Advice for New Bloggers
A recent article on HR Daily Advisor talked about human resources certification being an advantage in the hiring and promotion process. It’s not a surprise. Whether it’s for human resources or most other professions, having a certification can set you apart from others.
When I was being interviewed for a position, I would get asked about my certification. The interviewer (in most cases the CEO) didn’t know what the SPHR was. They just saw letters after my name and wanted to know how I got them. It’s a great way to direct the conversation toward skills.
That being said, I do agree with those people who feel obtaining certification should be a difficult process. And, maintaining your certification should not be a cakewalk. Which is why I applaud the HR Certification Institute for changing the eligibility requirements for the PHR / SPHR / GPHR exams.
The other thing I feel adds to the value and relevance of human resources certification is the addition of social media components to the recertification criteria. I was honored to help create the new guidelines and be quoted in the recent HR Certification Institute press release that blogging will be eligible for recertification credits.
As someone who has written SHRM whitepapers and articles for print publications, I was thrilled to see an acknowledgment that good HR-related content can exist on a web-based medium. It was also terrific to know that I wasn’t going to have to write 1250+ words (like my last whitepaper) to receive the credit.
Given the importance of certification and the ability to use blogging in the recertification process, I’m thinking we could see more people venture into the HR blogging space. And that would be cool. So, I wanted to take a moment to answer here on the blog a recent reader question.
The question was simple: Any advice for a newbie blogger?
I’ve written a few times about my blogging experience – you can check it out here and here. So instead of me talking, I reached out to a few fellow bloggers to ask for their words of wisdom.
But don’t let the blog maintenance deter you from blogging. Smith advises, “Blogging is an opportunity to express yourself through writing and actually have an audience. Thus you can never let it be about anything else than you want it to be. Always remember, it’s your blog, no one else’s, and you can do whatever you want with it.
Miller agrees and adds, “Be patient with yourself as you engage in the blogging process. Unless you already have an established track record as a writer, it’s going to take you awhile to find your blogging ‘voice’. You need to find your rhythm and to discern what your readership finds most valuable about your blog.”
My thanks to Gautam, Jennifer and Paul for their sage advice. If you’re not reading their blogs, go check them out. Lots of relevant information.
Blogging can be one of the greatest professional development opportunities today. And there are lots of great bloggers who will share their stories. So, consider if blogging is right for you – even if it’s an occasional post on one of the many community blogs. Share your voice.
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