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I have a blog that, while serious in nature, is just a hobby for me. After reading prompts for resumes from schools, I keep seeing things like 'please let us know what you do outside of school/work, any activities, the more we know the better'. While the blog is only intermittently updated, it contains some of what I consider my best writing, and on a subject that i am very passionate about.

But putting a 'blog' on a resume just seems so weird. I would of course never put it on a resume i sent to a potential employer, but I'm thinking now it might be a valuable thing to put on my resume for law schools. Thoughts?

Has it led to anything big? Being published, etc? Or just a hobby?

If just a hobby, I would leave it off.

If it is just a compilation of your own personal rants, I wouldn't bother. If it is a rather well-known blog (high traffic, earns you money from adverts), then I would say yes, but hesitantly because it could be viewed as something that would divert your attention from getting your work done.

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freestallion wrote: Also, do law schools google you ever? Or do they strictly look at the materials you give them?

Ha. Funny you should ask, because this spring I e-mailed one law school that is not in a major city, and the afternoon after i heard back from someone in the admissions office, i noticed a 'hit' on my blog from that exact town on my google analytics. Coincidence?

But perhaps that answers my initial question: maybe they're gonna see it anyway.

I put mine on there. There was nothing substantially ding-worthy about it, and it opened up another interest of mine that is hard to express any other way (photographing architecture and "studying" it but with the obvious caveat that I would never have the abilities to actually become an architect). It's one of those things about the internet... I think if you have enough that outs you in a positive way (like an interesting blog), it leaves them less reason to look much more into your less brag-able internet persona. Unless you have links to your facebook and band's myspace all over the piece, then of course they'll click.

Basically, I don't think it will hurt or help you as long as you're smart about it. If they do look (which not many did with mine IIRC), it'll just be a cursory glance of the first couple of pages to see what you write about.

descartesb4thehorse wrote:I put mine on there. There was nothing substantially ding-worthy about it, and it opened up another interest of mine that is hard to express any other way (photographing architecture and "studying" it but with the obvious caveat that I would never have the abilities to actually become an architect). It's one of those things about the internet... I think if you have enough that outs you in a positive way (like an interesting blog), it leaves them less reason to look much more into your less brag-able internet persona. Unless you have links to your facebook and band's myspace all over the piece, then of course they'll click.

Basically, I don't think it will hurt or help you as long as you're smart about it. If they do look (which not many did with mine IIRC), it'll just be a cursory glance of the first couple of pages to see what you write about.

This.

I probably wouldn't put it in a work experience section, but showing that you have a personality outside of your schoolwork is always a good thing. The more they know about you, the more of a person you are to them. It's harder to reject a person than a number.

My resume has a link to my LinkedIn profile on it. Not nearly as personal as a blog, but it has things people have written about me, books I've read or am reading, interests, people I know, etc. on it. I've always found that helpful in non-law school endeavors.