Are you ready to transition from part-time to full-time ministry work? Or, are you working in a mainstream environment and desire to make the move into a ministry setting? If either of these scenarios fit your situation, read on to find a few tips on how to position yourself as a viable candidate for a new career.

 

In any career transition situation, the job seeker must focus on the most relevant skills and experience they have that meet the employer’s needs. Start the transition process by identifying your career goal (Ministry Resume). This will give your resume focus and direction and then you can begin matching your skills to those needed by the employer.

 

Create a list of all of your skills. What knowledge do you possess that the employer is looking for (within the ministry)? Are you a seasoned volunteer? Do you use a key transferable skill within a hobby? Think outside your job situations to unearth all of your skills and concentrate on the ones that match the employer’s needs.

 

Use a profile or skills summary section to showcase your qualifications. Be job specific and use short phrases beginning with action verbs and positive adverbs to capture attention and demonstrate the value you offer.

 

§         Effectively communicates with all ages, cultures, and personalities

§         Skillfully trains others to ensure smooth flow of business on a daily basis

§         Easily adapts to challenging situations

 

You can use categories (Communications Skills) followed by bullet points or you can use titles (Communicator) and short phrases to help the reader quickly identify your skills.

 

Follow-up with your employment history – Job Title, Company name, Dates of Employment. Remember, you have already highlighted your key skills so there is no need to give lengthy job descriptions. Take the time to highlight impressive skills used. Brevity, major areas of responsibility, and achievements are keys to success. As you go further back in time, use less detail in describing your employment history.

 

Complete your document by including your academic training and / or professional development. Include degree(s) received and any relevant honors or special awards. If you have career related professional affiliations and / or community activities include this information.  

 

A note about the length of your resume — it should match the amount of experience you have. Keep your document to one or two pages and only use your most relevant, up-to-date information.

 

When switching careers, choose one that you are passionate about and make sure you can adapt to the demands of that career or industry as a whole. Establish your career objective and focus the entire content of your resume toward that objective.

 

Thanks for stopping by!

Blessings,

Tammy Shoup, CPRW

 

Tammy Shoup, CPRW is a Christian Resume Writer dedicated to helping Pastoral Candidates, Ministry Workers, and Christian Job Seekers launch a successful job search campaign. She is a Certified Professional Resume Writer (CPRW), Member of the Professional Association of Résumé Writers and National Résumé Writer’s Association. She is also a past member of the Christian Writer’s Guild.