Is Blogging Good or Bad for Your Career?

There's some question out there about the impact of one's blog on one's career or job search.  Last weekend, the AP ran an article about folks who were fired because of their blogs.  Now let me just say for the record that if you're going to a) pose provocatively in your work uniform, or b) trash your employer on your blog, you probably should have given that some serious thought beforehand. 

As for me, I will always assume that my boss, my family, work colleagues, future employers, and any past, present, or future romantic interests are going to be reading this thing, and I write my content accordingly.   I can't imagine that it anything here would be damaging to any current or future employers, but as someone in the process of a job search, I will admit, I was a bit scared when I heard a story from a law firm recruiting coordinator recently.  She mentioned that her firm had recruited a pack of potential summer associates, and then someone in her recruiting department Googled the candidates and one of them "belonged to this thing called 'blogspot' -- has anyone heard of this?  It's an online personal diary!  Can you believe that?!  Who would put their personal lives up in public like that?!"  So they ended up nixing that particular candidate.

If you Google me, this blog comes up, but then again, so does Gothamist Food, and things I've written for Pro Bono Net.  Blogging is listed on my resume as one of my hobbies.  I don't write anything here particularly personal or racy, and certainly nothing offensive, and I have no intention of giving it up, so I'll take my chances.  In fact, there are some out there that thing that blogging is good in terms of your job.  I have to say, I agree.  Among other things, it is great for keeping the creative juices flowing and helps you make contacts.  Just keep some common sense guidelines, like I do, and everyone should be happy. 

What do you think, gang?

Comments

[david]

I was sort of fired for blogging in February ... sort of... long story. Since then I've treated my blogging like a badge of honor and you either get it or you don't. And the folks I've been talking to about working with seem to get it.

It makes it a lot easier to filter out the dummies who say things like that HR coordinator you quoted. And to figure out who are the people you really want to work with.

I mean if someone is thinking of hiring you and they are reading your blog - their reaction to it says alot about what they will be like as a boss.

So all in all, I have to say it's been a net positive for me and I think blogging is excellent for anyone's career.

[susannah]

if someone was so obsessed with blogging that he neglected his work because of it, that could be problematic to an employer, but no different than someone obsessed with his fantasy football teams. :) certainly no scary stigma needs to be attached to blogging. i think some people are still not entirely used to the community that is the internet and think that people who spend a lot of time communicating with people online are weird or anti-social. those are probably not people i'd want to work for anyway. :)

i also have to say, it's awesome that you can google your name and find info about yourself. google my name and you come up with 20 pages on genealogical records from 1787. :p

thanks also for commenting on my blog! :)

[j-a]

actually, i was going to email you separately about this, when you posted about not having got the job when someone told you you were great for it, etc. - my immediate thought was to wonder whether someone at the office had googled you and found this blog.

i think law firms are a lot more conservative than the normal office, and so the implications of having a personal website could be bigger than other places.