Blogs – Long Interviews To Help Them Hire

When Seth Godin wrote that it’s paradoxically harder to hire great people in a tough economy, a comment posted on his blog caught my attention.  According to FOARP, in recruiting employees, "Testing helps, but only if you’re recruiting people to pass tests…In the end, the interview is the best measure of a candidate."

Musing about interviews led me to the conclusion that blogs are nothing more than extended interviews.  After all, searchers have some sort of need, and they are recruiting help!  Just as in a face-to-face interview, those searchers read what you put out there in your blog posts and evaluate that content in light of their own needs.  Their scanning your blog is the equivalent of them interviewing your business to see if your’e a good fit for them.

So, what is it interviewers really do? Helium Jobs & Careers website says "The interviewer will attempt to get a look at your personality." Well, blog posts, shorter, less formal, and more personal than websites, are the perfect venue to showcase your business personality and your unique approach in your field.

Several of the potential interview questions and the answers Helium’s blogger L. Beall suggests are made to order for blogs:

Employers want to know the "reliability you’ve shown in the past," says Beall. 
Your blog posts should include stories about how you solved client problems in the past, and lessons you’ve learned through your experience that you’ll be applying for the benefit of new customers and clients.

"They will ask you to describe yourself. You want to be confident and competent," Beall points out. 
What better way to tell your story and convey your passion and your expertise than by "speaking" to your potential customers through your blog?  

"They will ask what others would say about you."
Here’s where testimonials and client anecdotes do the trick.

"With an interview you should be relaxed, especially if you are going to work directly with the customers," advises Beall.
Chris Baggott of Compendium Blogware apparently agrees, stressing that people want to do business with people they like and trust.

Putting your blog readers at ease, letting them get to know you through your blog posts, makes blog marketing an ideal business recruitment tool.