💻 How These Smart Job Seekers Used Blogging To Find Jobs

A long list of people explain how blogging for job seekers is a strategy that works.

In the past, I’ve told you how I regularly receive job offers because of what I’ve done here with JobMob, and a big part of that success comes from having done the Blog Mastermind course when I started blogging (a phenomenal course which has since been expanded).

While my story is about building my personal brand, showing off my expertise and growing a network, the best fit for you might be different.

To inspire you, here are many other bloggers’ stories on how to find a job with a blog.

---

---

Can a blog help you get a job? 31 case studies as proof

Case study #1: Blog a hobby into a career

"My blog was more helpful in my job search than my degree was"Click To Tweet

Name: Allison Hitz

Job acquired through blogging: Digital Content Strategist

Personal blog: The Book Wheel

Allison’s story:

“I leveraged my personal book blog to get a job with a company who who works with authors. Interestingly, I recently graduated and my blog was more helpful in my job search than my degree was.

I recently graduated with my Master’s of Public Policy but have been running a book blog for the last three years. Despite two relevant internships to my degree, those interviewing me were more interested in The Book Wheel than they were my education.

After a bit of job hunting with zero success, I decided to look into jobs that were relevant to the publishing industry and found a job working with authors, doing much of what I already do with my blog. I find it pretty amusing that my personal hobby was more beneficial to my career than my degree and while it’s disappointing, I love that I was able to follow one of my passions.”

Case study #2: Blog to track and focus on interested employers

"Having a URL that showed the company’s name helped create a connection with them"Click To Tweet

Name: William Anderson

Job acquired through blogging: Director of Marketing

Personal blog: Wiljr.org

William’s story:

“I use my site to own my public (and sometimes private) voice, while using other sites (iTunes and Soundcloud, Twitter and LinkedIn, etc.) as additional distribution channels. The idea being that at the end of the day, people can learn more about me on MY website.

I used my blog to help me find my current job (going on three years in August!) by creating a specific landing page (similar to this one) that targeted those skills that seemed most relevant for Align [From Jacob: his now-employer]. When I applied for the position, having a URL that showed the company’s name helped create a connection with the company and the location while also showing off my technical and marketing skills.

Adding Google Analytics to track domains and networks that were hitting specific sites helped me refine which companies were more interested and that I could follow up with.

When I came in to interview, the companies knew about me and I knew about them, allowing us to concentrate more on gaps and matching skills.”

(William even used his blog to get a new kidney!)

Case study #3: Blogging landed me $1000s in freelance work at a marketing conference

"Thoughtful, insightful blogging, where you can add value to a field, can definitely help get you freelance work, or even hired"Click To Tweet

Name: Dale Johnson

Jobs acquired through blogging: Content Creator, Graphic Design

Personal blog: Nomad Paradise

Dale’s story:

“In 2015 I attended MozCon, one of the world’s largest marketing conferences. I’m a designer and content creator, so many of the topics were well out of my expertise. While being proactive and engaged on Twitter, I also decided to write an article called ‘The Mole of MozCon’, and described what is was like to be a nonmarketer at a huge marketing conference. Once finished, I posted this piece in the official MozCon Facebook group, where 1000s of attendees were discussing topics. Initially nervous, the article gained a lot of traction, and ended up being liked and shared 100s of times. All of this culminated in a marketing executive from a large SEO agency reaching out to me.

He loved my work, and commissioned me for a series of infographics, equating to $1000s worth of work. We ended up having an ongoing relationship throughout 2015-16. Thoughtful, insightful blogging, where you can add value to a field, can definitely help get you freelance work, or even hired.”

Case study #4: Blog to make it big

'I leveraged my experience and content-management skills to land an editor position at a large, $1billion+ company running multiple women's lifestyle websites'Click To Tweet

Name: Nataliya Ogle

Job acquired through blogging: Editor

Personal blog: Style Tomes

Nataliya’s story:

“I've been blogging since 2009, though I seriously committed in 2012.

Last year, I leveraged my experience and content-management skills to land an editor position at a large, $1billion+ company running multiple women's lifestyle websites. My husband's digital marketing agency was helping with one of their projects when they mentioned they needed a content growth team.

I now manage a team of seven writers, the content calendar, and PR relationships. I still write for my blog and continue to grow it despite my position as an editor at the other publications.”

Case study #5: How a blog can open doors

'My blog is what opened the door for me with Thrive, and the incredible thing is it's also opened many other doors to opportunities I would never have imagined: freelance opportunities, guest writing spots, and on and on'Click To Tweet

Name: Sam Rexford

Job acquired through blogging: Content Marketer

Personal blog: Chill Reptile

Sam’s story:

“In October of 2019, I received an email from Thrive Themes that would change the course of my professional career. They were seeking a new content marketing team member, and were asking for examples of blogging work to filter candidates.

I remember thinking: Well, I'm already a Thrive Themes customer [Jacob: me too!] and use their products on my blog and love their software… I might as well give it a shot.

I fired off an application and was quickly hired by the team as a remote content marketer after they reviewed my credentials and my blog. It's been an amazing experience.

I can honestly say that my blog is what opened the door for me with Thrive, and the incredible thing is it's also opened many other doors to opportunities I would never have imagined: freelance opportunities, guest writing spots, and on and on.”

Case study #6: Blog to show off your skills and expertise

"I made myself my own job to blog once a day while I looked for work"Click To Tweet

Name: Jonathan Alonso

Job acquired through blogging: SEO Analyst

Personal blog: Jongeek.com

Jonathan’s story:

“I had a CV website that did nothing but send users to view my resume, portfolio and letters of recommendations. All of it was just information sitting there with no real fresh contribution to what I really do. So I made myself my own job to blog once a day while I looked for work.

The blog was centered in the SEO industry and I would lay out tactics, new strategies and other methods to use in a successful digital marketing campaign. During interviews, I would bring up these case studies and blog posts and it was like having a promoter on the Internet showcasing my true skills instead of just me saying it in a 10 minute conversation. Soon almost 80% of my phone interviews became in-person or over Skype.

(Another marketing tool I used was social media. Using inbound marketing tactics, I boosted and advertised my posts and had clear calls to action like “Hire Me” or a small bio after the article with a 1-800 voicemail phone number.)

Living 1-2 hours from Orlando is stressful since Melbourne (Florida, were I live) is really scarce when it comes to Digital Marketing positions, but because of my blog strategy, I was able to land a job 25 minutes from home, allowing me to have a better quality of life and more time with my family.”

If you like Jonathan's story and might want a digital marketing job, check this out.

Case study #7: Young professionals should use blogs to show value

"Using my style blog as a vehicle to illustrate my knowledge of the digital landscape would be crucial in communicating my value as a young professional in the digital marketing industry"Click To Tweet

Name: Joanna Faith Williams

Job acquired through blogging: Digital Advertising

Personal blog: Joanna Faith Williams

Joanna’s story:

“I recently moved from the South to New York City, and without a job lined up and starting my career in such a competitive market, I knew I had to do whatever it took to differentiate myself.

Even with 4 internships under my belt, leadership awards, and other great experiences from my college career, I knew that using my style blog as a vehicle to illustrate my knowledge of the digital landscape would be crucial in communicating my value as a young professional in the digital marketing industry.

I landed an incredible job in digital advertising at a massively successful company, but was blessed with a total of three job offers from companies that were fascinated with my experience running a blog, especially because I run it like a business.

My blog allowed me to have real world experience communicating with brands, negotiating rates, thinking out of the box, working with different platforms, and understanding how the internet works. I was pleasantly surprised by their interest in this, and found myself answering more questions in interviews about my blog than my extensive internship experience, so I'm very thankful I've taken my online brand seriously as it's truly been a reason for my success in this new phase of post-graduate life.”

Case study #8: Blogs as resume

"My blogs are my resume"Click To Tweet

Name: Gautam Kumar

Job acquired through blogging: SEO Manager

Personal blog: Recent Highlights

Gautam’s story:

“I started in 2011 after finding out that there was something called Blogger and you can create your own blogs online. I got excited and created one and thus started my journey. I learned about Content Creation, SEO, Google rankings online and kept working on my blogs. My first blog was zapworld.in and in the next 3 years, it got more than 3 million views. I started with a competitive niche and got to learn a lot about SEO while competing with some of the biggest names like CNN, TheWindowsClub etc. Since then I have created 30+ blogs for myself and have got over 30+ million views on all combined.

I graduated from college in 2017 and since I was already freelancing for many of my local as well as international clients, I started getting recommended to SEO agencies. That's how I got my first job. I have never had to interview for any job in the last 3 years. My blogs are my resume. I have started a new blog recently named Recenthighlights.com and that's where I will continue to write when I get some time away from my job. Currently, I am working as a Technical Content Writer at an agency and am very satisfied with my life. Blogging is the best thing that ever happened to me and I'm very grateful to have found a way to make a living through blogging and SEO-related jobs.”

Case study #9: Blog to be memorable and build rapport with employers

"My blog helped me stand out and gave the hiring manager something to remember"Click To Tweet

Name: Anna Rice

Job acquired through blogging: Senior Publicist

Personal blog: The Blonde Banana

Anna’s story:

“A couple years ago I was already working full-time in public relations, but was dying to break into an agency that would offer me the chance to gain experience in the field I was truly passionate about: travel.

I found the perfect PR agency with a mix of fashion, outdoor and travel clients and sent in my resume along with a cover letter linking to my blog, The Blonde Banana, which is about seeing the world on weekends and in 24, 36, 48 and 72-hour stints.

Even though they weren’t hiring at the time, the hiring manager was impressed by how well my interests aligned with their client base, and called me in for an interview. During the interview, she revealed that she was actually hoping to hire someone soon but hadn’t posted the job yet. She asked if I would be able to complete a writing test by the end of the weekend and I had to inform her that I was going to be in Ecuador for the weekend, but that I’d work on it as soon as I returned. Instead of being annoyed at the inconvenience, she thought it was really cool that I was willing to travel to Ecuador for the weekend, which sparked a discussion about my blog.

Long story short, I landed the job and once I was hired, I was frequently asked to contribute to the company blog and help out with social media initiatives because of my expertise. I won’t say that my blog got me the job, as I think my background in the PR industry played a larger role, but it definitely helped me stand out from other candidates and gave the hiring manager something to remember.”

Case study #10: Blog as work portfolio

'I didn't have much of a professional portfolio or resume to speak of, but I was able to provide lots of examples of various types of content I created for my blog'Click To Tweet

Name: Natalie Slater

Job acquired through blogging: Community Manager

Personal blog: Bake and Destroy

Natalie’s story:

“I was hired for my first job out of college back in 2008 because of my blog, Bake and Destroy. I didn't have much of a professional portfolio or resume to speak of, but I was able to provide lots of examples of various types of content I created for my blog, and tactics I used on social media to drive traffic to that content. My eventual employer was impressed not only with my writing and marketing skills, but also appreciated my entrepreneurial instincts.”

Case study #11: Attract companies who want to improve their own blogging

"When I had an interview at boutique PR Firm, my blog on tourism was incredibly useful"Click To Tweet

Name: Ashley Price

Job acquired through blogging: Social Media Specialist

Personal blog: Pricelessly Imperfect

Ashley’s story:

“I never saw myself as a blogger actually but in undergrad I needed a class for my journalism minor so I took Online Journalism. My blog was incredibly successful and even a decade later, it still shows up on page 1 of Google for my niche even though it’s been dead for years. When I had an interview at boutique PR Firm, my blog on tourism was incredibly useful. We spent most of my interview going over the strategies I used to make my personal blog successful and the why behind it. They liked my success in that space and I was hired a week later. That job really launched my career as I was CMO by 26. Now, I blog full-time.”

Case study #12: Blog as personal showcase

"My blog is not only a creative outlet for me, but serves as an online portfolio"Click To Tweet

Name: Vanessa Labi

Job acquired through blogging: Digital Engagement Specialist

Personal blog: Babesicle

Vanessa’s story:

“I’ve been blogging for the last few years on my personal style blog, Babesicle, and I believe it’s helped me get my current full-time position as a digital engagement specialist at Creative California, a digital marketing firm based in Sacramento, CA.

My blog is not only a creative outlet for me, but serves as an online portfolio for the type of web writing, promotion, and social media marketing I am capable of. It has helped to get my foot in the door, so to speak. My boss, Creative California founder Josh Rubin, was more apt to meet with me for an interview because he was able to see my face and “get to know me” a bit online rather than simply browsing my resume and LinkedIn page.”

Case study #13: Blog to build credibility and prove your track record

"The blog changed the discussion from being about me to being about how I could help the employer"Click To Tweet

Name: Steve Robins

Job acquired through blogging: Director of Product Marketing

Personal blog: Solutionmarketingblog.com

Steve’s story:

“My blog helped transform my last job search. The blog changed the discussion from being about me to being about how I could help the employer, which was much better.

Before I started the blog, employers would ask me “what other companies have you talked to? How is the search going?” etc.

But once I started the blog, people focused much more on that instead. Interviews often started with something like “I read your blog and really liked your post on solution marketing,” which gave me instant credibility with the hiring manager. That helped change interviews from Q&A about my background into more useful discussions about my opinions and how I’d help the company.”

Case study #14: Blog to grow your personal brand

"I used my blog as a launchpad to build my personal brand"Click To Tweet

Name: Dominique Jackson

Job acquired through blogging: SEO Manager

Personal blog: Dominiquej.com

Dominique’s story:

“I used my blog as a launchpad to build my personal brand, showcase my knowledge and skills and build my portfolio. That allowed me to showcase my experience when I was interviewing for my current job as an SEO manager.

I didn’t have a college degree and or experience doing SEO work for clients like I’m sure most of the other candidates had. But my blog showed the company I was interviewing with that I understood the ins and outs of SEO, had strong writing skills, and had some real life experience with online marketing.

An interesting thing that I did was use my blog as a way to get guest blog posts on some well known sites. Those guest blog posts gave me even more credibility during the hiring process because it showed the company that I knew how to build links legitimately and showcased my writing ability even more. I included links to all of the top guest posts I did as well as my blog in my initial email to the company. That helped set me apart from other candidates right off the bat, because I wasn’t just sending a resume.

My blog functioned (and still does) as the “hub” for my personal brand online. Aside from helping me land my current full time job as an SEO manager, my blog also gets me inquiries from people interested in having me do freelance work with them.”

Case study #15: Blog to prepare for a desired career

"Once I wanted another job, I realized that everything on my blog was perfectly aligned"Click To Tweet

Name: Sara Woznicki

Job acquired through blogging: Marketing Specialist

Personal blog: Astoldoverbrunch.com

Sara’s story:

“I started my blog not too seriously at first, but was supposed to keep an online portfolio for one of my classes in school, to demonstrate I knew the basics of web design. Once I had that live out in the interwebs, I figured I might as well make it worth having out there, so I started blogging randomly to keep it timely. Then the information got outdated on my portfolio, so I moved over to a WordPress site, and focused solely on the blog portion. I wrote personal pieces, some about the current job I had and some about how I was transitioning into adulthood (think “ways to save money” and really basic things like that).

Once I wanted another job, I realized that everything I employed on my blog was perfectly aligned with most digital marketing jobs. From a really high level, I had touched marketing (social media marketing, cross pollinating with other bloggers, etc), writing for SEO, content management, public relations, basic coding, and more. When I went into the job interview, I pulled up my site, told them my metrics and talked about how much I had learned from running my own blog. It was better than my resume and more impactful than just a portfolio. I was also able to demonstrate how I was able to take challenges and turn them into opportunities. For example, we were on WordPress and decided to move to Squarespace. That killed a lot of our site authority, so I was able to talk about how I tried to recover from that.

I can also say that continuing to run a blog also helps my current job with the connections I make, and learning about what gets people to read and subscribe. It’s been a really good test place for small scale ideas.”

Case study #16: Blog to build an online presence and show initiative

"He gave the fact that I was a writer and blogger extra weight when I interviewed for the position"Click To Tweet

Name: Kevin Espiritu

Job acquired through blogging: Head of Marketing

Personal blogs: kevinespiritu.com and Supremestrategies.com

Kevin’s story:

“The writing I did on my blogs got me connected to a buddy, Justin Mares, who I met up in San Francisco while doing some networking for a startup that I co-founded in early 2014. He introduced me to Zach Obront, who ended up being the co-founder of Book in a Box with Tucker Max.

When my startup failed at the end of November, Zach had reached out to me looking for a marketing person for Book in a Box because he’d read and liked a few of my pieces (he has a blog of his own). Tucker, being a writer, also gave the fact that I was a writer and blogger extra weight when I interviewed for the position. My interview was AWFUL (I’d never done one before in my life) but the fact that I’d been proactive enough to build a little online presence and show initiative in that way was the tipping point that led to my hire.”

Case study #17: Blog to gain work-like experience

"The experience I gained through my blog lead me to find my current job"Click To Tweet

Name: Jacqueline Colman

Job acquired through blogging: SEO Account Manager

Personal blog: Claws Up!

Jacqueline’s story:

“After I graduated college, I worked two jobs that both required me to wear a uniform. As someone that values personal expression, I was looking for a new outlet to express myself. Creating a beauty blog was the perfect solution that allowed me to both create looks and write.

Blogging started as a hobby, but it soon became a passion. I started teaching myself how to develop and grow my online presence through the use of social media and SEO. That is when I knew this was where my career path was headed.

The experience I gained in social media and SEO that I acquired through my blog lead me to find my current job as an SEO account manger. I work for a company that helps both small business and larger enterprise clients to build and optimize their websites, and develop their online presence. As an account manager, I get to work with clients one-on-one to help them do what I love doing for myself – build their online presence.”

Case study #18: Blog to shape people’s impressions of you

"blogging has done amazing things for me"Click To Tweet

Name: Sarah Jukes

Job acquired through blogging: SEO Account Manager

Personal blog: Sarahjukes.com

Sarah’s story:

“I knew any potential employer would put my name through google, so why not control exactly what they see?

I used social media strategically to brand myself, engage a wider audience and express my personality online. I still continue these strategies even after meeting my end goal of finding a job.

Here’s what I did. I ramped up my twitter feed and posted diverse but professionally relevant links. I added a layer of authenticity to my tweets by including a couple of words about why I thought the link was interesting or important.

But the biggest thing I did in this space was to regularly write on my blog. Blogging is one of the most powerful platforms you can use to control what people read about you and the impression they form of you.

To be an effective personal blogger, you have to be willing to share a little about yourself. The best personal blogs challenge the status quo, demonstrate logical thought patterns, express vulnerability, articulate a journey and demonstrate a commitment to personal improvement. Your audience, no matter how big or small, forces you to be that little bit more accountable for living with purpose.

Remember that blog post I wrote that went viral? That could not have come at a more perfect time for me. At the time it exploded I was in serious negotiations over my new job. To walk into a job interview and negotiations and talk about how something I wrote got 12,000 facebook likes in a day (yes, that really happened) made me look accomplished, competent and interesting.

Needless to say, blogging has done amazing things for me. It has opened up tremendous doors, ones I could never have dreamed about. I have met some amazing people thanks to this virtual space.”

Case study #19: Use a blog as proof of ability

Name: Quincy Smith

Jobs acquired through blogging: SEO consultant and Lead SEO

Personal blog: ESL Authority

Quincy’s story:

“I run eslauthority.com, a site/blog dedicated to helping people teach abroad. This site has helped me land 2 jobs (SEO consultant and Lead SEO) as well as get approached to do freelance work within the same industry. For the jobs I was able to showcase the organic traffic growth + other marketing successes as proof of my skills – for the consulting I was approached by companies in the same space looking to replicate some of my success.”

Case study #20: A single blog post can earn a job offer

Name: Valerio Puggioni

Job acquired through blogging: Creative Director

Personal blog: Copygun

Valerio’s story:

“One blog I ran was Mister Pajamas (now defunct). It landed me a one-off article gig at Right Hook Digital, but that led to me being hired full time as creative director at the agency. Another blog I ran was fbswipes.com, where I just analyzed Facebook ads. I hadn't done it for long, and it was just a pet project, but an agency owner in New York approached me asking if I'd like a full time gig at his agency. (I didn't take it, but the pay was excellent.)”

Case study #21: Blog to internship to full-time job

"I was hired as a writer by a personal finance website because of my blog"Click To Tweet

Name: Jen Smith

Job acquired through blogging: Writer

Personal blog: Modern Frugality

Jen’s story:

“I was hired as a writer by a personal finance website because of my blog. I was initially hired for an internship then took a full-time job with the company a year later. And of course I wrote about it on my blog. Then a year later the company laid off half its employees so I no longer work there and I'm blogging/freelancing full-time.”

Case study #22: Even small blogs can lead to jobs

"Once I wanted another job, I realized that everything on my blog was perfectly aligned"Click To Tweet

Name: Mayank Batavia

Job acquired through blogging: Content Writer

Personal blog: Almostism

Mayank’s story:

“This how I landed two small freelancing gigs based on my blog.

I run a small blog Almostism where I write about AI and data privacy. While the blog is small, I rank #1 or #2 for niche keywords like “China AI action plan.” Also, I rank in various niches like 3D printing companies in India, ethical questions facing AI, and so on.

The first client asked me about my sample writing and I asked them to google “China AI action plan.” They thought it was neat and offered me a freelance writing project.

The second client I met on LinkedIn and I didn't even know they were looking for anything. We just exchanged some views on ethics in AI. After our very
brief discussion, they suggested I should write a blog on it 🙂 And I laughed and I said I already have one. They asked for a link to it. I shared the link. They asked me if I'd like to I'd write a brief writeup for their CEO's email interview and I got that too!”

Case study #23: Use a blog to demonstrate results you've achieved

'the best way to get a job outside of your qualification is to actually do the thing on the side and demonstrate the results you've achieved' (@thetraveltart)Click To Tweet

Name: Anthony Bianco

Job acquired through blogging: Content Specialist

Personal blog: The Travel Tart

Anthony’s story:

“I've landed a Content Specialist role in the past because of my blog. As an example, I have a background in Environmental Science, but now I do work in content and digital marketing because of my travel blog. That's because I'd picked up skills in website management, SEO, social media, PR etc. I think the best way to get a job outside of your qualification is to actually do the thing on the side and demonstrate the results you've achieved.”

Case study #24: Blog perspectives attract like-minded organizations

"I’m a blogger who was hired because of my online posts"Click To Tweet

Name: Kenny Screven

Job acquired through blogging: Peer Navigator

Personal blog: Kevin Screven

Kenny’s story:

“I’m a blogger who was hired because of my online posts. A lot of the content I post online is geared towards LGBT+ advocacy and beauty. I was hired by an LGBT+ center that focuses on marginalized groups, who reached out to me to take control of their social media accounts and to teach queer kids about beauty. I was extremely happy to be offered this position because I would be able to impact people not just globally but locally as well. I really enjoy my job, it’s everything that I would want and they support my social media career as well. I was always afraid that if social media did not work out for me that no one in the professional world would take me serious because of the beauty content I post online.”

Case study #25: From hobby blogger to employee to agency owner

Name: Paul Bonea

Job acquired through blogging: Content Writer

Personal blog: Perfect Data

Paul’s story:

“Some years back I created a hobby blog, hastyreader.com. I didn't know much about blogging at the time, and only wrote stuff I thought was interesting. I ended up having little traffic.

As the months went by, I figured I liked doing this and started to apply to jobs that were blogging-related. I landed a job at a cybersecurity company as a content writer, after they saw and liked my blog.

I absorbed a lot of SEO, and after another year or so I switched jobs as a landing page copywriter, where I worked with conversion rates and also SEO. I didn't like the job, so I kept applying to other ones that were higher skilled. Most people turned me down for lack of experience.

I still kept hammering away at the keyboard for my blog and kept sending applications. A very small company that developed web products liked my blog and my pitch and decided to take a chance on me as the one-man marketing department. I learned a great deal at that company, and formed some nice contacts. I transformed those contacts into clients and soon enough I quit my job and started the Perfect Data agency.”

Case study #26: A blog shows off many skills companies need

"Having the blog showed my future employer that I had existing experience not just with writing high-quality content, but also in ranking on Google as well as basic project management skills"Click To Tweet

Name: Megan Marrs

Job acquired through blogging: Content Marketer

Personal blog: K9 of Mine

Megan’s story:

“I was able to get a content marketing position in part due to my successful blog – K9 of Mine – which I have been slowly developing over the years. Having the blog showed my future employer that I had existing experience not just with writing high-quality content, but also in ranking on Google with SEO techniques as well as basic project management skills (for times where I needed to work with graphic design contractors). Managing my own blog also helped me develop social media marketing and email marketing skills, all of which look very desirable to employers!”

Case study #27: How-to blog posts show employers you know how

Name: Jeff Moriarty

Job acquired through blogging: SEO Consultant

Personal blog: J Moriarty Marketing

Jeff’s story:

“I added an in-depth website migration blog post on my website which detailed the process in which, as an SEO, I went through with a website migration. It's been pretty popular in our industry and I have got a part time job from this post. While only part time, which is fine due to my other freelance work, it pays well due to my experience and it being exactly what they were looking for.”

Case study #28: Use a blog to grow a side gig into a full-time one

'If it weren't for the writing, SEO, and technical experience I already had from working on my own blog, I don't think I would have ever been considered for the position I now hold'Click To Tweet

Name: Dylan Houlihan

Job acquired through blogging: Blog Editor

Personal blog: Swift Salary

Dylan’s story:

“It originally started as just a small side gig. I found a job posting on Facebook for a couple of small brand description writeups and I used my blog as a sort of online resume when applying. This helped me land the first gig, and over time, I kept working with the company on bigger and bigger projects, until I eventually transitioned into a full-time role. If it weren't for the writing, SEO, and technical experience I already had from working on my own blog, I don't think I would have ever been considered for the position I now hold.”

Case study #29: Blog compliments lead to a job offer

"My blog writing definitely helped open the door to the job opportunity and illustrate my expertise"Click To Tweet

Name: Elizabeth Lefelstein

Job acquired through blogging: Lead SEO

Personal blog: Elizabeth Lefelstein

Elizabeth’s story:

“I was hired at FOX Networks (FOX, FOX Sports, FOX News/Nation) as the Lead SEO because of my blog. A recruiter reached out to me last November complimenting my SEO blog articles, and asked me if I was open for an immediate contractor position at FOX. After reading the description of the role, I thought it would be an amazing fit for my SEO skill set, as well as my interest in entertainment. However, I was very aware of the competition there would be to land this position.

Long story short, I shared some of my best news- and Google algorithm-update centric SEO articles with the hiring managers. They loved the pieces, and it was a great way for me to demonstrate my ability to break down advanced SEO ideas into layman's terms. Three days later, I got the job offer. It obviously wasn't 100% because of my blog writing, but it definitely helped open the door to the opportunity and illustrate my expertise.”

Case study #30: It all came from blogging

"My current career these days is thanks to my blogging work"Click To Tweet

Name: Chad R. Macdonald

Jobs acquired through blogging: Writer, Speaker, Advocate, Social Media Specialist

Personal blog: Gcandu.com

Chad’s story:

“So I started writing and blogging full time when our son was born. From that, I began getting offers to work, contribute to various sites, and consult for various groups and non-profit organizations. During that time, I also built up my social media presence, and that led to writing sponsored content and social media influence work. Basically my current career these days is thanks to my blogging work.”

Case study #31: Your blog as application material

"I attribute my entire career in digital marketing to my blog"Click To Tweet

Name: Emily Polner

Job acquired through blogging: Social Media Manager

Personal blog: No Repeats or Hesitations

Emily’s story:

“I attribute my entire career in digital marketing to my blog. I started my blog as a college student and leveraged it to get my first social media internship as a college sophomore. Years later, I heavily referenced it in my application materials and in my interviews when I applied to be the Social Media Manager for a global fashion brand, and ended up getting that position as well. I recently started sharing my blog posts to my LinkedIn feed and so far, it’s being very well-received by prospective, current, and former colleagues alike.”

Learn and copy their success

Blog Mastermind is a great course. Use it to learn how to quickly grow a blog so you can have the same success as the bloggers featured here.

Question of the article

If you have a blog, has it ever attracted any work opportunities? If you're not a job seeker who blogs, why not? Tell us in the comments.

What others are saying

• What is blogging? Why should I do it? Will it help me get a job?
• Blogging for career success
• How Blogging Can Help You Find Your Dream Job
• How A Blog Can Help Your Job Search
• Your Blog Can Help Make You An In-Demand Job Seeker

READ NEXT: 115+ Resources for Showing Off Your Work Skills

Subscribe to JobMob via email and follow me on Twitter for more riveting job search success stories.