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Shel Holtz
Communicating at the Intersection of Business and Technology
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Are blogs a job-hunting asset?

Rex Hammock congratulates Terry Heaton on his new gig at Audience Research and Development of Dallas. What caught my eye, though, was Hammock’s observation that Heaton’s blog would move with him. Heaton himself notes, “(ARD’s) Jerry (Gumbert) and I have agreed that I will continue blogging.”

This seems to represent something of a trend. David Jones is continuing to author the PR blog he started while at Thornley Fallis after moving to Fleishman Hillard (Canada); Jones also is continuing his Inside PR podcastwith co-host Terry Fallis. Jeremy Pepper’s excellent and provocative POP! PR blog rolls on now that he’s working for Weber Shandwick. Chris Clarke’s Student PR blog is now Student PR @ Work (Clarke was snatched up by Thornley Fallis after graduation.) Erin Caldwell, another student PR blogger, was grabbed by Edelman Worldwide; she now writes as part of the group blog, Forward.

All of which has me wondering if hiring organizations—particularly PR agencies—view the candidate’s blog as an asset they are acquiring along with the employee. Certainly the blogs in each of these cases played a part in the hiring decision: The combination of visible writing skills and understanding of social media are attractive qualities. (The whole “hired-for-blogging” thing has been reported to death.) And certainly the new-hire is the target. I can’t imagine a company ever hiring a blogger, then ending the employment arrangement while hanging onto the blog. But does Weber Shandwick, for instance, view POP! PR Jots as something tangible they got along with Jeremy?

Jeremy’s blog—while not a Weber Shandwick property—attaches itself to the Weber Shandwick brand as a matter of course: Jeremy works for WS, Jeremy has a blog, the blog is therefore affiliated, even if informally, with WS. Thus, Jeremy’s pithy observations reflect upon Weber Shandwick. The folks who hired Jeremy surely knew this and saw that as beneficial. The same holds true for Fleishman Hillard, Thornley Fallis, and Edelman Worldwide.

Practitioners seeking employment should consequently keep in mind that their blogs may be more than just an enhancement to their resume. They could be part of the package, an asset the company wants them to bring with them to the job.

06/14/06 | 6 Comments | Are blogs a job-hunting asset?

Comments

  • 1.You never used one of my favourite Holtzisms--co-opetition. That certainly sums up the Thornley Fallis approach. I started the blog on the company's time, on the company's equipment, using the company's designers and developers. They happily let me take the PR Works blog with me for all the right social media reasons. In fact, they are still hosting it for the time being!

    David Jones | June 2006 | Torawna

  • 2.I certainly believe there are more people 'hired' for blogging than 'fired' for blogging. Indeed, I would think any aspiring young PR person today would be wise to, say about their sophomore year in college, start blogging away on a topic closely related to their "dream" assignment. By the time they graduate, they will be the perceived as an expert on the topic and, who knows, may be "acqhired" and not just get a job? Also, while I can't mention any names, I do know of a PR firm hiring someone that included a transaction related to the ownership of a blog. My lips are sealed. (P.S. Thanks for the shout out.)

    Rex Hammock | June 2006 | rexblog

  • 3.David, we have to stop running into each other like this!

    As of right now, my blog is still my blog. I just happen to be talking about my new employer, hence the addition of "@ Work" to the title.

    David brings up an interesting point: in the social media world, the right thing to do is let people keep their online work - Student PR is my brand - whether it was created on company time or on personal time. David's situation is different than mine: my blog was created and written for months before I started at Thornley Fallis, so if I were to leave tomorrow, my blog would follow me.

    Chris Clarke | June 2006 | Canada

  • 4.Hi, Chris. Yes, of course your blog would follow you -- what value would it be to a current employer if you weren't the one writing it? However, it may be that your NEXT employer sees value in your bringing it along with you. No doubt Podtech.net thinks it's great that Scobleizer will continue now that he's their employee instead of Microsoft's!

    Shel Holtz | June 2006 | Concord, CA

  • 5.Good point, Shel. I would imagine you're correct - while not everyone is a Robert Scoble, our blogs are assets to new or potential employers.

    Chris Clarke | June 2006 | Canada

  • 6.Interesting stuff Shel, as usual. I can say with authority that Chris Clarke's social media expertise and passion were absolutely pivotal in our decision to bring him onto the Thornley Fallis team. We are committed to social media (I'll avoid any shopworn references to drinking the Kool Aid but you know what I mean) and that means investing in the necessary assets. In the agency world, assets means people, good, smart people. On with the conversation...

    Terry Fallis | June 2006 | Toronto

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