“Your blog is your living resume. It shows how you think. It shows how you write. It shows what’s important to you. . . Mentor us through your blog. We employers love hiring mentors–they raise everyone’s performance.” Kevin Merritt as told to Linkedin Social Media Strategist Mario Sundar

Blogging and Web 2.0 social media tools, like Linkedin.com , are fast becoming the most effective strategies to actively deliver your message of value. If you are a jobseeker in today’s tough market, blogging is the most powerful tool as it allows the writer to deliver their expertise, knowledge, and value to strategic targets such as hiring managers, companies, and the global community on the internet.

One of the first challenges a new blogger faces is writing their first article for their employment campaign. The following is an outline, with the help of social media expert Mack Collier, and template a new job seeking blogger can utilize for the creation of their first blog article.

4 Question Format: Your first article should answer 4 questions

1. Who Are You?
2. Why Are You Blogging?
3. What Will You Be Blogging About?
4. How Can I Leave Feedback?

Example First Article Template:

Your Title

My name is _____ I have ___years experience in the ______industry culminating in a position as a _____ and _______. Today I am writing my first blog article on my new blog: yourname.wordpress.com. My blog is the centerpiece and delivery system, of my message of value, for my newly established employment campaign.

Why Am I Blogging?

I am writing this blog as a method to offer my expertise, experience, and knowledge to liked minded individuals. I am also seeking job, networking, and collaborating opportunities. Consequently, my blog will support my employment campaign which is a strategic, proactive plan to deliver my value to hiring managers and my industry.

What Is My Blog About?

I will write about. . . (your subject matter and topics here.) I will create helpful content, tips, how to guides, lists, and other material on. . . (your expertise, knowledge, and value message here.)

Dean’s Example: “I will write about social media tools and blogging. I will create helpful content, tips, how to guides, lists and other material based on my two years of blogging experience at deansguide and innerarchitect and my social media consulting background with Domus Consulting Group.

How Can I Leave Feedback?

I look forward to reader comments and participation as part of the learning process here on my blog. As I begin to learn more about Web 2.0, social media, and blogging, I hope to become a valuable resource to readers.  If you have comments, please do not hesitate to voice your opinions. If you would like to further connect with me:

Your email address
Your Linkedin Address
Your Twitter Address
Your Facebook page-list all the place you wish to point your reader

Now is the time to take action in this challenging and changing employment environment. If you are a job seeker, a soon to be laid off employee, or someone simply worried about your job security, this message is for you. Your greatest strategy to employment is to utilize Web 2.0 tools, network within the Social Media system, and join the global conversation by establishing your own blog.

Blogging to Employment is a hands-on powerful workshop that provides the job seeker the tool to showcase:

• Differentiating Factor: Stand out from the non-blogging job seekers.
• Knowledge to Expertise: Showcase your business intelligence and assets.
• Employment Campaign: Chronicle your search strategies and answer the hiring manager’s question: “What have you been doing during the past (insert your timeframe) to find employment?”
• Writing Platform: Establish the brand “You”, improve your writing skills through practice, and create content that hiring managers want to see.
• New Skill Sets: Learn to blog and utilize Web 2.0 Social Media Systems.
• Networking: Network globally, within your niche, and to your local market.
• Google Presence: Manage your search placement by populating your top 2 pages on a Google query of your name or business name.
• Reputation Management: Respond, correct, or defend against erroneous information about you online.
• “Living” Resume: Position your blog as an extension of your resume, a landing page where you send people to view your current activities.

4 Strategies to Employment

• Scenario Solution: Take on a company’s challenge, posit your solutions, or review actionable steps that showcase how you might solve their challenge.
• Promote Linkedin Profile: Place a Linkedin widget on your blog that links to your Linkedin profile; place a link within your profile on Linkedin to send readers back to your blog.
• Profile Linking: Link all your profiles on each Social Media site to one another. Also link from these profiles back to your blog.
• What Are You Doing Now?: Promote and tell the world about your employment campaign and writing by placing links on Linkedin and Twitter. Linkedin has a message board and Twitter has a “what are you doing now” message board.

Related Blogging Services:

Blogging to Employment Coaching Package

Business Blogging Basics

Business Blogging Strategies