Jobs 'n' Blogs

This post is going to be general commentary & reflection on the blog and how it relates to jobs/volunteer positions I have pursued. The question here is: To put blog on resume? Or not to put blog on resume?


Now, prior to making this decision I weighed my pros and cons. I asked friends. Got advice from career counselors. Advice from current employers/colleagues.. the point is I asked around and did a good amount of research. Ultimately what I decided was that I would only put the blog on my resume IF & ONLY IF the job had something to do with: writing/social media/communications. Otherwise the blog would be off and I wouldn't even bring it up.

The reason for my hesitation is because of the nature of the blog and the content. As you know, much of the content is fairly autobiographical and even somewhat private. Make no mistake about this though! My ramblings, memory-spilling, reflections, antic-confessions are on purpose! I WANT it to be that way. One of the functions of this blog is to help others based on what I have been through and in order to do that I have to get into some stuff that ... maybe..... I don't necessarily want potential employers to know about me. At least not right away. Most of my readers have some idea as to what O.I. is about, and understand the context surrounding the blog. A stranger on the street? Maybe not so much.
Another reason for my hesitation is because I don't want employers to get the wrong idea. In other words, I have always prided myself on being able to get internships or jobs because of what I am able to bring to the table. Not because of some 'sob story.' Or because I am pulling 'the wheelchair card.' I am really, incredibly, extremely uncomfortable around those types of situations and they make my innards cringe... a lot. I'll come out and say it: I really don't like it when people do that. To be totally truthful, the first time a potential employer even knows I'm in a wheelchair is when I follow-up an interview request with: "is your office wheelchair accessible?" So far, 90% of the time this has always been "yes!"
So, by having the blog on my resume, and without having MET an employer first -- I run the risk of 1. revealing too much of myself 2. sending a certain 'message' 3. Not having control of the implications of this 'message.' I know, I know. You're thinking Sandy, you can't control what people think about everything. But I would be more comfortable being able to read the person's facial expression, being able to explain what the blog is about, or how it came to be. While much of this I try to explain on paper, it is still largely out of my hands and kind of .. flailing in the winds, uncertain of which direction it will fly. In other words having the blog out there is almost like having a NAKED SANDY out there.. minus all the boring credentials and prior-work experiences & references.

But in the past couple of months I have taken a risk. And... ::drum roll please:: Gotten POSITIVE responses! The positions I was applying to were all writing/blogging/social media related, so there was that requirement out of the way. One of the positions was at an organization that helps people with disabilities: live, learn, work, and play. (::ahem:: MAJOR hint right there..). However, when I interviewed with that organization I was pleasantly surprised when the interviewer told me that he had NOT gone to my blog yet because he wanted to meet me in person first. I immediately said "thanks" and was relieved that I had the chance to "prove myself" before he judged me from my blog.

So anyway, for all of you who manage blogs yourselves or are thinking about it -- do you have any comments/advice/experience you'd like to share on the matter of blogs 'n' jobs? I'd be interested to hear! OR if you are an employer, what is your perspective?



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