Help I’m a senior—how do I find a job?

 

Every spring I get a dozen calls from students who want to meet to talk about how to get a job. These are not students from denominations with episcopal systems of government but they are usually students from more congregational denominations where ministers have to find their own job and are not “placed” by the denomination. My own denomination (Wesleyan) is such a “congregational” denomination so here is how I explain the system to seniors.

 

1)  Make a Resume.

Your first step is to make a high-quality resume. Your resume makes the first impression on a potential employer. Print out the resume advice here and make your resume first before doing anything else—that is your first step.

 

2) Make a resume packet.

Once you have your resume done put together a resume packet. Write a short cover letter to accompany the resume when you send it out and pick the kind of envelope you’ll use. Do this on paper—many churches still expect to get a paper resume even though you think attaching one to an email is suffi