Career Change? Start a Blog?
When your career is in transition this is a perfect time to reflect on what you REALLY want in life. Should you create a blog to help you reach your career goals?
In August, my own career was in transition with a move from Boston to Miami. Career transitions are a terrific time to create a list and reflect on “What should I do with my Life”. My own list included creativity, innovation and helping others with their careers through the use of technology. After evaluating my list I realized that I could obtain many of these goals through creating a blog.
Blogs are a great way to get your name out there as an expert in your field while having an opportunity to connect with others and share information. Today we can’t expect to stay in a job for a lifetime. Every savvy professional needs to be able to quickly reach out to their social network in a world of work that is constantly changing. A blog can help you create a professional online image while assisting you in building valuable connections for the future.
What are you passionate about? What do you want to be known for?
Could a blog help you reach your own career goals?
5 Tips to Create a Blog
1. Evaluate Your Time
Do you have enough time in your life to write a blog? There is nothing worse than visiting a blog that has been left inactive for months. If you start writing a blog for your career you will need to be active and persistent in keeping your blog posts current. If you decide you do not have enough time you may want to consider using a micro-blog (Twitter) instead.
2. Visual Appeal
You want your blog to grab the attention of the reader. WordPress has a large selection of templates to create a professional and visually appealing blog.
3. Use Key Words
Before you write your blog it is critical to research what key words are most related to your area of expertise to encourage search engines to find key words that will rank you accurately. Place these key words throughout the blog post in a tasteful way that help the reader navigate to the information they are looking for. Don’t forget that key words are important for images as well.
4. Be Passionate and Make Content Stickier
Increase the time visitors spend on your blog and the chances they’ll return through creating stickier content. Use eye catching headings, include images, personalize, create a blog post series, and link internally.
5. Share Your Blog Using Social Media
Twitter, LinkedIn and Facebook can be used to share your blog posts with your greater online network. Don’t forget to market your blog to others. Promoting your blog will be critically important so you are not the only person reading it.
Written by Nancy Richmond