How To Use Your Blog and the Long Tail Effect to Help Your Job Search

How To Use Your Blog and the Long Tail Effect to Help Your Job Search 3 There are many ways to use your blog while searching for a new job. Here's one blogger's experience using the long tail effect on the road to your next job. This is a guest post by Digital Eve Israel blogger Sharon Gefen of Devarim Ketanim. If you’d also like to guest post here on JobMob, follow these guest post guidelines. A couple of months ago, I found myself looking for a new job. It was sad, and somewhat annoying, as these things usually tend to be. An open call to my readers Obviously, I did what any sensible social media user would do, and I blogged about it (Hebrew), specifying my fields of expertise and an open call to my readers to ping me if they hear of any relevant leads. I also posted a little note about it on Facebook.eval I didn't expect much to come out of either post, but I felt that utilizing my blog for this matter was the right thing to do, using my blog as a vehicle to raise some awareness about my job search, while potentially reaching the largest audience available to me without putting up a billboard on the highway. And indeed, nothing happened, and other than some sympathetic comments from friends and regular readers, both posts were promptly ignored.eval A week later, a friend suggested that I do more on my blog for more than just make a one-time post about my job search. So I put up a permanent note at the top of my blog advertising my job search using a very cool WordPress plugin called Show Notification, useful for posting announcements like this. And still, nothing happened. The long tail kicks in But after a while, the long tail effect started working its mojo… Slowly but surely, some emails started to show up. Total strangers, people whom I never even knew that read my blog, emailed me with tips, suggestions, and actual leads that turned into job interviews or potential freelancing collaborations. The funniest result of this so far was a conversation with someone who got to my blog via a humor blog I participate in: “So wait, you're telling me that you got to me through the Cold Fusion for Dummies blog and you still want to work with me?” His response: “Sure. This shows you're committed and have a great sense of humor. I need someone like that in my team!” Conclusion I still haven't found my dream job, but that note is still up there, and the emails are still coming in… So far, my experience has impressed me on two different levels â€" the first is that one should never estimate the power of blogs as a medium for connecting with people far beyond your expectations. The other was simply the surprise at how many strangers are willing to help out with leads, advice, and even just a kind word. My advice: looking for a job? got a blog? use it to shout out to your readers, and you will probably even find yourself reaching out far beyond your immediate circle of regular readers, and finding many interesting opportunities in the process. About the author Sharon Gefen is a web designer who is currently looking for a job, as well as taking her first steps as a freelance designer working mostly with the WordPress blogging platform. She's also a veteran blogger, and is hugely fascinated (both academically, and just for fun) with what makes social networks “tick”. For more information about Sharon, check out her blog Devarim Ketanim (Hebrew), her LinkedIn profile or read about her services (Hebrew). This article is part of the 2008 JobMob Guest Blogging Contest. Blogging yet?