BLOGGING, INVALUABLE OR IMPEDING TO EMPLOYABILITY?

Blogging, to gerund-ise the action, is defined as the process of writing and publishing work online, on dedicated platforms such as Blogger and WordPress. In 2018, just under seven million people manage an online blog.

Unlike journalism, in which one writes about different topics under the name of a corporate publication, blog posts celebrate the author’s own unique voice, which is often the draw to attract readers back to a site. People blog about topics of personal importance, usually to achieve a specific goal, from personal reflections of experiences to travel lists and recommendations. Overall, blogging is the production of unique and exclusive content that is often produced at an intermediate level.

Those who blog may do so to grow their personal profile, explore and inform on a topic or to enhance their business profile. Producing and publishing content within this field will inevitably impact your online identity and as such employability prospects. With this in mind it is important to understand how to utilise this platform to its full potential.

I spoke with Kirby Small, lifestyle blogger and undergraduate, studying Marketing with Management at London Southbank University, to discuss and explore the relationship between blogging and employability. Kirby started blogging in February 2016 because she read a number of blogs and, having just moved away from home, she wanted to find a platform to express herself and also to let people know what she was up to. She is currently completing a year in industry at The Body Shop as an international fragrance marketing intern with the hopes of securing a position in travel marketing and PR once she has graduated. This places Kirby in the perfect position to explore how she thinks blogging has impacted her journey.

When reflecting on her experience with blogging and how this has integrated into her work environment Kirby found the experience overwhelmingly positive and attributes her success at securing a placement largely to this.

“I actually started my blog whilst in the first year of university. It definitely improved my writing and networking skills whilst there as it was always a topic of conversation at personal and professional events! I do think it helped me to secure my placement as I used the knowledge I had gained whilst running my blog in my CV and during the interview. I could prove I was commercially aware with trends in the industry and my writing skills and organisation were constantly evolving. The blog acted as a portfolio for the hiring manager to see examples of the work I could produce.”

This experience corresponds with the academic research available on the subject that highlights writing, researching, networking, communication, promotion, social media and marketing tools as instrumental in securing a position at a company. In a professional environment you will often be tasked with the responsibility of executing multiple different tasks on a daily basis - having a blog allows you to practice these different skills with a subject you are interested in thus making you more prepared for when you have to do this with subject matters you are unfamiliar with or when you are under time pressure. With the process of blogging, individuals essentially become small business owners and as such learn to balance different roles and responsibilities. This experience is integral to the performance quality in all positions as it builds on time management and organisation. These skills will open you up to far more job opportunities and the fact that you have a blog makes it easy to show employers what you can actually do.

Despite the obvious benefits, as with other commitments, blogging can have negative impacts on university performance and graduate prospects. Kirby said that she was apprehensive about blogging because it took up so much time and as it was so personal she didn’t want others to judge her before meeting her.

“Since starting my full time job on my placement year, I have not had the same amount of time than I did at university to spend on my blog. I was worried about what others would think as everything I posted was so public but I don’t believe I have shared too much information online. I'm always polite and respectful and would never share anything I wouldn’t say to someone face to face or wish a future employer to read.”

Kirby’s observation that she has struggled to find room for blogging whilst working is understandable. On average people spend up to three hours producing a blog post that is 1,000 words in length. If you do contribute to a blog whilst in full time education and employment do what you are comfortable with but make sure not to stretch yourself too thin. Remember, your blog represents your personal and professional brand so you don’t want to publish sub-standard posts just to make up the numbers. It's quality not quantity that is important.

Although blogs are a space to express yourself and celebrate your individuality always be aware that the world wide web is accessible to all. Avoid any content or images that could have a negative impact on your character or professionalism and stay clear of explicit language. Both of these things may negatively impact people’s perceptions of you if you are irresponsible with what you post. Just think, how would I speak and present myself to a new acquaintance in person – and this should keep you on the right track.

Blogging allows the development of the large number of transferable skills, abilities and behaviours expected of graduates. Engaging in blogging will make you more visible in the market, but with this it is vital to be aware of how to conduct yourself appropriately – think of your blog as an online portfolio. If you are interested in an industry, specifically something modern and technological (although certainly not limited to this) then I recommend you do try and blog about it.

Special thanks to Kirby Small for her participation in this post - her insight is assuredly invaluable!

GOODREADS, THE TWENTY FIRST CENTURY BOOK CLUB?

Last Sunday I was scrolling through my Instagram feed, when a post by Anna Gardner, a prominent lifestyle blogger, popped up. It read something along the lines of “Finally given into the hype and joined Goodreads – fancy joining me on there?”. Cuppa in hand and with little else planned for the day I thought “why not, let’s see what this is all about.”

Now, apparently there is indeed a fair bit of hype surrounding Goodreads…

To provide some context, Goodreads is a social cataloguing website that allows individuals to freely search its database of books, annotations, and reviews. Users can sign up and register books to generate library catalogues and reading lists. It was founded in 2007 and in 2013 was purchased by online conglomerate Amazon – to a mixed response.

Say what you will about the acquisition, the website now has 65 million users, a growth of 160% in the four years since the take-over. It has translated well to the smart-phone era, providing a free-to-download app, and boasting an Instagram following of over 83,000 and Twitter following of just under 3.7million.

The sign-up process turned out to be both quick, and enjoyable…

1. Sign up and create an account through Facebook or Amazon.
2. Connect with current friends through Facebook or Twitter.
3. Join all of the 2,056,980 users and set yourself a reading goal for 2018, which Goodreads will help you to reach, keeping you on track with notifications and nudges.
4. Select your favourite genres.
5. Rate the books you’ve purchased on your Amazon account (you have to rate 20 to receive personalised recommendations).

The whole process lasted about 15 minutes. Although, this was predominantly because the number of books I have purchased on Amazon is something worthy of an academic library (sorry bank account) and it took me a good while to rate them all – so for the regular user I would estimate it would take no longer than 10 minutes to sign-up.

Once registered, I explored what the site has to offer, with five main tabs that were equally easy to navigate:

Profile
Your profile allows you to post updates on the progress you make with the books you are reading, be that the number of pages you’ve read that day or how you have interpreted the most recent development in a plot. On your profile page, you can publicise who your favourite author is and include a quote that resonates with yourself, to give others insight into your reading preferences, and attitude.

Home
This page holds your key information, such as the book you are currently reading, how the reading challenge you have set is progressing and what you are interested in reading next. It also includes updates from those that you are connected with on Goodreads, which allows you to see what they are reading, and how active they are.

My Books
This is originally a list of all of the books you’ve purchased from Amazon, collated into an online library. Titles can also be added manually to represent those you’ve purchased from other stores, borrowed from friends or loaned from a library. This online library enables you to access insights from your reading history, such as who your most-read authors are, what genre you purchase most regularly and the average time it takes you to complete a book.

Browse
Much like the Audible app (unsurprising as it’s supported by the same company) this page allows you to browse new releases and best sellers, although it does seem more advanced than its audiobook companion. For example, news and updates on the industry are published in articulate and succinct articles and interviews with authors featured on the site are often added, so you can discover more about the inspiration to the texts you’re reading or whether a book is worth investing in.

Community
Goodreads is effectively a society of readers and this tab has different active and featured groups, identified through themes such as genre, character and author, for example: crime and thriller, heroes and villains and books by indigenous women. Becoming a member of one of these groups allows you to connect with others who want to discuss the topic, like a modern-day book club! Local, national and international literary events are publicised on the site – to enable an optimum level of engagement between readers and authors. This community space also offers interactive activities such as trivia and quizzes to clue up on old classics or test your understanding of popular releases.

I have spent four years studying English Literature at university and as such spend a lot of time examining books with friends and lecturers alike. However, few enjoy this luxury, and without a platform to discuss their thoughts, people’s engagement decreases as they get older. Goodreads not only provides said platform, but allows you to engage with like-minded people from the comfort of your own home, operating as an accessible book club, suitable for the 21st century.

I think Goodreads is a great innovation and look forward to integrating the app into my life in 2018. If you’re interested in books, whether you read once in a blue moon or put away three to four titles a month, I suggest you try it out too!