{"id":2988,"date":"2006-08-30T00:01:34","date_gmt":"2006-08-29T14:01:34","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/problogger.com\/how-to-apply-for-a-blog-job\/"},"modified":"2017-10-30T10:47:05","modified_gmt":"2017-10-29T23:47:05","slug":"how-to-apply-for-a-blog-job","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/problogger.com\/how-to-apply-for-a-blog-job\/","title":{"rendered":"How to Apply for a Blog Job"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"How<\/span><\/p>\n

Heads Up!<\/strong><\/p>\n

There is a phishing scam hitting many job boards that is hard for us to detect. We’re doing our best to moderate and spot them, but the scam starts once you contact them and usually involves a request for a Skype interview, to download a zip file with their ‘writing guidelines’ or ‘payment terms’, and to send them an invoice via Paypal. The file is a keystroke logger and they’re looking to steal your Paypal credentials. Please see our Tips for Applying Safely Online<\/a> before applying for any jobs. <\/p>\n

So you want a blog job……<\/h3>\n

Well some of you seem to if the amount of traffic and subscribers to the feed at the Job Boards<\/a> are anything to go by.<\/p>\n

I’ve just been chatting to a number of the advertisers who have listed jobs and there have been three resounding pieces of feedback:<\/p>\n

    \n
  1. They have had a lot of applicants.<\/li>\n
  2. They’ve had some amazing quality applicants.<\/li>\n
  3. They’ve also had some applicants who are not doing themselves any favors in the way they’ve applied for positions.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

    It’s this last point that I’d like to address in this post.<\/p>\n

    The fact is that there are significantly more people looking for blog jobs than there are jobs on the market at present. This is definitely changing as more businesses and networks emerge – however for the time being, if you are a blogger looking for work, you need to think quite carefully about how you apply for blogging jobs.<\/p>\n

    Here are 11 tips to keep in mind as you apply:<\/p>\n

    1. Act Quickly<\/h3>\n

    Jobs on the ProBlogger Job board go quickly. We regularly see advertisers mark their jobs as filled within 24 hours of them being posted. <\/p>\n

    While I’d encourage applicants not to rush the process (and come across as not having thought it through) I would suggest that you need to act reasonably quickly when applying for a blog job or you could miss out. 24 hours is a long time in blogging – take any longer than that to express your interest in a job and you might miss out on it.<\/p>\n

    There are a few ways to make sure you see new jobs quickly. Firstly if you’re an RSS feed reader we have an Job Board RSS feed<\/a> that you can subscribe to. <\/p>\n

    Secondly there’s a feature in the sidebar of the job board where you can set up email alerts. You can add a keyword to filter the jobs if you have a specific category of job that you want (eg put ‘travel’ in if you just want to hear about jobs that have that keyword) or if you want to be alerted of all jobs leave the keyword blank and just put in your email address and we’ll send you a daily digest of the new jobs of all types.<\/p>\n

    Lastly all new jobs are tweeted once on the ProBlogger Twitter account<\/a>.<\/p>\n

    Note: also be aware that jobs stay listed on the job board for 30 days. While we encourage advertisers to close them when they hire someone – not all advertisers do this so some of the older jobs may actually be filled.<\/p>\n

    2. Follow the Instructions<\/h3>\n

    Many of those advertising ask for specific things to be included in their applications. Some ask for examples of writing, others ask for links to your blogs, others ask you to answer a question and all ask you to apply in a certain way. <\/p>\n

    A consistent piece of feedback from advertisers has been that many applicants fail to apply in a way that is consistent with the instructions. <\/p>\n

    Failing to show that you can follow steps outlined in a job advertisement isn’t a good first impression to a prospective employer so read the ad carefully and respond to what is asked.<\/p>\n

    3. Sell Yourself <\/h3>\n

    I’ve noticed that at Digital Photography School<\/a> when we last advertised for writers using our job board that a few bloggers seemed to be suffering from inferiority complexes and sent in applications that could almost have been interpreted as a list of reasons NOT to hire them. <\/p>\n

    As with any other non blogging job, applicants should see their application as an opportunity to sell themselves for the blog in question. <\/p>\n

    Give concise reasons why you would be good for the blog. Talk about your experience, your knowledge of the topic, your passion for communication, the way you work with others etc. <\/p>\n

    There’s no need to present yourself as something that you’re not or to hype yourself up – but as you write ask yourself whether what you’re adding to your application would make someone more or less likely to hire you.<\/p>\n

    4. Write Well<\/h3>\n

    Blogging is largely a written medium and your written application gives your prospective employer a hint as to how well you will perform. See your application as an audition in and of itself and put together a well written, well spelt, well structured application that demonstrates your grasp of grammar and the written language and you’ll be a step closer to securing the position.<\/p>\n

    Proof read your application before sending it in and get someone else to proof read it if you’re able to to pick up the mistakes you’ll miss.<\/p>\n

    5. Give examples of your Work <\/h3>\n

    Most job ads ask for examples of your work so you should be prepared to give them as they can make or break your chances. There are a number of things to consider in the choices you make around what to give as examples:<\/p>\n