What’s more, these blogs are often written by recruitment insiders whose advice and tips can make the difference between success or disappointment. By learning how the experts manage interviews, careers and even their personal brand, you can learn how to set yourself apart from the crowd and stand out in the right way. Most blogs provide an opportunity for you to sign up to their mailing list, so their advice is delivered straight to you. Be selective with those you sign up for, of course, and consider setting up an email folder specifically for blog emails, then set aside a period of time each week to actually read them. We’ve read a lot of job-search blogs and picked 15 of the best we think are most useful for those looking for work:
1. Guardian Careers
Best for: Advice from a wide range of experts. Real-life stories and examples. Very comprehensive. Why you should read it: As you would expect from the Guardian, this is a top-quality blog that is jammed full of insightful advice and ideas. It’s really comprehensive and a great place to start researching just about any aspect of job-seeking. Features a lot of first-person stories that are really inspirational, often with examples which challenge stereotypes about particular jobs or career paths. Examples of posts: Apprenticeships aren’t just for school leavers: why I changes career late in life; Charity careers: how to get a job in the third sector
2. Undercover Recruiter
Best for: Breadth of insight. Fun. Why you should read it: A light and accessible blog that nicely balances genuinely sensible advice with a bit of fun. Posts are sorted by topic, which is useful if you just want to read about a particular theme – social media or interview tips for example. Examples of posts: 8 Photos that should NOT be on your LinkedIn profile; How Tech brings HR and Marketing together
3. Social Hire
Best for: Social media in recruitment. Tips from recruiters. Why you should read it: Social Hire is a specialist social media marketing agency focused on the careers and recruitment industry. This means that the advice they’re publishing in their blog is coming directly from recruiters – they have a lot of guest posts. The focus is on social media and ‘doing things differently’, which is interesting and well worth a look. Examples of posts: Fresh beginnings: Headache free tips for relocating your job; 7 Hacks to optimise your LinkedIn usage and get more job offers
4. Jobsite
Best for: Ideas when things aren’t going well. Routes into lower profile careers. Why you should read it: Many career blogs focus on searching for a dream job or career; sometimes, for whatever reason, that might be unrealistic and Jobsite does a great job of providing solid advice about getting a foot in the door. It’s a solid back-to-basics kind of blog, which can be invaluable for helping you think about pragmatic options.
5. Simply Hired
Best for: An international perspective. Understanding yourself. Why you should read it: There’s a lot of content on Simply Hired, with loads of advice, and it’s also arranged neatly into categories which is useful. It’s based in the US which gives it slightly different tone and perspective to the UK based blogs, and perhaps because of this, it also includes quite a lot of posts around understanding yourself, and finding jobs which are a good fit with your personality. Examples of posts: Acing a phone interview; Quiz: Which celebrity CEO are you?
6. Bubble Jobs
Best for: Design and accessibility. Why you should read it: It’s got a great design and feels very contemporary, with a good mix of articles that include tips on both getting a job, and being successful once you’re in a job. Covers a wide range of careers, including freelancing, and there are plenty of practical and innovative suggestions for getting the job you want. Examples of posts: Five things to consider before starting a freelance career; Job Hunting? Why everyone you meet could be a potential reference
7. Learning To Leap
Best for: Practical tips you can use to actually develop your employability. Why you should read it: It’s a great blog that’s focused on giving practical advice and insight into employability. It aims to equip people at all stages in their careers with guidance around clarifying their identity, adjusting their mind-set and improving professionalism. As an extra bonus, the blog is split into categories. There’s also an interesting range of additional (mostly free) resources you can access. Examples of posts: This is what graduates say about the job search; How to get out of an early career dead end
8. Spark Hire
Best for: In-depth and detailed advice from recruitment specialists. Why you should read it: Useful for information you need to know about the recruitment industry. Rather than giving you ideas and tips, it provides longer articles which cover a topic in detail and explain what good looks like, the thought processes that recruiters use and what they’re looking for from candidates. It’s elegant, credible and really well written. Examples of posts: The Game of hiring and how it works; How to tell if you’re serious enough about your job search
9. Career Realism
Best for: Longer-term career strategies, branding and networking. Why you should read it: The strapline for this blog is ‘career realism – because every job is temporary’ and this really sums up what the blog is all about: thinking about your ongoing employability and keeping yourself in control of your career. It covers all of the basics you’d expect but there are some interesting alternative ideas and suggestions in there too. Examples of posts: Ready for a career switch? Consider a franchise; Networking events not your thing? Try this
10. Rate My Placement
Best for: Specific content for students and graduates Why you should read it: This blog tackles the real concerns and questions that students and graduates have about their careers and options. It’s current and relevant, and often very specific, making it useful if you’re looking for information about a particular career. Overall, a great balance of news, entertainment and career advice. Examples of posts: How your careers office can help you; Common internship interview questions
11. Lindsey Pollak
Best for: Millennials (and anyone else hoping to understand millennials). Why you should read it: This is another niche blog targeted very much at millennials entering the job market at the moment (and employers hoping to recruit them). It’s an up-to-date, critically acclaimed and aesthetically pleasing blog that tackles key issues you don’t see elsewhere in quite the same way. Examples of posts: Wear this, not that: A millennial’s guide to business casual; Millennial Question: Why does Gen X love email?
12. Ms Career Girl
Best for: Women. Why you should read it: It’s fun and it’s got some really useful and relevant content as well. If you like your career advice to be entertaining and inspiring as well as practical, then this blog could be for you. Examples of posts: Conquer Networking Jitters: How to shine at your first event; Five great tech habits all career girls must have
13. Penelope Trunk
Best for: Risk-takers and anyone interested in startups. Why you should read it: Penelope Trunk has founded a number of successful business and has a unique, at times irreverent perspective on careers. This blog has a holistic outlook recognising the importance of a career that enables living as well as working. It’s chatty in tone but the ideas it puts across are thought-provoking. Examples of posts: Bad career advice: Do what you love; How to tell if it’s a good job or bad job
14. The Muse
Best for: Inspiration and browsing. Why you should read it: There’s a lot of content on the Muse, most of it is practical and it’s delivered well. There are plenty of credible ‘how to’ type articles, as well as articles that will make you think and some that will make you laugh. A fun place to have a browse. Examples of posts: The 15-minute method to writing an unforgettable elevator speech; 13 Companies that make sure you’ll have fun at work
15. The Savvy Intern
Best for: People early in their careers looking for a foot in the door. Why you should read it: Not dissimilar to Rate my Placement, this blog is squarely aimed at students and graduates but again has some great content. Lots of great ideas for kicking off careers and easy-to-follow suggestions and tips. Examples of posts: 5 ways to start your career while still in college; 9 ways young professionals can really impress their employers
