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Commenting on other people’s blogs demonstrates your ability to produce insightful reactions to other people’s ideas. Employers will search for your name in Google, and they will find the blog comments you’ve left - which is a good thing. Blog comments give you a way to stand out from your peers in a super-competitive market.
Employers want to see you commenting on blogs because it demonstrates to them that you’re an active member of your niche, you’re passionate enough to participate in conversations related to your area of expertise, and you’re intelligent enough to add value to conversations online that relate to your career goals.
When commenting on blogs, here’s a checklist that will ensure you’re leaving as strong an impression as possible.
Blog comment checklist:
Your blog comment…
- Adds value or new ideas to the original blog post
- Accurately and concisely answers someone else’s question
- Has no spelling or grammar mistakes (it can’t be edited later)
- Relates to your area of expertise
- Is not hyper-reactive (doesn’t make you seem emotionally unstable)
- Does not put anyone down (if arguing, provide counterpoints but don’t attack individuals)
- Includes facts and links that back up every claim you make
- Includes your name (the one you want people to find you with when they search for you in Google)
- Includes a link to your website (boosting the Google rank of your site and leads more people there)
- Includes your tagline (a short phrase that describes to strangers what you do)
Commenting on blogs leaves a trail of “digital breadcrumbs” that people (employers, co-workers, bosses, etc.) will find when they type your name into Google. Always keep this checklist in mind.
Blog comments, forums comments, book reviews and contributing to wiki articles are just a few ways to leave a trail of breadcrumbs online that builds a web presence worthy of remark, differentiating you from other job applicants who haven’t spent time to establish a strong presence online.
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Comments
11.25.08
You know, I'm still not convinced that employers care much what they see about you on Google. We've hired a bunch of programmers in our department over the last year, and I've never heard of anyone being Googled as part of the interview process.
In fact I just Googled everyone in my team (6 people) and all I found were a few accounts on LinkedIn. When I Google myself, all I find are a few book reviews I wrote on Amazon.com.
I can't believe that blogging is a good way to build up any kind of credibility for most jobs. I know that my company doesn't look at such things. We look at the skils you have on your resume, and interview the heck out of you to make sure you really know your stuff. If you work with us, you better be prepared for an oral exam , cause that's what you're getting. But then, I work in Information Technology, so that may be a special case.
12.05.08
I currently work for a mortgage company doing VA Loan processing. Whenever we are considering a new hire we check to see if any of us are friends with them so we can see how they are representing themselves online. Companies are definitely checking out what's going on online.
12.19.08
Hi Scott,
Thanks for joining the discussion!
I have to echo Amber's sentiments. In the past two weeks I've heard of three specific cases where people lost a job because of their web presence, including a mayor, a judge, and a college student.
The fact is, people are losing jobs because of their web presence. It might be because of their social networking profiles, an angry argument they had on a forum, or any number of reasons.
CareerBuilder published stats about the effect of your web presence on hiring decisions (http://blog.brand-yourself.com/2008/careerbuilder-publishes-fascinating-...).
Some highlights of the study include:
"Of those hiring managers who have screened job candidates via social networking profiles, one-third (34 percent) reported they found content that caused them to dismiss the candidate from consideration. Top areas for concern among these hiring managers included:
41% - candidate posted information about them drinking or using drugs
40% - candidate posted provocative or inappropriate photographs or information
29% - candidate had poor communication skills
28% - candidate bad-mouthed their previous company or fellow employee
22% - candidate used discriminatory remarks related to race, gender, religion, etc.
22% - candidate’s screen name was unprofessional"
I always look up my job applicants in Google. Your digital footprint is your permanent record. As a hiring manager, I would be silly to ignore the valuable information a Google search can dig up.
Cheers,
- Pete Kistler from Brand-Yourself.com
12.19.08
Not five minutes after posting the comment above, I stumbled upon this article:
"Would-be Obama aides must disclose Web posts, Facebook profiles" (http://news.cnet.com/8301-13578_3-10097448-38.html).
The first line of the article is: "If you want a job in an Obama administration, be prepared to disclose every blog post or comment you've ever written."
How pertinent! You also have provide the URLs of "any Web sites that feature you in either a personal or professional capacity."
We live in a digital world where your actions on the web matter to your success.
- Pete Kistler from Brand-Yourself.com
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