Intercristo’s Weblog

Resumes are supposed to give would-be employers a snapshot of your skills, abilities, and how you’ve used them. So, what happens if you’re just out of school, or just returning to the job market after raising a family? What do you put on your resume?
Notice I didn’t say a snapshot of your past jobs? Too often, job seekers believe a resume is all about the jobs they’ve held.
Actually, it’s less about the job and more about what you did on the job.
As a student, you’ve juggled class time, home work, and your outside activities. You have organizational skills. Highlight them.
As a parent, you’ve organized snack schedules for your child’s games, delegated tasks at your church, or child’s school and probably assisted with sort of fundraising effort. Showcase those efforts.
Let employers know what you have to offer, not just the jobs you’ve held. - Ron

Proverbs 19:2 says It is not good to have zeal without knowledge, nor to be hasty and miss the way. When people contact me about working in a Christian organization,or just wanting to change jobs, the first question I ask is ‘have you had a conversation with God about this?’ I ask because it is important to make sure you’re following God’s path, not just the path you think God wants you to follow. And, it is a conversation. It’s not “ah…God, I want to serve you. I’m going to work in a Christian place. And we’ll do great things together when I’m there.” It may take more than one conversation to hear God’s word. I know. It took more than 2 ½ years of prayer before God led me to Intercristo. Friends, there are plenty of opportunities to serve God. Talk with Him. See where He wants you to join Him. Not where you want Him to join you.

Character Counts

My wife always reminds me, ’it’s not what you say, it’s how you say it’. As you prepare your resumes and cover letters, you might keep those words in mind. Sure, employers want to see that you have the skill sets they need. But, how you apply those skill sets is just as important as having them.

As a job seeker, how much do you weigh employer paid benefits?  Take sick leave; is this a required benefit? 

When I was younger, I worked for a Grocery Store Chain in Seattle.  We were a union shop.  Our wages and health benefits were great, but our sick leave policy was terrible.  To collect on any sick leave, you had to be off work 3 consecutive days then provide a doctor’s note explaining your illness, before you would receive sick leave.

Where my wife works now, they bank their sick leave and get a percentage of that banked amount when leaving the company. Nice in theory, but if you have someone using little or no sick leave for a number of years, the cost of cashing out the individual could make the company ill.

An Ohio Newspaper ran this article today about legislation that would make sick leave a ‘mandatory’ benefit for all companies with 25+ employees. Even part-timers would be eligible under this legislation.

I think sick leave is a good thing…if used for the right purpose. When it’s used to just give someone a day off, it costs the employer and the employees who are at work that day. Sick leave is an added cost for employers. I believe it is a great benefit, but I dont’ think it should be mandatory.

What do you think? - Ron

As you go through a job transition you’ve probably head this statement dozens if not hundreds of times.  I know I’ve been on both sides of this statement through the years.  When you first start looking for a job, all you ‘friends’ express an interest in helping you and staying in touch with you.  But it’s funny how that circle gets smaller and smaller as the job search grows longer and longer.  The last time I went through this (1997), it was 6-weeks before I got work again.  And, the number of ‘friends’ who stayed in contact went from about 30 to about 2. Was people’s concern just artificial?  Were they expressing it for themselves, or for me?

In the past 3-years, I’ve seen more than 2-dozen co-workers or friends lose their jobs after a minimum of 5 years.  So, these were not short-term employees.  Now, I’m on the other side.  I get to offer the support I didn’t get much of.  And, I’ve attempted to keep in touch with their progress in landing something new.  Obviously, as the operator of a job board, I get plenty of calls. 

I have to admit though, it gets harder to email, call, or see someone who’s job search is never ending.  I want to be sympathetic and supportive.  But, should I really bring up ‘how goes the job search?’  If it was going great, they’d have a job right?  Since they are still looking, it isn’t going well so should you bring up the topic?

I know how I’ve handled these situations, but I’m wondering how would you?  - Ron

I planned to comment on this article sometime in the future, but the events of today changed that plan.
Intercristo is part of the CRISTA Family. Twice a month, the ministry leaders gather for prayer and updates on what’s going on in the other eight ministries. CEO Bob Lonac thoughtfully reminded us this morning about keeping our cell phones quiet during these, and other meetings taking place on Campus. “As leaders,” he stated; “we need to set the example of courtesy and attentiveness”.
Now, I couldn’t agree more. We’ve become so concerned with ’staying connected’, that we’ve strayed from the ideals of courtesy and thoughtfulness towards others. So hearing this, I thought it would be okay to just turn my phone to vibrate, not off. After all, it isn’t ringing and I can still be know if I get that ‘important’ call right? Well, it didn’t work out that way.
Instead of turning my phone to vibrate, I toggled through to FULL RING! So, imagine my embarrassment when I get a phone call right in the middle of our prayer time?
I felt like I was complying with Bob’s wishes and turning my phone to vibrate. In reality, I was bending his request to meet mine. That was wrong. I should’ve turned the phone off, period. If the phone call is important enough to interrupt a meeting, than someone can find me.
The same can happen during a job interview. It is best to turn the phone completely off, not on vibrate. — Ron

 A few years ago, someone sent me this image.  It is a humorous attempt at showing the differences between men and women.  When I look at this, I wonder if it can also be applied to generations…especially when it comes to the workplace. 

Right now, there are three distinct generations co-mingling in the workplace:

• Baby Boomers (1946-1964)
• Generation Y (1965-1980)
• Millennia (1981-1999)

Each generation approaches work in a different manner.
The majority of Baby Boomers identify themselves by their jobs. They are usually loyal to their employer, dedicated and willing to put in long hours.
Gen-Xers, for the most part, are self-reliant and individualistic. They believe in working smarter, not harder. And, they have no personal connection to who they work for.
And finally, there are the millinnials. This group is tech savvy, multi-taskers who appear to be more team-oriented than their predecessors.

Right now, the Boomers are usually the supervisors and/or managers. So, the hardworker is wondering why his younger team members can’t keep up? While the Gen-Xers thinking there has to be an easier, more efficient way to accomplish the tasks and the Millennials are wondering if there’s some sort of software, or new ‘gadget’ that can solve the problem.

I can relate, because I am a boomer. I do get frustrated when my staff (or committee members) of different generations, don’t appear to take the task as serious as I do. The truth is, they probably are taking it as seriously. But their approach is just different.

Some boomers are working beyond normal retirement age.  In part, because they want to continue working.  But, I’m wondering if some don’t want to leave the workplace in the hands of the younger generations, fearing what may happen.

So, how do the different generations learn to communicate? How can we bridge this gap in thinking so a mutual trust in abilities and awareness grows? - Ron

I recently read this article - (Employers Increasingly Jilted by Job Seekers) and wondered; why is this happening?
If you truly wanted a job, or career, why would you not even show up for an interview you committed too?  How would it be if the employer didn’t show up? With unemployment numbers at 2-year high, what kind of favor are you doing yourself? Douglas Rumford makes a profound statement in his book SoulShaping. He writes, “We make our commitments, then our commitments make us. Once they are chosen, many other choices follow as a matter of course.” Once we commit to follow Jesus, many other decisions in life must fall into line or we overturn our prior commitment.
So, if you’re committed to Jesus, shouldn’t being committed to a job interview just fall in line?  Maybe this article is talking only about non-Christians, but from the feedback I get from employers using Intercristo; I doubt it.  When jobs a plentiful, employers complain about the lack of sincerity from job seekers.  When jobs are scarce, job seekers complaing about the lack of sincerity from employers. 
With unemployment rates starting to rise again…who will we be hearing from now? - Ron

Nearly every week, Intercristo receives an email from a successful job seeker. It’s a neat feeling for us, as we see how what we do works and the impact it will have on many, many lives.
Here’s an excerpt from a recent one -

Greetings from Wycliffe, Europe Area Office, Holzhausen, Germany! I want to bring you holiday cheer by letting you know that I am now working as the Project Funding Coordinator, WBTI-Europe Area Office. My position here was a direct result of the Intercristo job posting in late March, and my subsequent email contacts with Wycliffe Associates in April 2007. I used your service way back in 1980, but I did not have the leadership experience at that time that I do now. I just want to mention that my knowledge of Intercristo goes back a long way, and I am so happy that you were able to find me such a perfect placement in 2007.
– Sally D

We also recently heard from Hannah T -

I had applied online through many different job search engines and yours was the first and only one that I had success with- An orginization called Grace Children’s Home found my resume online and called me up. I was afraid at first to be relocating (I am from Chattanooga, TN, and Grace is in Henderson, NE), but I believe that God is in control and that it’s all going to work out for the best.
Thanks for your work! It’s greatly appreciated!

Can Intercristo help you find a new job? - Ron

January is usually a busy time for Intercristo.  A new career, or a chance to ‘take stock’ of what you’re doing usually brings plenty of ‘lookers’ to our site.  With Thanksgiving and New Year’s behind us, Job seekers are now getting serious about what their job search.  We’ve already seen a 15% increase in traffic to our site and it’s only the 2nd of January!  That means more people are looking, making the competition a little tougher

So, what can you as a jobseeker do to enhance your chances? 

1. Post your resume - How serious are you in your job search?  If you’re serious, post a resume.  Remember, you ultimately have the say in whether you’ll accept any job offer.  If you don’t post a resume, you’re missing out on employers trying to find you.  And with Intercristo, your resume is only active as long as your account is active.  That’s why we have 60-day limits.  You can always renew, but you won’t have a dead resume lying out there on Intercristo.  Also, employers have to post a legitimate job before we allow them to search resumes. 
2. Be Proactive in your search  - How often do you login and search for jobs?  Are you using different keywords to search with?  As an example - you may be searching for a Custodial position.  And while you may call it ’Custodian’; a similar job may be posted for a ‘Janitor’ or ‘Maintenance Engineer’ , or ‘Cleaning Person’.
3. Expand your search area - This is always a tough one, because most people want to work where they live.  The advantage to Intercristo is we are worldwide, with opportunities posted all over.  The disadvantage to Intercristo is we are worldwide, with opportunities posted all over. So, think about where you are and how far you’re willing to go to find the right opportunity.
4. Network and Pray - Who knows you’re looking for work?  Are they your advocates?  Have you asked them to be?  And who is praying with and for you about work?