Scientific Researchers and Web 2.0: Social Not Working? forum: topic
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My blog and my CV: should the former be included in the latter?
Roberto Keller
Monday, 11 May 2009 11:36 UTC
What are the pros and cons of including ones blog as part of the curriculum vitae to be submitted when applying for a high-level grant or research job? Since referees and search committees will probably google the candidate anyways, does it matter?
I am a freshly minted PhD who has been keeping a blog since November 2008. I model the style and content of my blog to the ones I find most attractive: field specific (in my case entomology, systematics and taxonomy); posts with original content documenting ongoing research; posts on published papers of interest; news (conference announcements, new developed tools and resources, highlights from other blogs); and the occasional trivial filling. Even when posting trivial matter I try, for the most part, to keep in mind that I am building a digital presence from which I will be judged. I don’t have any doubts about the benefits of blogging.
However, as I look forward into establishing myself in academia, those initial questions regarding my CV keep coming to me. I recently asked an adviser in the grants and fellowship department of my institution (who was slightly younger than myself) those questions. Her reply was “A blog? Oh, so you are interested in switching from research to science popularization.” Is the blog stigma that pervasive even among young people?
Partial answers to this topic have been answered in the posts and theirs comments below, but I will like to hear some opinions on this specific matter.
Benefits of blogging?
Can Science Blogging Enhance Your Research Life?
Why do we blog and other important questions, answered by 34 science bloggers
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As an employer, I would say “yes”. Many employers will perform a Google search on applicants in any event, so your online identity is going to be evident. If your blog is relevant to the job you are applying for, even tangentially, I think it is worth including, together with a couple of posts that you think showcase the blog best. After all, you have nothing to hide and it may seem odd if the employer has checked you out and you don’t include your blog on your cv.
Of course, at Nature we are actively looking for people interested in communicating science, and a blog is some evidence that the candidate has these interests (all candidates say that they are interested in wider communication than between fellow-specialists, but few show evidence of that fact. One big advantage of blogs is that you can show your talents even if you have not been published in a general publication.)
I understand what you write about your blog as evidence of “research seriousness and depth”. However, I believe (and it is just a belief, not based on knowledge) that a blog is an asset. It isn’t just about popularisation, but about showing how you write, clarity of thought, how you communicate ideas, and so on. I think it would be a nice opportunity, as part of an interview process, for the candidate to explain to an uncomprehending interviewer why their blog isn’t only about popularisation (not that there is anything wrong with that! To the contrary.)
If you tag your blog posts according to their subject, you can always provide URLs with the relevant tags for the purpose of a particular job application. Or, some people have several blogs for different functions, for example professional and personal. -
Maxine- I find extremely helpful your suggestions about including in the cv not just the blog’s URL but directing people to a couple of specific showcase posts or the appropriate tag URLs.
I agree that blogging does reflect the interest (maybe even subconsciously) of communicating science beyond one’s peers.
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@Roberto Keller
As you are looking forward to academia, I would like say that traditionally academia is resistant to change. When your advisor expressed blog being synonym to scientific popularization just validated my point. Your previous queries are answered aptly by the above posts.
Blogging is not only an effective means to communicate your thoughts, ideologies and scientific knowledge, but has been an uncensored tool for most scientific authors. The inner voice of aspiring science authors especially in voicing opinions on peer review process can be effectively done on the blogosphere. Blogging is naturally considered as journalism or a public discourse. The stigma for blogging is the ambiguity in these terms making researchers feeling a sense of void and confusion in the arena.
This article gives the intensity of blogging in scientific world and academia.
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I would answer a most definite ‘yes’! A blog shows that you have dedicated time (often outside of your research) to sharing your research and/or opinions with others, something that is so crucial to success in academia. We all know of the profs who were obviously good in the lab, but when presenting at conferences or teaching classes, would nearly shrivel up and die away, and weren’t able to handle criticism. The blog shows that you a) know enough to feel confident to post and b) are capable of allowing others to view and potentially criticize your own work. Both qualities are essential for employers to know about.
I include my LinkedIn profile on my resume as I apply for jobs that involve networking and creating relationships, and it does demonstrate that I have a wide range (or so I think :) ) of connections in different industries and fields, something that is crucial from my perspective of where I want to go with my career.
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@Roberto: I am currently writing my CV to apply for postdocs. I haven’t been blogging very long on NN so my internet presence is small compared to many of the bloggers here.
While there is nothing on my blog that I would want to hide from a potential employer, including it on my CV is still up in the air. Being in academia, I have encountered the stigma of science bloggers that suggests those who blog should be using their time more wisely (i.e. on the benchtop).
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Have a look at this article if you have access, by Matt Brown published in Chemistry World Its a pretty sensible discussion of some of the advantages of having a blog on your cv.
I put my blog on my CV, and usually a wee description about what it is about. I was also at a conference this weekend where someone who hires said that they do google applicants, and what they find online may be a deciding factor in whether they land an interview or not. I personally believe that having a good well thought out and current website or blog is really important in maintaining a positive online presence. Make sure your blog is the first hit for your name on google – you don’t want photos from facebook coming up first!
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On that note, you can set your Facebook profile to not be indexed in Google, which also helps move up the more serious stuff =)
I do include my blog on my CV, because it’s relevant to the types of jobs I’m applying to (I think), but I can’t say if it’s any good, because nobody is hiring. I came in second for one job, though. An academic teaching (sessional lecturer) job, so there it definitely wasn’t a disadvantage (it wasn’t the blog that made me not quite get it, it was a lack of course organizing skills.)
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Robert, an obvious answer. It depends on the job, but more importantly on the selection committee. Find out who is on it. If it is me, or Maxine, or Henry, or Richard, or…well you get the drill…check the names in Google, see if they have a blog, if so put it in. If the job requires communication skills, evidence of writing, especially to a semi- or non-scientific audience then put it in.
If it is a conventional post-doc with conventional/old fashioned supervisor then think carefully about how you want to package yourself. If you think it shows something important about your skills for that job then include it. At the end of the day read the selection criteria carefully and craft the CV accordingly. You need to stand out from a sea of other candidates. What makes you different? What makes you the right person?
FWIW my default CV currently includes my blog URL and has a section on “non peer-reviewed publications” that includes a selection of what I think are my better blog posts.
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That is an interesting thought, Cameron. In all my years of hiring/interviewing, I don’t think I have ever been checked out in that way by a candidate. That would show initiative! (Of course, I might have been checked out and not know it…)
I don’t know enough about it to know, but I use claimID, an open ID service, which allows me to have a unique web identity and to create an open ID page which splits my personal from professional online activity – I think this is quite a nice way to present it for a c.v. (Thanks to various Nature Networkers for the information about this service.)
The link is on my NN profile, it is here, if you want to look at it as an example (from memory). -
I haven’t been blogging very long on NN so my internet presence is small compared to many of the bloggers here.
While there is nothing on my blog that I would want to hide from a potential employer, including it on my CV is still up in the air.
Elizabeth- I find your reservation curious. While all blogs are created equal, I do think that, even in the mind of people well immersed in the blogosphere, the place where the blog is hosted matters. I will think that to a conventional/old fashioned panel member (borrowing Cameron Neylon’s term) having a blog hosted on Nature Network or ScienceBlogs would give a very positive impression about the candidate compared to having a self-hosted one. Unless your reservation is only based on the possible mismatch between your NN blog and the job you are applying to.
It may be that I’m letting myself get too impressed by where the blog is hosted.
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