How Faith-Based Networking Can Aid Job Searches -WSJ article

By SARAH E. NEEDLEMAN
October 2, 2007; Page B4

When Amber Edwina Hampton began searching for her first post-college job last spring, in addition to praying, the recent convert to Islam took advantage of her new religious connections to network.

As a result, a classmate at an Islamic school told Ms. Hampton about a job opening at the NYU School of Medicine. The classmate, already an employee at the medical school, also agreed to hand Ms. Hampton's résumé to the hiring manager. Three weeks later, the 24-year-old was hired as a program associate.

If you're searching for work, consider reaching out to fellow congregants, spiritual leaders and others in your religious circle. These folks are often eager to help like-minded believers. What's more, many nonsecular institutions provide free job-search resources that are available to anyone.

Successful networkers say they often secure leads from their faith-based connections by bringing up their employment status in casual conversations about their lives. These conversations can take place after services, at holiday parties or at other religious gatherings, they say.

Mary Stutts, an associate pastor at Revival Center Ministries in Vallejo, Calif., says she regularly spreads the word about local job opportunities to worshipers before and after services. "In the last month, I've given out four job referrals," she says. Ms. Stutts even announces job opportunities from the pulpit when interesting ones open up locally. She learns of most openings from church members and through her work outside the church as a business-relationship consultant, she says.

Some religious groups use email and online forums to share job leads, facilitate networking and channel career advice. An example is the University of Washington's chapter of Hillel, a global foundation for Jewish students. It puts out a weekly email newsletter featuring ads for jobs and networking events in the Seattle area, says Josh Furman, a program coordinator for the group.

Alicia Post of New York says her rabbi regularly blasts emails about job opportunities in her area to current and past members of his synagogue who sign up for them. This past summer, an email describing an opening for an executive director at a Jewish nonprofit caught her eye. At the time, Ms. Post was in her seventh year at a similar organization and was craving a new and more challenging role. She expressed interest in the job to the rabbi, and he forwarded her résumé to the nonprofit's chief executive officer. The 29-year-old Ms. Post landed the job in July.

Between Jobs Ministry, a group started 15 years ago by a pastor at Northwest Bible Church in Spring, Texas, offers job-search assistance meetings weekly. The sessions are typically led by retired career experts and professionals, says Ed Bacon, a director at the ministry and a retired finance executive. The volunteers give talks on job-search topics, facilitate networking among members, critique résumés, organize mock interviews and provide emotional and spiritual support, he says.

Church membership and religious devotion aren't required, but attendees can expect the group to recite a Christian devotional during meetings, adds Mr. Bacon.

In 2006, Michael Schaffner joined the Between Jobs Ministry after being laid off from a position as chief information officer at an oil-field equipment company. A member introduced him to an executive recruiter who later got him an interview for a job as a director of information technology at a similar employer.

Ahead of the meeting, Mr. Schaffner was put in touch with a past member of the ministry who worked for the potential employer. This was helpful, he says, because he learned that the company uses Six Sigma, a business methodology he was familiar with. As a result, he added more details about his Six Sigma experience to his résumé and listed it higher on the page. Mr. Schaffner, 57 years old, landed the job in April.

While many job seekers may rely on prayer for support and success, career experts warn against discussing faith when meeting with hiring managers or executive recruiters. "You don't want to turn it into a religious conversation," says Kevin Zwetsch, a partner with the law firm Fowler White Boggs Banker in Tampa, Fla. "You're veering off the path of what you're there for."

An exception might be if your involvement in religion can promote your candidacy, adds Mr. Zwetsch. For example, if you mention that you are a deacon at a church during a job interview, "that demonstrates leadership and community involvement," he says.

But he warns that "if you go any further, employers will get skittish," because recruiters are prohibited by law from asking candidates questions about their religious beliefs unless they pertain to the job at hand. "[Religion] is one of those taboo topics," he says.

Pathfinder's YouTube Video

Check out the Pathfinder's Video on Youtube here

Joseph's Vision and a Sevant's Heart

We may have a dream for our business or lifestyle that may seem to be taken longer than we would like. This is similar to Joseph who had a dream that took many years to became a reality. In fact, soon after Joseph told his dream his brothers, they sold him into slavery, the totally opposite of what he thought would happen. Often, circumstances occur in our lives that seem to side track us from the vision God has given us for our business. Our dreams may become derailed and we feel stuck in a place we can't escape.

Although the circumstances seemed dire, Joseph's servant's heart was the key to his both his happiness and his ultimate success. First he severed his father Jacob by tending to his flocks, this was probably not the most desirable job otherwise one of his older brothers would have requested it. Instead, this was likely the job that no one else wanted, but Joseph did it to sever his father.

Then after his brother's betrayed him, Joseph served Potipher. When Potpher's wife tempted Joseph, someone else in his shoes may have fallen to Potipher's wife's desires both because she was attractive and because it would have been a means for him to better himself. If he gave into her desires he could have kept himself in good standings with her and kept out of prison. To add insult to injury, rather than defending himself and accusing Potipher's wife, he choose to serve Potipher by being silent. If he had accused Potipher's wife this would have brought disgrace to Potipher, instead he choose to go quietly to prison. Often our business are faced with the choice between what is right for our clientele and what is right for our business, often these are one and the same, but when they are not, do we choose to put our clientele's needs over our own?

Even in prison, Joseph severed the guards, the people that kept him captive. It was during this time that Joseph's helped the cup-bearer by interpreting his dream, however this didn't immediately to Joseph's release from prison. Often in business we have to do things that are right even if we don't get the credit or worst, someone else gets the credit. God is just and doesn't forget the acts we commit. It took two year but when Pharaoh had a dream, the cup-bearer remembered Joseph and this led to his release and subsequent elevation to second in command. Even though Joseph probably didn't understand why it took so long for his dream to come to pass, it was during this time that God prepared Joseph by developing the characeristics for his success.

If our vision for our business seems off track, we have to believe that God's purpose is greater than any circumstance, or any mistake we may have made. I'm sure that Joseph wondered if it was a mistake to tell his brother's of his dream, or to have taken the job in Potipher's house, or maybe he should have negotiated a better exit strategy with the cup-bearer. But instead he trusted that God had a plan that is greater than any circumstance.

In business, it is our responsibility to have a vision like Joseph that is unwavering in our trust in God, but also to have Joseph's heart of a servant, willing to do whatever is right irregardless of circumstances. Then and only then will God deliver upon his promise to our business.

Val thoughts on Visionary's Voice

"When Mark spoke on Sat about Visionary, Leader, Minister and Servant I was was struck by something. In my biz I wear all of those hats at various times, but I was having weird feelings about one, the Visionary hat. I'm very comfortable with that role, what was weird was my "voice" as he called it - silent. I most often share my vision for various things with my Leaders (directors) and step out - sometimes I literally need to stay out of the office to know something is going to work, It's really weird because in my natural mind I keep thinking "get in there and manage.". But my spirit keeps telling me to stay away. It was so cool to hear that a Visionary's voice is silent. Really understood it for the first time." -Val Donati

Finding God in Market Turmoil

August is typically the time of the year is when Hedge Fund managers go to their homes in the Hamptons for a little rest and relaxation, but this August has been anything but peaceful. The meltdown of the sub-prime mortgage market has caused multi-billion dollar companies like American Home Mortgage (AHM) to go bankrupt, Bear Sterns(BSC) to shut down some of its hedge funds and Goldman Sachs(GS) one of the most prestigious brokerage houses to suffer huge losses to their stock price. Yet in the midst of all this Market in turmoil how is it that we can have a peace that the Bible describes, "surpasses all understanding".

I was playing tennis with a successful executive friend of mine who ran a multi-billion dollar corporation and after the match he started telling me about a certain time in his life during which he found himself in a crisis. I expected him to tell me how God gave him comfort during this time but instead he described how challenging the time was and how he had a hard time understanding "Why" he was being put through this circumstance and "Where" God was hiding during this time?

It got me thinking that while there are many times in the Bible that God chooses to manifest himself in a Big way, but there are other examples where He remains silent. It occurred to me that almost all the great figures in the Bible experience periods in their life when God was "silent" and His presence felt far off. The Psalmist best describes this time in our Christan walk when he says, "though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death you are with me." I believe the psalmist wrote this because he is actually reminding himself that God is still there, even though he doesn't feel His presence. Incredibly even Christ for a moment in time felt separation from God's presence when He was on the cross and said, "my God, my God why have you forsaken me?"

God obviously loves his only son Christ, but at that moment even Jesus felt forsaken when probably needed God the most. If God allowed even Jesus to feel forsaken at the time when he needed Him the most it is likely that we too may feel alone in our greatest challenges. Why does He sometimes seems to disappear? The poem "Footprints" is very beautiful and speaks to the artist in me, but when I'm in trouble the more practical business person side of me emerges and I want to know where God is?

I believe that during our darkest moments when a trial is unbearable the reason God seems to intentionally hide is so we will do three things 1) recall our previous victories, 2) seek his presence even more fervently and 3) rely on His promise that "he will never leave us nor forsake us" and that He will never "give us any burden to difficult for us to carry."

So when everything is falling apart and the Market is crashing, my only hope is to follow Christ's example and cry out to God. It gives me comfort to know that on the cross He too felt forsaken and even though I don't understand "why", or don't feel Him there, He is in fact walking with me in the valley of the shadow of death.

I have come to accept that the "Why" is not necessarily for me to comprehend. The outcome is simply an increased faith and fortitude for the next battle.

Church in the Workplace

Kim Garret's (CCC-Manhattan) has a brother is starting CCC-Toronto and he apparently was very impressed with a book "Church in the Workplace" by C. Peter Wagner. I have yet to read the book, but apparently it is very relevant to Pathfinders, please check out his review at

http://c3torontoconnect.multiply.com/reviews

Shant be an Ant

Giving in the corporate sense can be a very scary concept - especially for an entrepreneur. Most worldly advice available gives the business owner guidance counter to the kingdom principles. Like little ants we store during the feast, to ensure survive during any possible famine.

I don't want to live like an ant. Period. Here's some advice I also heard: If it looks like a ant, walks like an ant, acts like an ant, it _IS_ an ant. Well, I don't want to be an ant. I want to be a king. I am not busy toiling away to build an ant hill? Ant hills have to be rebuilt after every storm - my corporation stands strong. I'm going to pause here and allow all business owners to pound their chest for a bit.

I think about that story in the bible where someone was describing the temple. And the water levels on the different sides of the throne were different. At times you could hop over the stream, other times you could wade through it, other times you had to forge through it, and yet other times, you HAD to leave yourself at the mercy of the water.

Business is the same way. Sales cycles , contracts, negotiations, accounts payables, accounts receivables are the same way. Depending on your outlook, you can either hop over it, or feel powerless over them. Either way, there is one certainty, it's coming, in some shape or form, all of the previously mentioned aspects are coming. You should welcome them - you just pounded your chest earlier. Well, my question is do you want to prepare yourself for this onslaught by being the best ANT you can be? Or the best KING you can be?

I will say it again. I am a king. Now I'm going to let you take another minute and say it. Now behave like one. Here, let me help you, let me give you your staffs - unity and favor. Build unity through mercy and grace and vision and yes, at times, through ruthlessness. Build favor by giving. Giving builds roots which builds connections and relationships. Through unity and favor, you can be sure that no matter what happens or you the king sees on the horizon, you will be prepared. Because you now have the power of the kingdom's army. And as I learned from a 3-year-old prince (upcoming king) in Kid's Church -- I'm in the Lord's Army.

That's how I have grown - through the realization that I am a king.