TALKTIME #19: Book Blogs Help You in Life

TALKTIME #19: BOOK BLOGS HELP YOU IN LIFE

     So it's been quite awhile since I've done a discussion post, so I thought I would write a quick little something explaining myself. There was a short little period where I was chugging out discussions posts left and right; the ideas kept coming to me and I just kept writing. Then it happened. The slump. I had ideas, but I just didn't have the energy to write discussions posts. But now I'm back, and it's time to start writing all of these ideas down.

      Today I will be discussing how book blogging can help you in life. You're probably thinking, what the hell do you mean it will help you in life? Will it get me a job? The answer, in fact, is actually yes; it can help you get a job. To better explain myself, I'm going to provide several real life examples that have happened to me.

1. My job at the school of medicine: I got hired their because of my reading, writing, and social media skills. During the interview, they asked me what I do in my free time, and I'm going to be honest, at first I was really hesistant to say that I read a lot and run a book blog because that can be seen as antisocial, however, I figured with the correct phrasing and explanations, I could turn it into a good thing. So, I explained how I do a lot of reading, which obviously helps with literacy competency and improves grammar and writing skills. They liked that, but I went a step further. I discussed how I run a book blog, which reaps many benefits:

•  HTML skills: The interview was for a job that dealt entirely with running a website and social media. The HTML skills I have learned from building my blog were completely applicable to their website and put me ahead of their other applicants who had no real life applications of their computer skills.

• Social media skills: As a part of my book blog, I run a twitter account (as well as an instagram account, but I hardly ever use that). I understand how to engage with an audience and basically everything necessary to run a good twitter account. This was very beneficial because they were looking for people who could run their social media accounts.

• Building relationships: Running my blog has helped me build connections I never thought I would have. I have connections with not only other book bloggers, but authors and publishers. Networking and building connections is so important in the real world.

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2. Practice medical school interviews: For those of you who don't know, over the summer I was a part of a summer medical educational program. Part of the program, was preparation for the med school application process, including interviews. I'm going to brag for a second, and say that I rocked those mock interviews. Running a book blog gave me so much to talk about in those interviews and in all honesty, it blew the interviewers away because it was something they weren't expecting. There are not a lot of people out there that run book blogs and are applying for med school; so own it! Interviewers love to hear what makes you unique and how running a book blog has helped you.

1. Research position: While the research position was not entirely attributed to me having a book blog and had more to do with the connections I have made through networking, it helped solidify their offer simply because running a book blog proves that I not only know how to read, but I can do it well, in large amounts, and know how to articulate. In research, there is a lot of reading and writing of literature that goes on, so it is important that you can do it well. While it is certainly a different type of literature, your current skills will help you adapt better than most.

Basically what I'm saying, is don't be scared to use the fact that you read a lot and have book blog; I promise you it will help you more than hurt you.