Looking for a Job? Go to Church.

by Alex A. Kecskes

Religious institutions are showing a growing involvement in the economic well being of their members. Now, with so many of their congregation out of work, they're getting involved in helping the unemployed find jobs. Faith-based groups provide fellowship, trust and emotional support during a trying time of job loss. They also provide practical help.

In seminars and workshops conducted in church meeting rooms across the country, churchgoers hear guest speakers cover such topics as search strategies, résumés, interview skills, computer literacy and salary negotiation. Faith-based groups are uniting their resources to help their members wherever they can, urging those gainfully employed to reach out to members who have recently suffered a job loss.

At some meetings, out of work churchgoers are invited to deliver a 30- or 60-second elevator pitch. These pitches often result in members connecting others with department heads they know who may be looking for someone with just those skills. It's a fact of life that today's employers are simply inundated with resumes and would much rather hire someone on a personal referral.

Faith-based job clubs are sprouting up everywhere. They're usually free to join and typically consist of a dozen or so people who meet in church activity rooms. Some have evolved into highly structured programs with hundreds of members headed up by volunteers with HR backgrounds.

If your church doesn't have a job support group, Work Ministry helps faith-based and community organizations develop job support groups. They currently have a listing of 170 groups in 29 states at workministry.com.

For more information on health careers, visit http://www.healthcarejobsite.com/

Alex A. Kecskes has written hundreds of published articles on health/fitness, "green" issues, TV/film entertainment, restaurant reviews and many other topics. As a former Andy/Belding/One Show ad agency copywriter, he also writes web content, ads, brochures, sales letters, mailers and scripts for national B2B and B2C clients.