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Tips on How to Apply for a Blog Job

Posted By Darren Rowse 31st of January 2008 Miscellaneous Blog Tips 0 Comments

24 Hours ago I decided to use my own job board here at ProBlogger for the first time. I’ve used it before to advertise jobs for b5media – but never before to advertise for a blogger on one of the blogs that I manage.

The job I put up is here for a Digital Photography Blogger – someone to take a little of the load of producing posts for DPS off my shoulders to allow me to work on other projects.

The exercise of placing the ad has been quite interesting. While I’ve watched other advertisers use the job boards actually being on the receiving end of job applications has been fascinating.

Here’s some raw observations of and results from the process followed by a few random thoughts for bloggers and advertisers wanting to use the boards:

  • In 24 hours I’ve had 20 applications
  • Applications have largely been from the type of person that I wanted – in fact I’ve been surprised by the number of Professional Photographers that have applied
  • The job ad has actually been picked up by a number of other job syndication services. I’d known that a few other sites were picking up my ads and republishing them but hadn’t realized how many – so far I’ve seen it on 5 other sites – so the reach of these ads is going beyond the thousand subscribers the RSS feed has.
  • Applications themselves have been at a higher quality than I’d expected. I’ve previously written a number of suggestions for those applying for jobs and was pleased to find that most applicants followed instructions in the ad and put together helpful pictures of who they were and what they could bring to the job

Further Advice for Bloggers Applying for Jobs

Much of my advice for bloggers has been in the article that I’ve referred to above – however I’ll reemphasize two points.

  1. Sell Yourself – while the vast majority of applicants did this well, a couple fell well short of presenting themselves well in their application. This is a job you are going for so if you’re serious about getting it you need to give reasons why you’d be good for the position. Highlight your strengths, relevant experience and what makes you unique. Write your application carefully as those reviewing it will be looking at your ability to write well (after all blogging is a written medium and if you can’t demonstrate an ability to communicate clearly in your application it’s a signal that you might not be the person for the job).
  2. Follow Instructions – again this was not an issue for almost all applications but one or two applicants didn’t demonstrate that they could follow instructions and failed to include information that was asked for. While for some it may not have been possible to include everything that I asked for at least an attempt to do so would have demonstrated that they’d read the advertisement beyond the first line or two. Again – this sends a signal to the advertiser about your ability to work with them.

Overall it’s been a great experience for me. My only concern now is how to choose one or two applicants out of a list of 20 amazing people!

About Darren Rowse
Darren Rowse is the founder and editor of ProBlogger Blog Tips and Digital Photography School. Learn more about him here and connect with him on Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn.
Comments
  1. I was very excited when I saw b5media is open for job applications.

    I posted mine, but never got an answer. That dissapointed me a lot :(

  2. sorry to hear that Greg. We do have a policy to get back to applicants so I’m not sure what happened with yours. We get a lot of applications as you might imagine so perhaps it slipped through a crack.

    When did you apply? It usually takes a day or two to get back to everyone and make decisions. I’ll pass this onto our team who handles applications.

  3. It’s amazing to me how much blogging is changing the way people find jobs. I wonder how long it will take major corporations to fully embrace these changes.

  4. That would be great, thanks!

    I posted it about 3 months ago.

    I mean I know there is a good posibility that my ‘resume’ wasn’t good enough to get the job. If I remember correctly, I applied to write as a (I have a lot of expertise in this field, I work as a linux journalist for a local tech magazine [in print]).

    If I find the time, I’ll apply again and see. Thanks again :)

  5. I’ve applied through B5 too Greg and got a reponse saying they would be looking at covering my niche sometime in 2008. I have followed up with them recently and hope to hear something soon. Best of luck with the position, i’m sure your resume reads fine!

  6. I sure hope you’re right, Neil. I’d love to write for b5media :)

  7. Greg – I’m not sure we’ll be able to find it now after 3 months and I suspect we’ve filled the position by now. We’ve re designed our job application process since then. I’ll still pass it on but it might be too far gone now.

    You’re always welcome to apply for future jobs at b5 though – there are a few ads on the boards at the moment.

  8. Darren, good advice for anyone applying for a job, really. So many people fall short of selling themselves in interviews because of nerves, or some other lack of self-confidence.

  9. Great advice for applying for a job! How about a post on the other end of the keyboard – what should a person wanting to hire someone to write for a (new) blog expect to pay?

  10. Thanks for sharing these tips. Like the other commentators have pointed out, the principles apply to more than just blogging jobs.

  11. Hey Darren,

    quick related question; how would I find a blogger in a local region, like if I wanted someone to cover a local music scene for a blog?

  12. Hi Darren,

    Cool post. I’ve often looked at the job board, more out of curiosity then anything else. I don’t think I’m at the place to apply for a blogging position yet, but I do wonder… how much can someone expect to make for such that type of work? Do hired bloggers get paid hourly or per post? Just wondering.

  13. Darren,

    We have spent the last month getting our blog ready; building content; designing, tweaking, etc. We’re planning on launching on Feb 1st. One of the things I’ve always been very interested in is encouraging guest posts.

    When you are interviewing bloggers, what are the top 5 things you look for in a potential “guest blogger”.

    Thanks

    John (aka. The Chief of Staff)

  14. Good to see Job board open at problogger.

    Will ping my friend about this who is a good blogger :)

    Chetan

  15. Great advice.
    1. Selling myself. I have no problem with this. Some people might feel this is amoral. Some people might name the risk of disease, but sometimes you do need to sell yourself to survive.

    But seriously, just like with any job interview, I can see that you need an Unique Selling Point (USP). This is a marketing term from the 1950s, largely ignored today due to the size of our markets. However, particularly due to the amount of options available as a result of the size of our markets, I feel you still need a USP.

    An USP sets you apart from the rest. I try to this with my blog:

    http://necrofiles.blogspot.com

    2. Following instructions. Not one of my strengths. I get distracted easily. Oh look, cookies!

  16. Why not use Beyond.com’s free “get a board” software for your blog. I use it now and set the price for job postings on my job board (included in my blog) and also receive revenue for all resume and other leads. I’m always looking for news ways to supplement my income and thought I would share.

    -jd735

  17. Blog job sounds nice
    mind the geeee
    :)

  18. About that job board… if it weren’t there, I wouldn’t be here. Long story, not going to get into it, but I’m here and I thank you for having it and for being easy to find through some search that I don’t even remember now. Don’t ask… just, thank you! :)

  19. I would never have considered applying for a job on and/or through a blog. The job market is changing much faster than i was aware of.

  20. The place to apply for a blogging position yet, but I do wonder…

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