Blogging my way to a new job?

April 29, 2018 10:29 AM

I'm interested in working as a content editor or similar in the future. I am considering starting a blog/website in order to gain experience and be able to show it to employers in the future. Is this a good idea? Or a waste of time?

Reasons for:

* I have a niche (I have 2 different ones actually—one related to travel and one which is related to a profession).
* I can write decently well. (as in I write correctly and concisely—not going to win any literature awards though...)
* I have the ability to travel to lots of places in order to write about them (if I go
* I like sorting, organising, tagging, filing away, etc.
* I don't really care about monetising the blog (a lot of people say blogging is not worth it because you have to work very hard to make money—I'm not really interested in making money per se).
* Hopefully, I could use the blog to show employers/clients that I have skills like knowing how to write articles/run a blog or website, etc.


Reasons against:

* I feel like I don't really have much to say that is new or groundbreaking. I hope the articles will be a step up from '10 awesome things to do in X' but realistically, probably not that much of a step up.
* There are thousands of blogs out there and everything has been done millions of times.
* I want it to be kind of anonymous. Seems like blogs that are more personal are more popular?
* I feel like it might be a waste of time and energy and that my blog articles will just go out into the void.
* One of the niches might not be that employer-friendly.

So, what do people think? Would a blog be a waste of time (I have done a lot of research and a lot of people say yes, but I think that is more in relation to monetisation). Have you gone down a similar route, and what were your experiences?

posted by iamsuper to Work & Money (7 answers total)

The way to get good at writing is by writing. The way to get good at managing content is by managing content. Do it.

Your reasons against include concerns that you would need to be more personal for your blog to be popular, that your topics have already been done, that they might not be groundbreaking, and that your articles will go out into the void. If you are not concerned about monetization, then none of this matters.

Your goal is to gain experience and develop a potential portfolio piece. It's important that you publish, because that makes it real—you're practicing writing for an audience—but unless what you really want is experience managing lots of comments, you don't need an avid readership. If one of your niches isn't particularly employer-friendly, then you needn't share it with them—you'll still be a better writer/content manager for having put the time in.
posted by mumkin at 11:13 AM on April 29, 2018 [5 favorites]

I wonder if you would be better off submitting what you write to some relevant venues, like online travel magazines, professional websites, etc? You'd only get paid a pittance, if at all, but you get some editorial feedback, lots more readers, and you could potentially list them individually as article publications on your CV?
posted by pretentious illiterate at 11:34 AM on April 29, 2018 [4 favorites]

I'm in the web content biz. I'm not directly involved in hiring, but have some input (and hey, who knows what the future holds).

For me, this would be an obvious plus for a candidate. Not only by showing me that you can write well for the web, but also that you're interested in actively improving your craft by working at it on the regular.

I wouldn't necessarily be looking for original insights or popular, high-traffic articles. Just writing chops. I say go for it.
posted by Ted Maul at 12:18 PM on April 29, 2018 [3 favorites]

I did exactly this, but about 10 years ago. I treated my blog like a side business. I spent about 20 hours per week, content was well researched, I was active within my niche and networks, I wrote guest articles for other sites, I branched out into reviewing and advising on others' sites, I put as much work into working out how to do blogging (content marketing) as I did learning and writing about my niche. After a couple of years I applied for, and got, a job as an in-house web editor. Since then, I've moved my career up a lot and am now mid-senior in PR with a digital communications background.

From CVs I've seen, people still try to do it. I haven't hired anyone who has but I think nowadays you can probably only turn this into a job a the very bottom rung of the ladder. And we just don't hire people at that level at my place, but others do (particularly in agencies).

I think it's potentially worthwhile but you have to do it properly - blog regularly, share on social media, have a clear approach/USP within your niche. I'd supplement with writing for other venues as well. You might think about video content as well or instead.
posted by plonkee at 12:19 PM on April 29, 2018 [2 favorites]

I've worked as a writer/editor and I've been part of a hiring committee for writers and editors, although not specifically in content management.

As Ted Maul says, this would definitely be an obvious plus for a candidate because it would give us an expanded view of your writing skills and confidence in your commitment to the craft of writing. A more practiced and experienced writer often gives us an easier edit, faster turnaround times, and stronger adherence to deadlines, which is vital for any industry (writing for healthcare, finance, technology, etc).
posted by mochapickle at 1:07 PM on April 29, 2018 [1 favorite]

I know people in this line of work who are pretty sure they've sealed the deal on jobs this way — not by having a famous blog, just by having one that looks professional, pops up when you google their name, and reinforces the impression that they're confident and knowledgeable.

If by "kind of anonymous" you mean you won't put your name on it, then... that seems like a mistake, honestly, since the whole point is to attach your name to public stuff that makes you look good. But if you just mean you'll use a blandly professional voice and keep personal anecdotes out of it, yeah, great, that's a good idea.
posted by nebulawindphone at 2:47 PM on April 29, 2018 [1 favorite]

I found it more effective to spend that time reaching out to more clients and building up a list of things to go on my CV, along with the variety of writing samples that I could provide to future clients. Blogging doesn't do the networking bit of this, unless you can break into the existing blogosphere in some way. imo blogs are useful if a) monetised b) acquired / converted into a regular blogging position for some other site, but it sounds like one of your niches is extremely competitive in this regard and the other is not blog-oriented.
posted by ahundredjarsofsky at 12:21 AM on April 30, 2018 [1 favorite]