Your resume blog is a great way of publishing your work portfolio to the widest group of potential employers. Your resume blog allows you to avoid the crowded job boards and employers can come to you. Web 2.0 technology puts your resume in front of the world and run your personal blog marketing campaign.

The information you present will be scooped up by the search engines and become available for searches. This increases the chance that some potential employer might randomly come across you when they are looking for a new key employee..

So what should you include in your resume blog?

1. Blogging Platform: The hosted solutions are the simplest and easiest to launch. There are free hosted solutions such as blogger.com or Wordpress.com. Typepad is available for a modest subscription price.
2. Design: Choose a design that is unique, clean and professional. The design you choose will give that important first impression. Most of the hosted solutions allow you to customize the top banner.
3. Specialty: If you have a specialty, identify it. Come up with a tagline and include it in the top banner.
4. About Me: This is a compelling yet brief story about you. Include a photo of yourself to help readers connect with you. Tell your story in an informal style so that you can better brand yourself. Include how they can contact you.
5. Resume: Include a printable version of your resume. This could be in a PDF, a word version or an HTML version. Make it easy for your visitor.
6. Testimonials: This allows others to talk about you and is more compelling than you saying these things. Use testimonials in lieu of posting references.
7. Postings: This is the meat of your blog. What to write about? Include stories about your work experience, skills, career stories, education, training, major projects or special accomplishments. Writing these stories out will embed them in your mind and make it easier to recount during an interview.

Blogging can be a powerful networking tool that makes contacts with far reaching people. This can help you in the development of your career. Blogs should be held and used as a tool in the job searcher’s toolbox. Here are some examples of job blogging results.

Hobby becomes a career
Jeremy Ryan, a 21 year old web designer graduated with a liberal arts degree from a small west coast college. Web design had been his hobby for 8 years. Jeremy created a resume blog that focused on his Internet skills and projects that he had worked on. He used his blog to chronicle his job search as well as giving out the latest web tips that he found while surfing the Internet. Within 3 months Jeremy landed his dream job with an advertising firm.

Blog reading recruiters
According to a Wall Street Journal article, Wal-Mart Stores recruiting manager Ryan Loken spends 2 hours per week reading thru blogs locating candidates for management positions. Blogs have helped Ryan fill 125 corporate jobs. Many of the candidates were referred from other bloggers, but some were the blog writers themselves.

Blog for a specific job
Utah blogger Carolynn Duncan had her eye on a position at Provo Labs. Provo Labs is a web 2.0 consulting company. Carolynn created a blog “Why Provo Labs Wants to Hire Carolyn Duncan” at blogspot. Not only did she get the interview, but she landed the job.

Blogging is an effective way of expanding your network and getting in front of people that you couldn’t reach any other way. Blogs allow you to market yourself using many of the blog marketing strategies used by companies.

1. Create a network. Write a blog that deals with your career field. By writing interesting original content, encouraging comments and visiting related blogs and actively commenting, you will quickly develop your network. You will develop stronger relationships by exchanging ideas than you ever could by exchanging business cards.
2. Expand your knowledge. Sometimes this is called the blogging mindset. When you are driven to write 3 (or more) great blog postings each week, you are seeking information, you listen more deeply you become more knowledgeable about your blog subject. You become an expert.
3. Get job offers. Your blog will produce results that will give employers insight into who you are and what you think. If you are applying for a job, most employers today will Google your name to see what comes up. If you have a blog, it’s usually the first thing that comes up.
4. Move up the corporate ladder. Blogging positions you for growth within your current company. You become recognized as an expert, you will have more new ideas and you have shown the initiative and discipline in writing your blog.
5. Do what you love. Turn your hobby or interest into a blog with an eye toward a career change. Use your blogging to expand your knowledge and create a network. Work to become known as an expert and the job offers will follow. Expertise is a natural byproduct of pursuing what you love to do.
6. Create emotional stability. By establishing your own personal brand within your chosen field, you create your own opportunities, your own network and your own stability in your life. You remove that feeling of being totally dependent on your employer.

Is your job really fun? What does it take to have career passion? Although there are many ways of finding it, there are some common paths that people follow to find career passion and excitement that makes their work fun.

There are 3 basic parts that make up the ideal career for a person.

1. Interests, hobbies and abilities are aligned with your work.
2. Your work is strongly connected to your personal values.
3. A long-term plan is in place for your career.

How do you find a career that fits you? It is by searching and understanding what it is that is truly important to you.

1. Formative years. When you were young what were your career dreams, your hobbies and your interests. This was a time before being practical meant giving up your dreams. Do these still fascinate you?
2. What really matters? These are your values such as creativity, being independent, interacting with others, helping people, personal freedom or traveling the world.
3. Understand yourself. There are all sorts of personality and interest surveys and tests, some free, some paid. Use these to understand what it is that interests and captivates you.
4. Explore. Research and understand the possibilities. Explore websites, blogs, magazines and books to understand the possible jobs.
5. Try them. Look at internships, volunteering and part time jobs. If you aspire a professional position, become an assistant to someone to learn the trade.
6. Create a plan. Once you decide what you want, create a plan to get there. Do you need education, experience, licenses? Decide what steps you need to follow and start down the path.

Jobs can be learned but passion is part of our nature. Uncovering what those things are that you are passionate about can unlock a rewarding career future. Remember: “Do what you love, the money will follow.”