I’m digging into the list of applications that I received from the pilot project and the pile that have come in since it closed, and I thought I’d share some of the observations that I’ve made based on those applications.

The purpose of this post is to give out some guidelines to improve your chances of being hired by this or any other blogging network.

As blogging is becoming more and more competitive there will be less room for blog networks to take a chance on inexperienced bloggers. In general you’ll need to be able to demonstrate the more advanced blogging skills of online community and relationship building. A few posts on a blogspot site to demonstrate that you know how to use basic blogging software, probably isn’t going to cut it.

I’m a very inexperienced blog network manager, but I have already upped the minimum skills that a blogger needs to demonstrate dramatically from the first intake.

What I Look For in a Potential Pro Blogger

It is important to keep in mind that you are applying for a paid position [even if it is a profit sharing arrangement]. This puts a certain onus on you to have a professional attitude towards the position.

Experience & Tools

From the pilot project I’ve learned that experience is required.

The ideal would be someone who has experience, not only in WordPress but in building a community and readership around a blog.

Fortunately it is relatively simple to get some experience in WordPress as you can sign up for a free account at WordPress.com and take it for a spin.

Then I recommend you familiarize yourself with the following sites and the tools they provide:

Technorati - learn how their tags bring in traffic and how to tag your posts

Digg - a source of lots of traffic. Sign up for an account and familiarize yourself with their system.

Reddit - another very popular social bookmarking site.

StumbleUpon - similar to Digg and Reddit.

del.icio.us - another social bookmarking site.

MyBlogLog - get an account and upload an image for yourself [it doesn't have to be a picture if you're shy, but a personal picture works best].

Consistency

The number one reason for failure blogging is that people lose interest. Realistically it can take 6 to 9 months for a blog to reach its full potential. On my Art of Money site there was an explosion of traffic from Google after about 10 months as the site came out of the famous Google sandbox. When applying for a blog job, demonstrate that you understand the fact that you are aware that blogging takes a long term and consistent commitment.

If the site you submit as an example of your experience only gets updated once every 2 weeks, it doesn’t demonstrate that commitment.

Sourcing Stories

Do you know how to use Google Alerts and RSS readers to keep your finger on the pulse of what’s going on in your city [or other topic area]?

Images

Do you know how to edit an image and what are appropriate sizes for the web? Are you familiar with YouTube and how to embed videos into a blog post? Do you have an account with YouTube and know how to upload a video there?

Location

If the native tongue in your country isn’t English, you may have to wait a bit for Home Turf Media to be ready for you. Since this is a business [or it had better be if I hope to continue to eat and other fun stuff like that ] then it is best for us to stick to where the online advertising money is at.

Originality

What fresh ideas do you have for your a site? Innovation shows that you are really engaged and is one of the best ways to attract readers. What new twist can you bring to blogging your city or blogging in general. Do you have special connections to people in your city that would give you a source of information that isn’t available anywhere else?

You don’t have to revolutionize blogging [it isn't broken] but there are lots of ways to give it a fresh coat of paint.

Opinions

Strong opinions are good; as long as you back it up with reasonable arguments and have your head in reality. Controversy for its own sake is not a great long-term blogging tactic.

Following Directions

This one is a biggie and is a great general tip for applying for any job. I’ve never hired anyone before and I admit as an applicant I didn’t realize the importance of following the application instructions to the letter.

If you put yourself in the place of the employer, when there are 20 or more applications coming in for each position, the busy manager needs to find a way to quickly process them and it is easy to look at the simple things as a way to start cutting.

For example in my first Jobs call, at the bottom of the page, I outlined four pieces of information to provide with an application. Probably 60% of the emails I received didn’t include all 4.

Following directions is a primary skill that employers are looking for and I guarantee that every company considers it important. Sure you can be creative with the information and of course you can provide lots of other info, but get the required stuff in there, if not, it may not matter that you’re the mayor of your city with a master’s degree in blogging

Try Me

If you think I’m out to lunch and that some of my limitations are unfounded, then try me. You’re welcome to try and convince me that Tashkent, Uzbekistan would be a perfect city for a Home Turf Media blog or if that your Pulitzer prize makes you a great candidate even though you’ve never heard of WordPress. I’m open to discussion: always!