Starting a Career Services Blog

Alicia Smyth & Valerie KielmovitchEmbry-Riddle Aeronautical University

FCPA Conference 2012

What is a Blog?

• The term comes from “web log”• A personal journal published on the web

which consists of entries or posts that are displayed in reverse chronological order

• Single individual or small group, often with a theme on a specific subject

Key Blogging Terms

• Blogosphere: collective community of blogs, used by media to gauge public opinion on a topic

• Blook: blog-based books• Blogroll: list of links that bloggers share or

recommend to readers

Notable Career Blogs

• CAREEREALISM• Lindsey Pollak - Career Blog• Dan Schawbel – Personal Branding Blog• Tim’s Strategy – Ideas for Job Search, Career

and Life• Gradversity

Why Blog?

• Disseminate information to constituents• Spotlight special populations and success stories• Build brand as an expert • Increase credibility on campus• Drive traffic to your university/career center

website• Provide added value to career center resources

Getting Started

• Determine the focus of the blog and brainstorm content ideas

• Decide on a platform • Identify staff who will manage/edit; get buy-in from

entire team• Create branding• Set up blog • Start blogging• Market blog to constituents

Deciding on a Platform

• WordPress• Blog.com• Google Blogger• TypePad Micro• Tumblr• Weebly• LiveJournal

Blog Content Ideas

• Spotlights Alumni Students on co-op/internship Employer Spotlights

• Announcements• Photos and stories from professional conferences,

presentations, or other events• Book and/or resource reviews• Success stories

Blog Content Ideas, continued

• Breaking News• Student and employer perspectives• Top Ten lists• Articles• Aspects of the job search• Networking• Economic Trends• Career fair/event preparation

Content Sources

• Career Services staff• Alumni• Students• Faculty• Employers• Experts in the college hiring realm• FCPA members/other university career center

staff

Marketing Your Blog

• Send out an initial launch email to all students, alumni, and faculty/staff• Send out a regular blog digest to students and alumni who are seeking a job • Promote all blog posts on Facebook, LinkedIn, and Twitter • Personally email faculty when students/alums from their program are

featured• Make it easy for others to share content and/or follow your blog by using

widgets (Follow button, RSS feed, etc.)• Ask other departments on campus to cross-promote: alumni relations,

academics, communications, admissions, etc.• Add link/icon to your website and email signature • Make sure blog comes up in Google and Bing search results

Assessing Blog Success

• Analytics• Feedback from students and alumni• Number of comments• Number of social media shares• Recognition from external and/or internal

sources

Potential Challenges

• Limited resources – time and/or staff• Spotlights can be difficult to obtain• Staff may be technically-challenged• May have to deal with negative feedback• Institution may not be in favor of blogging• IT may not support external sites/systems• Takes time to build a following

Blogging Tips

• Choose a template that is clean and visually pleasing• Use catchy headlines• Make posts easy to read and use your own personal

writing style • Keep post paragraphs short and concise• Use bulleted lists, bold, or italics for emphasis• A picture says 1000 words• Use spellcheck; then re-read content

Blogging Tips, continued

• Plan blog posting schedule in advance; allow everyone in the office to contribute

• Post with some frequency• Use categories and tags to make finding content within

your blog easy• Hyperlink when possible and relevant• Reference works cited • Keep content interesting and timely• Don’t be afraid to modify as you go along

Special Considerations

Time Commitment• Initial Set-up: at least 1 day• Technical Maintenance: 1-2 hours, monthly• Writing Articles: 2-3 hours, weekly• Editing: 1-2 hours, weekly• Logistics: 1-2 hours, semesterly

Note: all are approximate and depend on number of posts planned/week, technical ability, and time management

Special Considerations, continued

University Policies• Does your campus have a social media or

blogging policy?

Information Technology• Does your IT department have a blogging

platform integrated into existing web product, or is there an external platform they prefer?

The Embry-Riddle Career Services Blog Experience

• Inspired by a tweet• How we got started

Collaborated with team to determine blog’s function and focus

Identified key players Selected a platform and learned how to use it Came up with theme and design

ERAU CSO Blog Management

Staffing:• Technical management, writing and editing• Logistics, writing and editing

Frequency:• Fall/Spring: 2x week• Summer: 1x week

Career Services Blog Examples

• Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University (Demo): http://eraucso.wordpress.com

• The University of Vermont: http://www.uvm.edu/~career/blog/

• Marylhurst University: http://marylhurstcareerservices.wordpress.com

Additional Resources

• 10 Steps to Creating a WordPress Blog: http://www.seerinteractive.com/blog/10-steps-to-creating-a-wordpress-blog

• Recommended Blogging Resources: http://www.problogger.net/recommended-blogging-resources

• Books About Blogging (Amazon.com): http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_noss_2?url=search-alias%3Daps&field-keywords=blog

Questions?

Thank you for your time! If you have additional questions about blogging, please contact us!

Alicia: smythc6c@erau.eduValerie: kielmovv@erau.edu