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hat do you want to be when you grow up?” This dream-inspiring, cliché question typically inspires visions of doctors, firefighters, journalists and professional athletes in the youth of today. However, a child of the Christian faith may be seeking a career as a Christian musician or record producer, teaching in a Christian school or becoming a missionary or pastor, for example.
The path to the “perfect job” leads over 17 million students in the United States to go to college every year, according to the National Center for Education Statistics (http://nces.ed.gov/fastfacts/display.asp?id=98). A portion of the millions of students pursuing higher education are professing Christians seeking Christian jobs after graduation.
In the face of determining what job to pursue and how to successfully get hired, many undergraduate students turn to their college’s Career Services department for help. The Career Services office is a campus department full of vital tools for providing assistance for entering the professional career world after college. Not only do they direct students to employers, internships and job information, they also assist with resume and interview preparation. And, on most campuses, the Career Services office coordinates a job fair where students can meet with local and national employers.
Resources available
Some Christian students choose to go to private Christian colleges; others, for various reasons such as finances, choose public schools. For the sake of simplicity, let’s cover the Christian schools first.
According to the Career Services department at Oral Roberts University (ORU), a Christian University in Tulsa, Oklahoma, ministries from all over the world contact the department, wanting to hire ORU graduates.
“Our alumni also contact us with open positions in all industries including energy, information technology, aerospace, education, non-profit, financial sectors, and many others,” says Beth Johnson, career counselor at ORU.
Johnson also notes, however, that many students go into secular jobs and bring the message of Jesus into the workplace. Johnson says, “The careers our students pursue are as diverse as the students who come here. Many go into ministries and non-profit sectors; but even more go into secular jobs carrying the message of Jesus to the world in their everyday walk, attitude and work ethic to places where ministries would never reach.”
“While we do maintain an active job database (with over 800 employers to date), as well as ongoing events to interact with potential employers, the most important lesson we instill in our students is how to find the right job at the right company.”
Not surprisingly, the Web also plays a vital role to the Career Services staff at ORU. According to Johnson, “Now more than ever, the Internet allows access to both past and present cultural practices and overall company mission so students can get a real feel for whether or not they will belong in that corporate environment. After appropriate research is done and a job description is acquired, we teach our students to apply all of that knowledge to create a very well tailored and polished resume for obtaining an interview with the company of their choice.”
As for the non-Christian schools, Christian employer information isn’t as easy for students to find. Heather Reinhardt of Wayne State College, a secular state college in Wayne, Neb. shares, “We really do not receive job information from Christian-affiliated companies. If a student came in wanting this, we would just have to do an individualized job search with them.”
Reinhardt goes on to say that the Internet is also a key component to their career-finding process. “The Web plays a huge role in the job searches I assist students with.” If there are no local Christian companies, or if a student is planning to move away, the Internet is also a valuable tool for finding job vacancies.”
Even though Career Services offices are readily available on college campuses, many students do not take advantage of these resources. And Christian job listings may be difficult to find. A few helpful Web sites for careers in the Christian industry, students and parents can go to include:
- http://www.gospelmusic.org – This site has a classifieds section that shows job openings in the Christian music and media industry
- http://www.christianjobs.com – Christian companies post their employment openings; job seekers can create a profile showcasing their interests and experiences
- http://www.christianplacements.com – Providing employment listings, resumes, internships, and job placement
| Most companies now post career opportunities on their company Web sites. |
Though many companies have started posting their openings on sites like those listed above, not every employer does that. If students have a specific interest in a particular company, most companies now have their own Web sites and post job vacancies, applications and general information on their sites. If no employment/career section is available, most sites provide company contact information.
The Internet is a great tool (hey, it’s the reason you’re reading this article). However, there are ways to find a great career without the World Wide Web. Calling companies directly to ask for job vacancies as well as looking in the classified section of newspapers are common practices in job hunting. Preparing a professional resume and sending it to employers is also a time-tested and efficient way of finding a job.
God's career plan
Regardless of what resources are available for honing in on the career of your dreams, know that a key component is following God’s leading. As Proverbs 19:21 says, “Many are the plans in a man's heart, but it is the LORD's purpose that prevails.”
As you look for a career for yourself or your child, let Psalm 20:4 be an encouragement, “May he give you the desire of your heart and make all your plans succeed.”
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