content marketing is not just for companies, it can be used by job seekers to convince potential employers and convert job opportunities into job offers.

Let me know in the comments if you have successfully used a personal blog to win a new job.

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