Finding a job can be difficult. Finding a job in ministry can be even more difficult! Ministry jobs can be so much more relational, unique, and intimate that you need to be able to prepare yourself for the interview. But, you must know how to get to that point in the first place
(which is probably why you are reading this blog), so let’s jump right into it!
- Network
Word of mouth is still the best advertising form out there. Make sure the first thing you do is exhaust your own network by asking people you know if they have heard of any church or organization hiring. It is much easier (and more comfortable in my experience) to head into an interview on someone from your network’s recommendation. For the few jobs in ministry that I have had in the past several years, I can tell you this has been my most successful form of job hunting. As my network constantly grows, I am understanding more and more how important it is to try to maintain my professional relationships. This helps me keep more options to network to once I am seeking a position.
- Job Boards
Oh there are so many of these things out there…well as a matter of fact you are reading this blog on a job board, in case you didn’t know. Which by the way I encourage you to register and upload your resume! Why might you ask? Believe it or not, many employers comb through the resume database and overtime you may be directly contacted by a few of them. This is one of the more effective ways to expand your resume and “pool that you fish out of” as I like to call it. The more sites you upload your resume to, the more chances you have of being contacted by an employer. That last sentence was genius right? Maybe one of the more profound statements is that there are only certain sites that were build FOR the job seeker, such as ministryjobs.com. See the great people that built this site were jobseekers themselves and decided to start a staffing company which lead to purchasing ministryjobs.com to continue resourcing job seekers. This site is one of the only ministry job boards that offers premium profiles for their job seekers. Sites like churchstaffing.com and churchjobs.tv are both fantastic, but they charge the job seekers for “premium accounts”, which don’t offer as much as ministryjobs.com does. These premium accounts allow you to post more than just your resume, they allow you to really create an online portfolio that showcases your abilities and skills. This truly does help put job seekers’ resumes on “top of the resume pile”.
- Search (Staffing) Group
Partnering with a search company can be extremely helpful. Guys, it’s FREE. Most staffing companies are paid by the organization that is hiring to find a candidate for them to hire, but the job seekers are the lifeline of their business. They cannot do it without you! In a blog I wrote earlier, I focused on helping job seekers have a more in depth understanding of what staffing companies do and how they can benefit from them. I mean, if I was looking for a job and I knew that I could throw my name in with a search group that really cares and wants to help me find a job for free, I am all in. This is my most unbiased opinion, really it is. Froot Group for instance, creates professional online portfolios (profiles) that includes many of the things that ministry employers are looking for. There is also no obligation or contract to sign up, which means you can be working on points #1 and #2 while the search group is looking for you as well.
Between these option, especially if you are combining them, you are setting yourself up to have several options for you to weigh out. With lot’s of prayer, networking and listing, you hopefully will be able to be in front of employers quite soon. And although these options are very practical, the most important step is taking your needs, concerns, and desires to the Lord. He knows you are looking. Trust Him.
Written by: Alex Purtell
Alex is the founder of Froot Group, a worship staffing company.
