We have been doing a lot of recruiting lately and I got a chance to interview for SEO positions.

One of the first questions we ask applicants is - Do you have a blog?

If you're in this industry and I don't care if you're a graphic designer, engineer, SEO whizkid, QA person, copywriter or PPC management expert, there is simply no excuse for not having a blog, a personal website showcasing your best recent work or some kind of visiblity on the SERPs.

A PDF resume is so 1999 it's not even funny anymore.

If I need to choose between two applicants, one of which has an active blog where he/she posts relevant topics and one sends me a PDF resume that was last updated six months ago, guess who I am going to hire?

And the same goes for picking an outside consultant or JV partner.

You don't need 10k subscribers, you don't need to be a top expert in your field, you don't need 5,000 page views per day and you don't even need to post too often. But make a commitment to starting a blog and posting at least once a month.

It shows passion to your field, commitment, willingness to always learn and progress as well as giving your future employer, JV partner or acquirer (blogs are intellectual properties sold for cash) a way to learn more about your unique skills and approach.

Having a blog is one of the easiest things you could do to instantly increase your perceived worth and get paid more for your time.

It saddens me to see how some industry superstars who used to have great blogs have completely abandoned their blogs or switched to posting once every two months. I know it takes an hour to come up with a good quality post, but you are building your reputation, network and perceived worth everytime you do post.

And yes I know we're all super busy with other projects that are a better use of our time and we're all launching new ventures and still recovering from the holidays, but hey - if Mark Cuban, Vanessa Fox and Matt Cutts can find time to post, I think you can spare an hour once a month too.

Right?

Lee Dodd, Todd Malicot and Andrew Johnson - I miss your posts!

Reminds me of the old joke:
How can you make 6 figures blogging?

Get a job that pays 6 figures, blog at work
;-)

Absolutely.

Reminds me I have to post more often.

Exactly Paul! I am suggesting one way to get a job that pays 6 figures, is to blog, network and post like you're already worth 7 figures.

I don't think a blog is a replacement for a resume or portfolio, but it's a good complement. A resume is a summary of your experience, where a blog is probably quite a bit more detailed. I don't want to have to read 3 years of back-posts to get a feel for a candidate's experience and skill.

I have a personal blog, and am a fairly active commenter on related blogs, so I agree to an extent. Having a blog definitely helped me land my current job, but I probably would have gotten it without a blog.

I definitely wouldn't turn away an otherwise qualified candidate who doesn't have a blog -- but like you I probably would hire a blogger (all other things being equal) over a non-blogger.

I also believe that a blog shows passion for what you do (if you blog about that) and it also exposes some of your skills, behaviors and opinions, but I still wouldn't go about in recruiting somebody solely on having a blog. While it helps to have one and amongst 2 people of the same caliber I would be more inclined to choose the one that has a blog, I would still give it more thought and look for other aspects in a candidate (and that's my opinion).

Jeremy and Mihai - I agree.

We still ask for Resumes when you apply, but having a blog where I can see the passion and hunger, makes a person standout big time.

I have to say i agree with the core of this post.

I know that when i have interviewed at places I want to know if any of the people i work with blog. To me it shows that they are interested in staying up and learning.

I have also found that companies don't if you blog on their dime because it is just another way for you to learn. Now, don't take that to mean you can spend hours every day, just some time every now and then.

I agree with the idea of having a blog, but I find text so blah by itself. So I combined text and photos to create a web resume that is now No. 1 on Google. So when people ask me what is the URL? I give them a very cool answer that blows them away. I tell them no matter what country you are in right now, just type my last name into Google, click search and the 1st link on the 1st page of hits will be to my resume. I am also No. 1 on MSN and No. 2 and Yahoo. Yeah lots of people have Blogs, but how many people get to the top of the search heap using their last name only with no quotes or capital letters with a web site that is entirely about them and what they do? To top it all off, lots of big name firms like Wal-Marts, Amazon, Office Depot, Targets, Sharper Image, etc. advertise on the pages of my resume too.

We all have a limited time on this earth. Some of us choose to share our knowledge, experiences and opinions through writing. Others don't.

Don't be biased towards applicants that don't have blogs. Some people just don't like to share their thoughts with the world and/or would like to better spend their time learning rather than writing.

Derik - Thanks. You bring a good point.

John - Love your website!

Ryan - We're looking for team players who are very passionate about sharing their thoughts and ideas. If you don't have a blog, at least have your work available online.

Ryan, although you won't be excluded for not sharing your knowledge, you will fall to the bottom of the list when others are able to demonstrate passion, writing skills, and the ability to network.

More than ever, it is difficult to find employees who are independent contributors; people who can research, troubleshoot, document, and communicate. If you are too busy to do these things, then your contribution at work is not lasting or valuable to the team.

The biggest reason for not sharing your knowledge is to not be challenged with potentially better perspectives. The end result is that you don't grow and you get to feel superior.