Do Former Pastors Need a Cover Letter for Marketplace Jobs? Two Cover Letter Types to Boost Your Interview Chances
Do Former Pastors Need a Cover Letter for Marketplace Jobs? Two Cover Letter Types to Boost Your Interview Chances
Read Time: 5 minutes
Read Time: 5 minutes
LAUNCH YOUR JOB SEARCH
LAUNCH YOUR JOB SEARCH
Overview
Welcome to the Ministry To Marketplace Minute! Today, we’re talking about cover letters. Should you do them? (hint: yes, definitely, but probably not in the way you’re thinking) And if so, what is the best way to write one so it doesn’t take you forever and actually helps you get a job? Those questions are answered below. So let’s dive in.
Today's Ministry To Marketplace Minute:
Mindset Shift: Will a cover letter help your pastor career change?
Strategy Shift: How to write a cover letter that gets you a marketplace job faster
Do This Right Now: Write your first ministry to marketplace cover letter!
Who Will Hire Me?: 5 ministry friendly organizations with jobs for ex-pastors.
Overview
Welcome to the Ministry To Marketplace Minute! Today, we’re talking about cover letters. Should you do them? (hint: yes, definitely, but probably not in the way you’re thinking) And if so, what is the best way to write one so it doesn’t take you forever and actually helps you get a job? Those questions are answered below. So let’s dive in.
Today's Ministry To Marketplace Minute:
Mindset Shift: Will a cover letter help your pastor career change?
Strategy Shift: How to write a cover letter that gets you a marketplace job faster
Do This Right Now: Write your first ministry to marketplace cover letter!
Who Will Hire Me?: 5 ministry friendly organizations with jobs for ex-pastors.
🧠 MINDSET SHIFT: Will a cover letter help your pastor career change?
🧠 MINDSET SHIFT: Will a cover letter help your pastor career change?
The real question isn’t whether you need a cover letter or not. It is, but does it really make that much of a difference?
The answer to that question will lead to what I’ve outlined for you in the Strategy Shift section, but let’s figure this out first.
The answer is, it can make a huge difference… if you use it the right way.
Let me explain.
The person reading your resume is NOT interested in reading a long-form version of your resume in the form of a cover letter. That’s what the resume is for. And they just don’t care that much.
The person reading your resume initially is screening you compared to:
The job description (read how people are screening your resume here)
Other candidates
If you don’t have alignment with the job description and are considered a top candidate, then a cover letter isn’t going to help you. Because the resume is your primary document that shows why you’re a good fit for the role, and therefore a phone screen.
In my opinion, the cover letter is best used to supplement the resume to show why you are an attractive candidate to bring to the surface what sets you apart that the resume cannot. It is a one-page opportunity to share why you are applying to a specific job at that specific company.
Here’s how we teach this in the Interview Accelerator:
The real question isn’t whether you need a cover letter or not. It is, but does it really make that much of a difference?
The answer to that question will lead to what I’ve outlined for you in the Strategy Shift section, but let’s figure this out first.
The answer is, it can make a huge difference… if you use it the right way.
Let me explain.
The person reading your resume is NOT interested in reading a long-form version of your resume in the form of a cover letter. That’s what the resume is for. And they just don’t care that much.
The person reading your resume initially is screening you compared to:
The job description (read how people are screening your resume here)
Other candidates
If you don’t have alignment with the job description and are considered a top candidate, then a cover letter isn’t going to help you. Because the resume is your primary document that shows why you’re a good fit for the role, and therefore a phone screen.
In my opinion, the cover letter is best used to supplement the resume to show why you are an attractive candidate to bring to the surface what sets you apart that the resume cannot. It is a one-page opportunity to share why you are applying to a specific job at that specific company.
Here’s how we teach this in the Interview Accelerator:
♟️ STRATEGY SHIFT: How to write a cover letter that gets you a marketplace job faster.
♟️ STRATEGY SHIFT: How to write a cover letter that gets you a marketplace job faster.
There are two types of effective cover letters.
The “why you should hire me” cover letter.
The “why you shouldn’t hire me” cover letter.
Let’s start with the first one.
There are two types of effective cover letters.
The “why you should hire me” cover letter.
The “why you shouldn’t hire me” cover letter.
Let’s start with the first one.
Why You Should Hire Me
Why You Should Hire Me
This is the cover letter for people who are already familiar with you and/or what you do and the value you bring.
You want to use this one when…
There is a lot of commonality between your current job and the one you are going for (skills, experience)
You know the hiring team really well
The company likes hiring ministry people
There are 4 main sections to this cover letter:
Title: 3 Reasons why [job title] at [company name] just makes sense (actually use that title, and save the file name as that)
Introduction: This is a couple of sentences introducing the cover letter while writing to keep them engaged and showing them what is coming.
Throughline story - broken down into the three points:
Point #1 is where you are now (your current role)
Point #2 is how you got there (your career journey)
Point #3 is where you are going (how it makes sense for the next step)
Thank you: thank them for sticking around with you, and that you hope to hear from them soon.
This is the cover letter for people who are already familiar with you and/or what you do and the value you bring.
You want to use this one when…
There is a lot of commonality between your current job and the one you are going for (skills, experience)
You know the hiring team really well
The company likes hiring ministry people
There are 4 main sections to this cover letter:
Title: 3 Reasons why [job title] at [company name] just makes sense (actually use that title, and save the file name as that)
Introduction: This is a couple of sentences introducing the cover letter while writing to keep them engaged and showing them what is coming.
Throughline story - broken down into the three points:
Point #1 is where you are now (your current role)
Point #2 is how you got there (your career journey)
Point #3 is where you are going (how it makes sense for the next step)
Thank you: thank them for sticking around with you, and that you hope to hear from them soon.
Why You Shouldn’t Hire Me
Why You Shouldn’t Hire Me
You want to use this one when…
There is a bigger mental leap to see the commonality between your job and the one you’re going for
Don’t have any personal connections
The company doesn’t typically hire people with a ministry background
There are 5 sections to this cover letter:
Title: 3 Reasons Why I Wouldn’t Hire Me - this creates interest because it breaks up the monotony of everyone else who is saying, “HIRE ME!”
Intro: Just calling out your non-traditional experience. They might be tempted to write you off by looking at your resume or profile. That is understandable. Here’s why that makes sense from your perspective.
Negative to Positive: List off the perceived negatives and shift the reader’s perspective to turn those negatives into positives. It’s the “Why I wouldn’t hire me based on first glance”: Call out possible misconceptions about what you have done and where you have worked, and show why those things are actually an asset rather than a liability.
Throughline Story: same thing as the first cover letter, but abbreviated. Concise wins; this whole cover letter should be one page.
Thank you: thank them for sticking around with you, and that you hope to hear from them soon.
I go deeper on this second type of cover letter in this newsletter here: Landing More Interviews After Ministry: The Cover Letter Template For Former Pastors Transitioning From Vocational Ministry
You want to use this one when…
There is a bigger mental leap to see the commonality between your job and the one you’re going for
Don’t have any personal connections
The company doesn’t typically hire people with a ministry background
There are 5 sections to this cover letter:
Title: 3 Reasons Why I Wouldn’t Hire Me - this creates interest because it breaks up the monotony of everyone else who is saying, “HIRE ME!”
Intro: Just calling out your non-traditional experience. They might be tempted to write you off by looking at your resume or profile. That is understandable. Here’s why that makes sense from your perspective.
Negative to Positive: List off the perceived negatives and shift the reader’s perspective to turn those negatives into positives. It’s the “Why I wouldn’t hire me based on first glance”: Call out possible misconceptions about what you have done and where you have worked, and show why those things are actually an asset rather than a liability.
Throughline Story: same thing as the first cover letter, but abbreviated. Concise wins; this whole cover letter should be one page.
Thank you: thank them for sticking around with you, and that you hope to hear from them soon.
I go deeper on this second type of cover letter in this newsletter here: Landing More Interviews After Ministry: The Cover Letter Template For Former Pastors Transitioning From Vocational Ministry
The Results Are In: Should You Use A Cover Letter?
The Results Are In: Should You Use A Cover Letter?
Yes! Strategically!
Whether it is to expound on work that you have done, share your story, or bust objections to your “non-traditional experience,” a cover letter could be the deciding factor that gets you into the interview process to speak with an actual human being.
Yes! Strategically!
Whether it is to expound on work that you have done, share your story, or bust objections to your “non-traditional experience,” a cover letter could be the deciding factor that gets you into the interview process to speak with an actual human being.
QUICK WINS
QUICK WINS
✅ DO THIS RIGHT NOW: Write your first ministry to marketplace cover letter!
✅ DO THIS RIGHT NOW: Write your first ministry to marketplace cover letter!
Pick a cover letter template that you want to write: either the “Why You Should Hire Me” or “Why You Shouldn’t Hire Me.”
Write a template that you can copy and paste and fill in the blank to make writing them in the future quicker.
Use it with an application to try it out! (but make sure you follow the process to apply for a job that is most helpful)
Pick a cover letter template that you want to write: either the “Why You Should Hire Me” or “Why You Shouldn’t Hire Me.”
Write a template that you can copy and paste and fill in the blank to make writing them in the future quicker.
Use it with an application to try it out! (but make sure you follow the process to apply for a job that is most helpful)
🚀 FROM THE COACHING GROUP
🚀 FROM THE COACHING GROUP
A big win was they were really impressed with my cover letter! I used the program template and they said it definitely caught their attention. I’m getting a second interview… but it was cool to see things working!
A big win was they were really impressed with my cover letter! I used the program template and they said it definitely caught their attention. I’m getting a second interview… but it was cool to see things working!
🤝 WHO WILL HIRE ME?: 5 ministry friendly organizations with jobs for ex-pastors.
🤝 WHO WILL HIRE ME?: 5 ministry friendly organizations with jobs for ex-pastors.
Because of the time sensitive nature of job postings, we post these in the newsletter only.
Get the newsletter, along with 765+ others, every Friday morning.
Because of the time sensitive nature of job postings, we post these in the newsletter only.
Get the newsletter, along with 765+ others, every Friday morning.
Rooting for you! 🚀
Rooting for you! 🚀
Todd Linder
Founder and Head Coach // Connect with me on LinkedIn
Todd Linder
Founder and Head Coach // Connect with me on LinkedIn
How we can help you:
How we can help you:
The Ministry To Marketplace Interview Accelerator: Join 104+ others that have successfully transitioned from ministry into marketplace jobs that value their experience. The Interview Accelerator will give you our proven step by step process, coaching, and community to getting more interviews for jobs that value your ministry experience and support your family. Let's hop on a call!
The Ministry To Marketplace Quiz: Join 700+ other ministry to marketplace job seekers that have taken our 60-second (FREE) quiz to find out what is hindering your job search. You'll get a video and PDF results report straight to your inbox that will identify where you are, and what you need to focus on right now to get results. Take the FREE quiz here.
The Ministry To Marketplace Interview Accelerator: Join 104+ others that have successfully transitioned from ministry into marketplace jobs that value their experience. The Interview Accelerator will give you our proven step by step process, coaching, and community to getting more interviews for jobs that value your ministry experience and support your family. Let's hop on a call!
The Ministry To Marketplace Quiz: Join 700+ other ministry to marketplace job seekers that have taken our 60-second (FREE) quiz to find out what is hindering your job search. You'll get a video and PDF results report straight to your inbox that will identify where you are, and what you need to focus on right now to get results. Take the FREE quiz here.
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