I don’t just write about teleworking, I also live it. I’ve been a telecommuting engineer for Novell since 2001. I write mission critical code and design products that get sold for millions of dollars. It sounds impressive, but I can’t really show anyone my work.

Graphic designers have portfolios, authors have writing samples, and coders show their source code. But I can’t show mine. My code is part of large compliance management products and it’s intellectual property. Software companies are built around intellectual property. If I do good work then I’m adding to their holdings and they’re less likely to want me to show it to other people. It’s a catch-22.

In this economy we all worry about getting laid off and my resume only tells potential employers what I’ve done. I want to show them.

Don’t tell when you can show

Chip and Dan Heath put forth concreteness as the third principal of stickiness in their book Made To Stick. I’ve always heard this advice as don’t tell when you can show. It’s a classic.

But I can’t show my work. I can only tell people about it. Many corporate programmers find themselves in the same position. They did excellent work, but they can’t reveal it to anyone.

Telling someone what you did isn’t very concrete or sticky. Especially since 100 other applicants are going to say the same thing right after you. You have to show them.

My professional programmer blog

I show people what I can do with my professional programmer blog Hackito Ergo Sum. If you’ve never been to MIT the name is pseudo-Latin for I hack therefore I am.

Hackito Ergo Sum is my professional programmer blog. It doesn’t appeal to everyone, but for the programmer managers who might give me a job it speaks volumes. I show them a little bit of what I can do with simple examples, real code, and a cornucopia of nerdy details.

This blog demonstrates to serious programmers that I’m one of them. It speaks the argot of that tribe.

Speak the language of your tribe

Argot is a fancy word for the specialized vocabulary of a group of people. It’s knowing the right slang for a specific group, and it isn’t just for teenagers with made up chatspeak.

You know the language of your tribe. You’re steeped in it. When a communications guru speaks, other communications professionals can tell. You just get a feeling about the person. They show you they’re for real before you have a chance to wonder.

Your blog doesn’t have to speak to the whole world, a few people is enough. It shows your tribe that you can communicate well, excel at your job, and walk the walk instead of just talking the talk.

Your professional blog is must more like an extended resume than a traditional blog, and they really make a difference when you apply for a new job.

Do you have a professional blog? Share the link with here and let us know how great you are at what you do.

If you’re going to job interviews with just your resume then you’re way behind the times. Your resume is an important tool for getting a job interview, but it will never never get you the job because it doesn’t show prospective employers what it is really like to work with you.

Most of the time the interview gets you the job, but traditional job interviews have their drawbacks. That’s why the interview process is so tricky. The employer is trying to get to know you and your work in an artificial setting.

A professional blog helps someone get to know you. Chris Brogan says “having a blog that shows your business potential beats having a resume.” And most telecommuters don’t have one.

There are lot’s of excuses:

• I don’t want to update something every week
• I’m not a writer
• I don’t have anything to say.

Don’t listen to them. If you want to get a job as a teleworker you need somewhere potential employers can see your work.

Your professional blog

Don’t update your professional blog every day or even every week. Once a month may even be too much. The goal of your professional blog is not to create a following or sell ads. You professional blog is for people who want to get more details about what you can do and how you communication. It must be thought out, detailed, and well written, and nobody can do that every day.

Think of it more like your portfolio. Put your best stuff in there.

Don’t listen to the excuses

I went through every excuse before I started my professional blog. In the end I just had to take the chance and try to show off my essential teleworking skills.

Writing is an essential part of telecommuting. Karl Fogel, a founder of the Subversion version control system, puts good written communication at the top of his list for what it takes to be a successful member of a distributed team. I dedicated an entire chapter of my book to being a better writer.

You do have something to say. You have impressive skills and projects you’re proud of. Write about them. Give enough information so that someone who isn’t familiar with your product or your company can understand them. Write about why you did what you did and why you are passionate about it.

Make your professional blog helpful to other people. Saying that you’re great isn’t very convincing; show them. Show something you can do that is helpful to other people. It doesn’t need to be very difficult, just make it clear and simple.

John Resig, the creator of the JQuery framework and a JavaScript evangelist for Mozilla, is a master of the professional blog. His blog at www.ejohn.org gives an impressive list of recent projects and blog posts. There are some large projects, but many smaller ones as well. You probably create potential small projects all the time. Write about them. It will help your career by showing what its like to work with you and demonstrating your writing ability.

Next week I’ll give you a detailed view of my professional blog and a few more reasons why you need one too.

The One Minute Commute is more than a blog. It’s also a great book looking for a publisher. I’ve been building traffic, doing some great interviews, and talking to amazing experts about telework. This blog has had good success in all aspects but one: comments.

I’ve been getting good feedback from Twitter, Facebook, and email, but I need it here. Publishers look for a community and they judge that community based in part on comments. So help out me, the book, and the other readers by finding a post you’re interested in and leaving a comment.

Not sure what kind of comment to leave?

Share your experiences. If you’re a telecommuter let us know how it works for you.
Ask questions. Get more details about how to succeed as a teleworker.
Disagree with me. Think I’m wrong or could have done better, let me know.

Thank you everyone for helping out and making this community as strong and vibrant as possible.

Guy Kawasaki’s new article How to Go on the Offensive with Facebook really hit home for me. He suggests that students use Facebook to help them get jobs instead of hurting them. The advice is excellent.

I was long past my student days when Facebook arrived, but I still had a healthy dose of Facebook fear. I stayed away from it for too long because I could only see the negatives. I imagined potential employers reading my profile looking for some reason to reject my resume. I didn’t see the tremendous potential.

As a telecommuter I must show potential employers my communication skills. Facebook is another chance to do that. I changed my mind about Facebook a while ago, but Guy showed me just one more reason I’m happy I reconsidered.