I think if people are going to write a job journal for therapeutic reasons, they should be very, very careful if they do it online, or keep it offline.

If you are saying that the original article (meaning this blog post) was too much about me (Jason Alba), sorry about that. I am trying to convey a message here, I didn’t want to rip into Ryan more, but wanted to get some points across, and used me and some personal examples and preferences. I can do that because, well, this is my blog. And, there is a HUGE difference between articles and blog posts. I would have written this differently if it were an article, for sure.

I have the current edition of What Color Is Your Parachute. The reason I’ve been blogging since last year about this stuff is because I think it’s too long/hard to read (as opposed to a blog post, that you can sit down and read in just a few minutes a day) and is not completely thorough. In fact, looking at the index I see no mention of blog, personal branding, or using your own website in a job search.

No one is disputing that “fogeys” don’t know anything… this is just another tactic, or tool. And it’s definitely caught on, and isn’t going away.

Pete, I had to chew on your comment for a while. I see what you are saying and, in general, agree that it can be a good idea and helpful to others (the job search blog). In fact, a lot of blogs are of this nature… I homeschool, learn as I learn; I am suffering through this, learn as I learn, etc.

I think a huge difference, even a deal-breaker, for job seekers is that this is a time to SHINE. If you can do a job journal and SHINE then go for it. I have only found one person who has been able to do it. But it’s weird to step into this transparent world AND be really careful about what you write or don’t write.

Anyway, food for thought. This was a fun series and I appreciate you guys watching it and contributing to the discussion!

The job journal thing can be a therapeutic tool to help the job seeker either get or remain on track.

The tone of the original article was, to me, too much of me & more me.

Doesn’t anyone read: What Color Is Your Parachute? any more? Dick Bolles has had this book in print for over 25 years & it still works! I ought to know as I have used his techniques over & over to help clients find success. Fogeys still know a lot!

As for Ryan Smith’s blog … kudos to Ryan for opening himself up to feedback like this. That in and of itself requires some guts and ambition!

That said … you’re right, Jason. The blog is in some serious need of help. As a hiring manager, if I saw that blog my immediate assumption would be that Ryan was straight out of college, based on his tone, presentation and writing skills. It’s a rough read. I think that Seth Godin makes a very good point in one of his blog posts on this, when he points out that there HAS to be some kind of relevance to another in order for it to be interesting (“nobody finds your life as fascinating as you”). Nobody wants to read about what turn Ryan took to get to work, if he got there five minutes late or what his girlfriend had for lunch on their way there.

However, he COULD have put a humorous twist on his story, a la Scott Adams in the Dilbert Blog, and it would have put a whole other spin on the story. Ryan, consider making your job search a funny story?

My ten cents … thanks again for good discussion, Jason!

Essentially, I think you’re saying that a job seeking blog is an extension of your resume. Show the breadth and depth of your knowledge and think of it as an ongoing writing sample. Some of the other suggestions (first impressions, consistency, etc.) I think are true of any blog.

Let me throw this curve at this discussion that maybe isn’t interesting enough for somebody to swing at. What you’ve described is a job seeking blog that helps you get a job. On Part 2, you suggested that nobody wants to read about your job search process and there are problems with transparency if you aren’t careful. I waited to see if you’d address that today, but I actually think a diary of your job search process is useful, it just isn’t as useful to you as it is to someone else.

Let me explain.

I have a few relatives who have undergone long medical treatments and the official line from the doctors in the pre-procedure literature didn’t offer much depth into what the experience is actually like. Finding a blog that chronicles the steps and what someone was feeling during the different parts of the process gave a window into what would happen that doctors just couldn’t provide. It let the person experiencing it express themselves and left a nice record for someone else to learn from.

I realize I’m reaching here a bit, but the same is true of a job seeking journal. As long as you keep your eye on the transparency and avoid injuring your chances on certain opportunities, I think it can be therapeutic for you and beneficial to someone else later.

Pete Johnson
HP.com Chief Architect
Personal blog: http://nerdguru.net

Thanks for a great series of posts on job seeker blogs. Thanks also to Ryan Smith for being so open to feedback; and finally, thanks to all the contributors for some very astute comments.

From my vantage point, as a career coach and a personal branding strategist, I believe you really nailed the content/branding dimension. First, as I see it, job search is almost always about starting and enlarging a professional conversation. Second, the best conversations tend to be those where you can demonstrate your knowledge and your passion in a way that is engaging and valuable to another person. What’s more, if you have real insight into your own personal brand, then you can present a much more clear and powerful promise of value.

Bottom line: I believe that blogs are a waste as a job search tool, but a clear differentiator in career management. Posts about how much you need a job may attract a certain kind of reader, but are short lived and rarely attract the interest of hiring managers. On the other hand, posts that convey knowledge, passion, and value that are relevant to one’s profession have a better chance of helping you stand out – and not get weeded out!

I appreciate the clarification on typos. While it is certainly reasonable for you (you own your own company, after all), I think anyone who is using a blog to actually find a job needs their blog to be typo-free. It’s essentially part of their resume and I’m sure you would recommend everyone to review their resume with a fine-tooth comb.

As far taxing your brain, what you have commented and what you originally wrote are very different. Originally you admonished anything that might bring you a negative feeling, and the clarification focuses more on your personal interests. I think we can both agree that blogs that are written with a concise and meaningful point are better than those that ramble. So yes, it is not what you write about or discuss, but the ability to communicate well. Which we can all constantly improve!

I admit I’m a simple guy. I like to philosphize, sometimes. But my brain just doesn’t work that well, especially in this phase of my career. I’m much more on the practical application side of things. I don’t want to know what the chemical makeup of the BBQ sauce is, I want to know what it goes good with. I don’t want to worry about what will happen to my CDs in 100 years, I figure that they can be transferred in 20, and I’m waiting to see what products are out then.

Sorry, that’s just me. I’m not saying that we shouldn’t think. But man, if I can’t get through the first paragraph then you’ve lost me.

I try to write about thought-provoking things, but I try to do it at a level that I think most people will be interested in. If I lose people then I can’t inspire them. If I lose people then I can’t share my story with them, or help them through a very difficult thing. I want to engage people. Very few masters level text books engage people.

So, by no means am I saying “let’s write dumb stuff.” You can go see a lot of technorati 100 blogs for dumb stuff. You can see a lot of A-list blogs that write about dumb stuff (no offense, all my A-list fans :p). By no means am I advocating that.

You know what would tax my brain? A blog explaining the intricacies of health insurance, written for HR professionals. Or a blog on philosophy written for philosophy students… or a blog on cold fusion (in physics, not the programming language). That is just too much for me.

Perhaps I should have said “overly tax my brain,” I don’t know. I hope my point isn’t lost in all this explanation. But if you look at my winners of the You Get It award, I’m guessing you’ll agree that they don’t blog on dumb stuff. (maybe I’m mixing up the level of discussion and the ability to communicate well?)

I TOTALLY agree about the typos and grammar and all that – I can’t stand them. But there are two things in the last year that has opened me up a little bit. First, my own mistakes. Upgrading to FireFox 2 has helped since it includes the spell check… but it’s no guarantee that I’ll spell or write correctly. With all the writing I do I can’t edit everything at a professional level. And so I allowed myself to feel like a slacker in this area… I think if you go back to my earlier posts you’ll see more mistakes than I’d like to admit.

The second thing that happened, I was in a discussion with a veteran blogger and they were talking about this very issue and he said “realize that blogging is a casual medium.” While I don’t totally agree with this, it helps to put blogs in perspective. I am trying to be as careful as I can to… but I am not as critical of bloggers who have minor mistakes (but again, not frequently).

- jason

Also, you don’t want to read anything that will tax your brain? I think this is bad advice and promotes the apathetic image our generation has. Heaven forbid we think for a bit about something besides our own hedonism.

Okay, sorry, that’s my rant for the day