A lot of us often start blogging because we have a real interest in certain topic areas and writing about this becomes really enjoyable and opens up many opportunities that you never imagined. You might not really think about this but blogging can really help boost your CV, without even having to go out your way to increase your skills. Having gone through numerous applications over the past few years, whether this being for uni, placements or jobs, filling out your CV can often seem a daunting task. Andy has written this blog post to help you make the most of your skills and show how they are appealing to prospective employers.


I've searched online many a time looking for the key things to include on your CV. It all seems to be going well, you have the important points all typed out, now you just need to put a bit of evidence for where you have acquired this skill. All of a sudden, your mind goes blank and you can seem to think of anything you can use to include. 

Even though you may have a job and can use this for certain skills, and your education experience to fill out some others, there may be some key skills areas you might think you are struggling to justify. This is where your blogging experience comes in. These points below should give you an idea of what skills blogging gives you and should help you out when you next have to update your CV.

Writing Skills

It seems obvious right? Of course blogging involves writing. The reason I'm including this obvious one is because it can often be overlooked as a skill to include. A lot of people tend to call on writing skills from things such as university or other education that they have been through. Most of us will have written essays, reports etc etc. Being able to use blogging as an addition to these others as evidence of your skill will make you stand out and give something else that other people may not have. You can also include things such as the ability to write in different styles. If you have ever worked with a brand or PR, they sometimes might ask you to structure a post a certain way which will influence your writing style and can back up why you have these different skills. 

Communication

This is a key skill that should always be on your CV, as it is one of the basic ones that every perspective employer or HR adviser is looking for. Communication through blogging gives you a different angle on the skill, as it can often involve a lot of exchanging emails or online messages to brands, PR's or other bloggers. Each of these will require a different approach to how you would construct an email or even a tweet to them. This in itself gives you skills of how to alter your communication method depending on the recipient. You can be gaining the ability to create a professional message to someone you do not know, sometimes including persuasive language if you have been applying for an opportunity for example. Even though this form of communication may not be in person, it gives you a different communication skill that without blogging, you may well not have gained.

Interpersonal Skills

As I've already said, a lot of blogging is done online including engaging with other bloggers on social media. Bloggers will often get invited to things such as product or brand launches, or industry events where they invite a whole range of people across different fields. Even if its not created by brands, bloggers will often create their own events to meet up with bloggers from the same area. If you ever go to one of these events, its a great way to develop your skills networking with other people. This can give you unique experience of interacting with a range of people that other people will not have, and will once again give you a better chance of standing out. 

Media Skills

This will depend on the type of thing you are applying for, but any application that is any way related to blogging, having the ability to take quality photos and/or videos can help showcase your skills. You can show you can consistently produce high quality photo/video content for a range of situations. This can sometimes be for brands who have specific requirements for the type of photos they want, which demonstrates your ability to work to specified criteria. Using editing software such as Photoshop can come in very useful for certain jobs or courses, and you can demonstrate this through the photos your produce. If you can get these points onto your CV and they want evidence of your skills, you have your blog to show them will be be showcasing the best of your photography.

Creative Skills

Writing blog posts requires some creative flare. As you write more posts this will increase as you have to come up with new ideas and ways of writing. Being able to churn out new ideas on a regular basis can demonstrate your ability to be imaginative and inventive. Another key thing you can take from this creative skill, is your ability to overcome a difficult situation. Nearly all bloggers will have got to a point where they can't think of and new content. In the end, you'll change something up and come up with new ideas and get back on with blogging. Getting over this 'bloggers block' can be used to show how you have reached a problem, done something about it and then resolved the issue. It can show a different method to what people would normally use as an example.

I hope these points have made you think about other things that you can include on your CV. Don't underestimate how blogging can help boost some of your key skills, as well as give you new ones to add. 

If you want to check out my blog, I'm over at www.hadleysmith.co.uk. 

If you're into tips posts, here's some other posts you may be interested in:
The Best Blogging Tips Written By Bloggers
Pinterest Tips For Bloggers
200 Blog Post Ideas
How To Find Blogging Opportunities
How To Promote Your Blog Posts
How To Create A Successful Blog Post
A Basic Guide To Working With Bloggers
How To Start A Blog