Following my recent article, How blogging can help you change careers, I’ve noticed a couple of people writing about how a person’s blog may work against them, especially while they are job hunting.

Most of us have probably heard the Dooce story. An American web developer, Heather B. Armstrong, lost her job several years ago after her employers discovered her blog, and took exception to some of the things she had posted about them.

While her writings were apparently satirical in nature, her boss however was unimpressed, and sent her packing.

Since then a number of similar incidents have come to light, and it makes you wonder just how far you can go with what you write in your blog, particularly in regards to your job, or employer.

In fact Heather’s experience gave rise to the term “dooced”, a reference to the title of her blog, and is a way of saying you’ve been sacked because of what you wrote about your boss, or workplace, in your blog.

Now it seems employers are actively searching the web in an effort to locate any blogs a job applicant may have, as a way of gathering further “background” information about them, over and above what they have already learned during the application, and interview, process.

Some people are calling blogs the new resumes, and by looking at what a person writes, and how they write, employers are able to gain a “fuller picture” of a prospective employee.

This is not an entirely new “phenomenon” though. I remember a recruiter telling me back in 1997 how she used the web to gather information on applicants, though at that time she, and other recruiters, would not been able to find a great many blogs, let alone, most likely, any written by her candidates.

It is nevertheless something to be mindful of, and prompted Anthony Baggett at Antbag to suggest we consider taking a more serious approach to our blogging.

It would be unfortunate though were employers to make recruiting decisions based to any great degree on what they read, and possibly didn’t like, in someone’s blog.

It has to be remembered blogs, particularly of those of a personal nature, as verbose and detailed as they may be, still do not paint the full picture of the writer.

People have ups and downs in life, blog accounts are not always complete, and will be presented with varying degrees of candour and colour. Not all stories will have “follow ups”, or posts detailing the resolution of problems someone may have articulated at an earlier time.

My earlier article outlined the benefits that a blog presenting your professional knowledge could have while looking for work, and I would hope that is most employers are really interested in.

Everyone has a “story”, and will at times have upheaval in their personal life, and while we can argue that there is no such thing as a complete separation of our work and our personal life, a lot of workers are able to discharge their professional duties without allowing the conflicts, or otherwise, of their personal lives to interfere.

Have you ever met people who just seem to choose to pursue a new career and, lo and behold, what seems like a mere few months later, they are doing it?

And I’m not talking about a graduated sort of career or job change, such as an assistant accountant becoming an accountant, for instance.

In fact there would be some people who couldn’t discern the slightest difference between the two roles, including possibly, even the former assistant accountant, until of course they saw their first payslip as a full blown accountant!

It was something I was thinking about the other day after meeting a, now former, accountant who had decided she wanted to become an article writer.

And six short months after making the decision, she was doing it, that is writing for newspapers, magazines, and even websites, and making a living at the same time.

While her current income is greatly reduced, compared to that of her previous job, at the rate she is going, I dare say in another six months she will be making more than she ever did as an accountant!

When I asked how she did it, that is made quite a significant career shift in a relatively short space of time, she simply answered, “because I wanted to do it.”

And I think much of her success has to do with her attitude. Because I wanted to.

It also made me think about a few of the jobs I had during my early days in the working world.

At first I worked as a bank teller. That was a big mistake, since I just didn’t have the necessary customer service ethic, despite the best “efforts” of the then branch manager to try and instill that in me!

After leaving the bank I took a job as a buyer of spare parts for a mining company. I immediately found myself talking to mining engineers and sales representatives who were located all over the world.

I’d just spotted the job in the newspaper classifieds, thought it looked interesting, contacted the hiring manager, told him it looked a fun job and that I was willing to learn, and next thing I knew I was a buyer of spare parts for mining machinery.

After leaving that role I became a school bus services administrator, specifically planning rural school bus services.

This job saw me spend a lot of time on the road, meeting bus company managers, school principals, and staying in charming hotels in equally charming country towns.

Travel certainly can be an under appreciated aspect of a job, and what people tend to forget is it gets them out of the office! How bad can that be?!

I’d had no prior experience in either of the roles after my time at the bank, yet I’d managed to drop myself into them without any big deal, or without calling either transition a career change!

While I certainly had some transferable skills; such as organisational, communication, and problem solving abilities, among others, a lot of my “success” was down to my attitude, and the fact I was willing to jump in, and give it a go, while also learning on the fly.

In much the same way as my accountant turned writer friend had. It is a reminder to me that a “can do” attitude is perhaps the most important (transferable) skill any of us can develop.

Yesterday I made a few suggestions as to how to respond should a headhunter call to sound out your interest in jumping ship to work for another company. (Or making an “unsolicited offer of employment”, as an email correspondent put it!)

I also mentioned in yesterday’s discussion that I actually ended up being headhunted into a web design role, despite having little commercial design experience, and having searched - and applied - without luck for a number of positions prior to that.

The prospect of being “headhunted” into a job began to intrigue me after hearing that is what happened to someone else I knew, who was also making a career transition into web design.

A local design studio had found her personal website, and the creative director was so impressed with what he saw, that he contacted her and almost immediately offered her a design job.

I quickly realised that there was little difference in the way she was “pitching” herself, to the way I was.

We both had a reasonably prominent online presence by way of our personal websites, we were both networking with other professional (or established) web designers, and we both also promoting ourselves by way of our involvement in various “sideline” web projects.

In my case this included being a then founder of The Australian INfront, a community that I was involved in establishing, whose aims where to raise the visibility and perception of Australian web designers globally.

While I know not everyone reading this article is looking for web design work, there are still a number of things that anyone can do to raise their visibility and profile, and put themselves on a headhunter’s radar.

Get yourself noticed (somehow, anyhow)
A great way to do this is to start a blog, something I explored in another article recently, which outlined how blogging can be an effective self-promotional tool in the career change, or job search, process.

In fact the article attracted a number of comments from people who mentioned that a blog had boosted their profile and even resulted in job offers.

I also recently read an article at manzkie dot com about recruitment managers who search through the blogosphere looking for potential employees.

Do I need to push this particular point any further?!

Develop a specialist knowledge
Build on your passion for what you want to do. Focus on an aspect of the job that is not as widely recognised as others, become an expert on it, and then make sure you advertise the fact!

In my case this was an interest in web standards. Put briefly web standards are a uniform set of rules web designers should adhere to when developing websites. For various reasons few designers were, ten or so years ago using standards, so by learning to work with them natively from day one, I was able to stand out from other web designers.

Ironically, despite the fact I no longer work as a web designer, I still receive occasional freelance work offers, because one former colleague or another’s clients have stipulated that the design work be standards compliant!

Network!
This goes without saying, and is just about the best way to achieve anything. As always it is a case of who you know, followed closely by what you know.

Look around for networking forums in the industry you are interested in, whether on or off line, and make yourself known!

MeetUp is an increasingly popular way of bringing all sorts of people, with all sorts of interests - both personal and professional - together, and you are bound to find an interest group near where you live.

Even if you don’t, members of the various Meetup groups often place their blog, or website, addresses on their Meetup profiles, so even if a like minded person is at some distance, you can still make contact and network with them.

And you never know, even though someone is in another city, or even country, they may know a former colleague, or associate, who is in your area and looking for staff.

Get involved
Can’t find a networking forum, or association, relevant to your industry or work interests, locally? Then start one! Taking some sort of initiative is exactly the sort of activity headhunters are on the look out for.

And once more thanks to ideas such as Meetup, this can be achieved relatively quickly and at not too great a cost.

Conclusion
While I’m not suggesting that you sit around waiting to be headhunted, you certainly have nothing to lose by boosting your profile, and self promotional activities, to the point that an employer may just spot you, and subsequently make contact.

And if you are making a career change, being headhunted into a job that you really want could be the lucky break you are looking for, as it was for me.

While I was searching for web design work several years ago, it was mainly by way of the targeted job search method, which I wrote about recently.

It was a process that had its ups and downs, as I have referred to before, but was something I was prepared to stick at, as it best suited my circumstances at the time.

You could therefore imagine my surprise when an email arrived, out of the blue, from a company I had not had any dealings with previously, asking if I would be interested in discussing the possibility of working for them.

“You’ve been headhunted!” a friend said to me.

Had I really? To me headhunting always seemed like an activity that was the result of clandestine meetings that followed clandestine telephone calls or letters, between highflying company executives, and specially engaged executive recruiters!

“No, no,” my friend said, “just about anyone, no matter what they do, stands to be headhunted.”

Some people regard it as an honour, while others see a certain prestige in being “hand picked” for a role. It means your work has been noticed by, or your name has been mentioned to, someone who is looking for staff.

While certainly an uplifting experience it is a good idea to rein in your euphoria though, and remember that being headhunted is really just an invitation to apply for a job, and there is no guarantee that you will actually be offered a role.

After all an employer’s first hand impressions of you may differ markedly from the second, or third hand, impressions they have gained of you from others.

Or to use the words of my headhunting-wise friend;

“Consider being headhunted as a free walk to the second interview of a three interview recruiting process.”

That seemed like a good way to put what had happened to me into perspective. Being headhunted is really just another way of applying for a job, and you shouldn’t get too far ahead of yourself as a result.

Headhunters can make contact in a number of ways, and if you already have a close working relationship with the company interested in bringing you on-board, this may even happen in a face-to-face situation, during or after a regular meeting, with the people you normally liaise with.

On other occasions you may be contacted unexpectedly, by a company you have not even heard of.

Assuming you have been contacted by email or letter, the first thing to do before responding to the person, or representative, who made the approach to you, is to find out what you can about the company in question.

While this is a commonsense course of action when looking for work anyway, it is still a good idea to know what you are talking about before you speak to anyone. Find out about the company’s background, and see what you can learn about of some of their current and recent projects, particularly in the area in which you think you may be working.

If it is possible, try to find out how you came to the company’s attention. If someone put in a good word for you, contact them, and ask what they said about you. It can be useful to know exactly how you have been represented, as this can guide your initial communications with the company.

Approach all contact and interviews in a professional manner, and above all do not act as if you are a shoo-in for whatever role is being discussed, and also send thank you emails, or notes, after each meeting or interview.

The fact you are being headhunted may offer you a little more leverage when it comes to discussing salary plus terms and conditions of employment though. To what degree you can bargain here will depend on your skills and abilities, together with exactly how interested the company is in hiring you.

I went on to be offered a role with the web design studio who had contacted me, which I accepted. In my case, I was extremely pleased with the outcome, considering I didn’t actually have a great deal of commercial web design work under my belt at the time.

You may therefore be wondering how I came to be headhunted. It was pretty simple really, I was headhunted because I wanted to be! There’s nothing like a little ambition to get you where you want to go is there?!

Tomorrow, in the second part of this article, I will tell you how I went about getting myself headhunted!

Yesterday I discussed the idea of making a direct approach, or expression of interest, in working for a particular company or employer, even though they are not advertising any job vacancies, plus some of the advantages this method of finding work can have for career changers.

While targeted job searches are not usually considered “conventional” methods of finding work, compared to applying for jobs that are publicly advertised, they are nevertheless effective and certainly produce results.

While job seekers may feel such an initiative constitutes making unsolicited contact, or even being a “nuisance”, in many instances employers are happy to hear from prospective employees.

And those who aren’t will usually come back with reasonably moderate lines to the effect of “thanks but no thanks; we’re not hiring right now”, or, “thanks for your interest; but you’re not quite what we’re looking for”.

And that is all fine. After all, nothing ventured, nothing gained, as they say.

While the process of “cold calling” seems a little daunting at first, try and consider it your job to find a job, and as such regard difficult things, like making follow up phone calls, as simply part of the “job”.

Seek and study
The first step is to think about what sort of places you would like to work for, that could benefit from what you have to offer. Search around and make a list of organisations that are in, or near, your locality, or wherever you are prepared to work.

Gather the names, and email addresses if possible, of the people you will be addressing your enquiry to. In larger workplaces this will probably be the HR or recruitment manager, while in smaller organisations your point of contact could be the owner, or a director.

Swot up on the company through its website, and find out as much as you can.

Use search engines, read public financial reports where available, press releases, and anything else you can get hold of. This is something that is far easier to do today than it was ten or so years ago thanks to online avenues of research!

At this stage also find out exactly who to direct employment enquiries to. In smaller enterprises it could be the CEO, or the head of the division you wish to work in.

Double check
Once you have drawn up a list of contact names, confirm your information is correct. A quick phone call to a company’s reception, or main switchboard, should be all it takes. People resign, retire, or move on, and information is not always immediately updated on company websites, or other public sources of information.

All your effort could come undone, and make you look tardy, if the information you use is clearly out of date, or a name is misspelt.

Also be mindful of who you are talking to, particularly in smaller companies where anyone from the CEO, or owner, downwards may answer the phone when you call.

Prepare your pitch
Think about how you will word your enquiry. Be straightforward and to the point. Be upfront with the facts, and don’t overstate your knowledge or experience.

Take aim and deliver
Be personal in approach, use actual names rather than generic salutations and titles, such as “sir” or “madam”, or “to whom it may concern”. Also don’t make your enquiry look like it has been sent to 50 other people at the same time!

Remember attention to the smallest details can make all the difference.

Follow up
Phone the person you addressed your expression of interest to a week after you sent it, to ensure they received it. Allow a few extra days if you posted it.

This can be the hardest part of the exercise but making the effort will generate a positive impression. If a number of people have done the same as you, and you are the only one who makes a follow up call, it is you who will stand apart from the others!

I’ll speak to you soon
Keep in touch, even if your enquiry doesn’t result in any immediate action. If the company has no current vacancies, ask if you can follow up again after a certain number of weeks or months. Be bold without being overbearing.

Send emails, or better still, make periodic phone calls passing on information of any developments on your side, such as updates to your experience and qualifications, or to ask if any new opportunities have arisen within the company.

Try to consider this ongoing relationship as another part of your networking activities.

Finally…
As I said earlier, searching, or asking, for work in this manner may seem daunting at first, but the more you do it, the more your confidence will grow, and the easier it will all become.

And some final motivation; remember that your efforts are ultimately all about finding the sort of work of you really want.

When looking for work, or a new job, probably the first thing most people do is reach for the classified advertising section of the newspaper, or log on to a job search website.

What may surprise many people though is that there are other, possibly better, ways of finding work.

Just about every recruiter I have spoken to says only about a quarter, to possibly a third, of jobs are ever advertised publicly.

And while these figures vary, no matter how you look at them, there is no doubting that the vast majority of jobs never reach newspaper classifieds, or your favourite job search website.

So just how are all of these apparently “invisible” jobs filled then?

Many roles are only ever advertised internally, within a company. Some are advertised in publications exclusive to certain professions, such as medical journals for example. Others are filled through networks, word of mouth, and people “knocking on the door” of a workplace enquiring about job opportunities.

The last method, where people knock on the door as it were, or make a direct expression of interest in working for a particular company, was, I discovered, especially widespread in the Web/IT industry several years ago.

In fact companies were receiving so many expressions of interest from people keen to work for them, that some spent very little money advertising job vacancies as a result!

This method of hiring also applies to other industries though, and you may have noticed a number of companies on the “work for us”, or “employment opportunities” pages of their websites often state they are interested in hearing from people who would like to work for them.

While they may not necessarily have a suitable role vacant at the time someone makes an enquiry, if an employer is sufficiently interested in someone they will stay in contact with them until a role emerges.

It is also not unknown for companies to create roles for people who they have been especially impressed with, lest someone else hires them!

And this way of finding work can be particularly useful for career changers, or those with limited experience in the field in which they would like to work.

Making an expression of interest in working for a company is not the same as directly applying for an advertised role. Here there is a far greater expectation that applicants will have the required qualifications and experience, and those whose applications are not up to spec will most likely be discounted.

Applying for a role that you are not completely suitable for, in the hope of “getting a foot in the door”, is a ploy that could backfire though. And spell the end of any future prospects of finding work with that particular organisation.

Making a direct approach, or indicating a desire to work for a particular company however, allows you to introduce yourself a little more subtly to an employer. This gives you the opportunity to set out your circumstances, outline the reasons for your career change, and explain how you think you can be of value to the company.

By additionally building up some rapport and a relationship with the recruiting office of the company, you can continue to “market” yourself, and remain utmost in the minds of those you have been in contact with.

So don’t wait for possibilities to appear in the classifieds, rather get proactive, and start searching for work opportunities.

Tomorrow, in the second part of this article, I will outline some strategies for making an expression of interest, and also for developing relationships, with companies you would like to work for.