Job hunting? Try blogging to up your visibility

With unemployment approaching 10 percent in the U.S., it's getting grim out there for job hunters. So what can you do to separate yourself from the pack of applicants looking for work in your field?

Try blogging.

That's the sanguine advice of Tara Weiss at Forbes.com, who suggests that starting a blog about your profession or your industry is an excellent way to get noticed by hiring managers. as "even the smallest edge can make the difference in landing you that interview or even a job."

If you don't know what a blog is, well, you're soaking in it right now. But blogs needn't be filled with lengthy posts about every single thing that happens in your field. You can start with short posts, a few sentences long, simply digesting the news and adding a brief opinion about the subject. Many popular blogs don't add any analysis at all, serving mainly as a clearinghouse for popular -- and obscure -- stories about a certain topic. However, to attract recruiter attention, it's probably a good idea to add your own spin on things, so you can demonstrate your understanding of the industry and show off your critical analysis skills.

As Weiss notes, "It's a small amount of work that will likely impress recruiters and hiring managers, because it shows you to be enthusiastic and engaged with your industry. It also makes you look like an expert in your field."

Weiss also offers additional tips on creating your blog -- from selecting a hosting service and a name for it to making it visible to search engines. I won't rehash them here, but I will add that setting up a blog is a generally painless experience (I have about a half-dozen of them here and there), and even a tech novice should be able to get one going with minimal fuss. Check out Weiss's story here, and give blogging a whirl if you're out of work. Sure beats refreshing Craigslist and Hotjobs over and over again hoping for new listings.

source : http://tech.yahoo.com/blogs/null/128269;_ylt=ArE2NRqbBdiBWAlEUa3J2MfZn414