Does blogging, pursuing your passions, really help the job search?

Network, be present, be visible. Write a blog, be on Twitter, Facebook. Oh, don’t forget LinkedIn. Never forget LinkedIn.

Apply for jobs? Ha! That’s the old way and it doesn’t work.

That’s the advice I’ve heard and read since being laid off a year ago.

And oh, one more thing. Pursue your passion.

But I wonder. Is pursuing your passion helpful or hurtful in a job search? And I have several passions, after wife and family.

I’m an ex-journalist. Nothing big but I had a solid career, beginning as a photographer, then moving to reporting. I eventually became an editor and managing editor. My passion in journalism was not sensationalism. Editorial writing was my journalistic passion. The dream was always to become a columnist.

I am also interested in business and investing. I returned to school a few years ago to pursue an MBA. It wasn’t Harvard but it was rigorous and I completed the degree while working full-time. Heck, I was even able to pay for it myself. And, I chose as my capstone finance. I am not a math wiz but I love the topic and wanted to challenge myself.

Combining journalism and business, I am also interested in social media and communications in general. In fact, my last journalism job was “community conversation editor.”

But the passions do not stop there. God and country are included as well.

I have touched on all these passions and more in this still relatively young blog. However, I have worried that, when the topics involve political passions, as can be the case with God, country, economics and so on, does the blog do more harm than good?

You see, I am a conservative. And I realize the passions that stirs in some people. In this case, the worry is that those who do not share this viewpoint will reject me based not on my writing, experience or education, but because of conservatism.

But I allay my worries, rightly or wrongly, with these thoughts.

No matter the topic written about here, I strive for a reasoned analysis in support of my views. I have no interest in being bombastic, in screaming. Some say this is a sure way to go missed in the vast pool of blogs. So be it.

Besides, I hope, of maintaining my dignity and respecting that of others, I like to think that whenever prospective employers stop by here, they, regardless of their political inclinations, see the same. And isn’t that the kind of employer everyone wants to work for?

Another thought of mine is that, especially at this stage in my life, writing simply to appease the viewpoints of others would be, frankly, shameful. “What does it profit a man to gain the whole world and lose his soul?” (Mark 8:36)

Still, perhaps it’s better to just not write a blog.

Or should a blog be restricted to a narrow focus?

Should you pursue your passions or be somewhat more utilitarian in your efforts?

What do you think?