Here's the continuation of last week's article!
RESEARCH
While employers may not be interested in your knowledge of ancient Hebrew and Greek, they want your research skills. The ability to study and dig deep into research is very useful in today’s market place. In fact, research is a huge part of what a writer does, and couldn’t do the job otherwise. You’re used to studying the Bible and finding cute illustrations online, and those are skills that can be applied to any number of other topics as well.PROBLEM SOLVING
Sometimes, you feel like your entire job is problem-solving. Whether it’s bad plumbing or bad marriages, you’re faced with problems all day long and forced to find creative, affordable, and mutually beneficial solutions for all of them. Well, companies have a lot of problems too. They are looking for people who can troubleshoot and solve problems independently, just like you do every day.RESILIENCY
One of the most coveted soft skills in today’s job market according to Monster.com, resiliency isyour ability to recover from setbacks. This one ties in with the previous skill; not only do you have to solve a lot of problems as a pastor, but you have to survive them as well. In a culture where it’s all too easy to give up, those who are willing to fight it out to the end are a rare and valuable find.
RECOGNIZING YOUR SKILLS
These are just a few of the skills that you possess in marketplace terminology. Changes are, you’re also well-versed in sales (you staffed the nursery, didn’t you?), counseling, sticking to a budget, active listening, and working independently. See, you’ve got a whole lot to offer a potential employer.
If you have a job in mind, take a look at some of the job postings for it. What skills are they looking for? Is there something you do as a pastor that uses those skills, even if you use different terminology? In doing a quick search for a recruiter position, one of the job requirements is “ability to work under pressure and without supervision.” Pastor, you’ve got that one covered!
THE ADDITIONAL SKILL YOU NEED
You should be able to get a job with the skills you already possess if you know how to present them the right way. There is just one thing you need to learn if you don’t already know it – technology. In today’s world, you have to be comfortable with technology for just about any job. If you’re not, take a class, find a tutor, do whatever it takes to at least master Microsoft Suite and become literate with social media. In fact, those are things that pastors should do whether or not they’re trying to get an outside job!
Article credit: The Pastor's Wallet
Photo by Ben Rosett on Unsplash