6 Steps to Finding the Right Corporate Job Title After Leaving Ministry
6 Steps to Finding the Right Corporate Job Title After Leaving Ministry
6 Steps to Finding the Right Corporate Job Title After Leaving Ministry
Read Time: 4.5 minutes
Read Time: 4.5 minutes
Overview
Welcome to the Ministry To Marketplace Minute! In today’s episode, we’re going to dive deep on job titles. Not just the job type, but the exact title that fits you and your experience. We’ll walk through the step by step process to figure that out. So let’s dive in.
Today's Ministry To Marketplace Minute:
Mindset Shift: Your pastor career change
Strategy Shift: What jobs could I do as a former pastor?
Do This Right Now: Step by step process for finding your best vocational job.
Who Will Hire Me?: 5 ministry friendly organizations with jobs for ex-pastors.
Overview
Welcome to the Ministry To Marketplace Minute! In today’s episode, we’re going to dive deep on job titles. Not just the job type, but the exact title that fits you and your experience. We’ll walk through the step by step process to figure that out. So let’s dive in.
Today's Ministry To Marketplace Minute:
Mindset Shift: Your pastor career change
Strategy Shift: What jobs could I do as a former pastor?
Do This Right Now: Step by step process for finding your best vocational job.
Who Will Hire Me?: 5 ministry friendly organizations with jobs for ex-pastors.
LAUNCH YOUR JOB SEARCH
LAUNCH YOUR JOB SEARCH
🧠 MINDSET SHIFT: Your pastor career change
🧠 MINDSET SHIFT: Your pastor career change
Getting clarity on the job you want next is the key to unlocking the job you want next.
You might have heard it said, “if you aim at nothing, you will hit it.”
Clarity is important to making progress in just about everything in life. For your future, for your family, for your finances, for your career.
You can know where you want to land 3, 5, or 10 years from now.
You can paint a picture for 25 years from now.
You can cast a vision for your family legacy.
But to get there, knowing the first right step is also crucial.
I wrote about the 10 step process our clients use to get into jobs that they want and support their families. And step number 2 (which could be step number 1) is getting clarity on the job you are aiming for next.
Without that it will be very difficult to apply for a job that fits you, write a resume, ask for help or connections, get through interviews, or receive an offer.
The fact is, the hiring team wants someone who wants “the job”...
not just “a job”.
But it is more complicated than just knowing what you want to do.
Getting clarity on the job you want next is the key to unlocking the job you want next.
You might have heard it said, “if you aim at nothing, you will hit it.”
Clarity is important to making progress in just about everything in life. For your future, for your family, for your finances, for your career.
You can know where you want to land 3, 5, or 10 years from now.
You can paint a picture for 25 years from now.
You can cast a vision for your family legacy.
But to get there, knowing the first right step is also crucial.
I wrote about the 10 step process our clients use to get into jobs that they want and support their families. And step number 2 (which could be step number 1) is getting clarity on the job you are aiming for next.
Without that it will be very difficult to apply for a job that fits you, write a resume, ask for help or connections, get through interviews, or receive an offer.
The fact is, the hiring team wants someone who wants “the job”...
not just “a job”.
But it is more complicated than just knowing what you want to do.
♟️ STRATEGY SHIFT: What jobs could I do as a former pastor?
♟️ STRATEGY SHIFT: What jobs could I do as a former pastor?
Knowing what you want to do is a good starting point, but that isn’t complete clarity.
*You have to start somewhere. So if you don’t know what type of job you want to do next, stop reading and go to the article I wrote, “Best Jobs for Pastors: What Jobs Can Former Pastors Do After Leaving Ministry”. That will help you to narrow down what type of job would fit you.
If you already have that clarity, keep reading.
We’re not just looking for just a generic type of job. Complete clarity comes in knowing what specifically you are looking for and your skills down to the industry, job function, and level.
There are a lot (too many) job titles.
Want to be in sales?
A quick search will tell you that there are 107 different job titles for entry level sales jobs. Probably more.
Not just sales - entry level sales.
Training and Development?
Around 139.
Operations?
Project Management?
Training and Development?
You’ll find something similar. But job title does matter.
Knowing what you want to do is a good starting point, but that isn’t complete clarity.
*You have to start somewhere. So if you don’t know what type of job you want to do next, stop reading and go to the article I wrote, “Best Jobs for Pastors: What Jobs Can Former Pastors Do After Leaving Ministry”. That will help you to narrow down what type of job would fit you.
If you already have that clarity, keep reading.
We’re not just looking for just a generic type of job. Complete clarity comes in knowing what specifically you are looking for and your skills down to the industry, job function, and level.
There are a lot (too many) job titles.
Want to be in sales?
A quick search will tell you that there are 107 different job titles for entry level sales jobs. Probably more.
Not just sales - entry level sales.
Training and Development?
Around 139.
Operations?
Project Management?
Training and Development?
You’ll find something similar. But job title does matter.
Understanding the job title.
Understanding the job title.
Every job title has a mix of meanings. So let’s use Training and Development as an example.
Here are a few different examples of job titles for training and development jobs.
Training Coordinator
Learning and Development Specialist
Instructional Design Analyst
Performance Consultant
Employee Engagement Specialist
The first word or two will generally tell you what department the job falls under:
Employee Engagement is more likely to fall under HR.
Training might fall under product or customer success.
Learning and Development might be its own department.
Each department will have its own set of norms and values and will engage the interview process differently.
Those words will also key you in on the function of the job:
Employee Engagement is likely about… employee engagement.
Training will be more about on the job training
Learning and Development could be about leadership development, or career mapping, or continuing education internally, or creating powerpoints and training videos
The last word will likely tell you the level in the organization’s structure. (not every organization is structured the same)
Here’s how they normally would be structured, from lowest to highest in responsibility:
Representative or Assistant
Associate or Coordinator
Specialist or Analyst (depending on skill level and expertise, these may be paid higher than most on this list)
Manager
Director
General Manager
Vice President
President
C-Suite/Executive
Every job title has a mix of meanings. So let’s use Training and Development as an example.
Here are a few different examples of job titles for training and development jobs.
Training Coordinator
Learning and Development Specialist
Instructional Design Analyst
Performance Consultant
Employee Engagement Specialist
The first word or two will generally tell you what department the job falls under:
Employee Engagement is more likely to fall under HR.
Training might fall under product or customer success.
Learning and Development might be its own department.
Each department will have its own set of norms and values and will engage the interview process differently.
Those words will also key you in on the function of the job:
Employee Engagement is likely about… employee engagement.
Training will be more about on the job training
Learning and Development could be about leadership development, or career mapping, or continuing education internally, or creating powerpoints and training videos
The last word will likely tell you the level in the organization’s structure. (not every organization is structured the same)
Here’s how they normally would be structured, from lowest to highest in responsibility:
Representative or Assistant
Associate or Coordinator
Specialist or Analyst (depending on skill level and expertise, these may be paid higher than most on this list)
Manager
Director
General Manager
Vice President
President
C-Suite/Executive
How to get clear on where your ministry experience fits.
How to get clear on where your ministry experience fits.
Now you have a clear picture of what job titles mean.
Time to do some searching.
In order to figure out where you fit (department, function, and level), do the following in this order:
Find the department(s) you are most interested in.
See if there are jobs with functions within that department that interest you.
When you find a list of jobs, collect a minimum of 3 job descriptions for each one.
Look at the job descriptions and ask yourself:
Have I done most (70% or more) of the things on this job description before?
If so, did I enjoy them?
If the answer is not “yes” to both of these questions, then the job title is not the right one for you. If the answer is “yes” to both of these questions, mark that job as something you could pursue. We call this, “the double yes.”
Once you have done that for 3-5 different jobs that have both questions answered yes, look back at the job descriptions you picked.
If you have done 90% of the job, you likely are at the correct level of responsibility.
If you have done less than 90%, you need to move down until you can say that you have done that in your job history.
If you have done 100% of the job, you may not be shooting high enough.
Now you have clarity on the job titles that will fit you next.
Now, you can move forward in your job search with more confidence!
Side note:
I still recommend talking to people that have actually done the job before. That way you can know exactly what the job entails day to day. I break down how to easily find those people in this post: 15X Your Interview Chances After Leaving Vocational Ministry.
Now you have a clear picture of what job titles mean.
Time to do some searching.
In order to figure out where you fit (department, function, and level), do the following in this order:
Find the department(s) you are most interested in.
See if there are jobs with functions within that department that interest you.
When you find a list of jobs, collect a minimum of 3 job descriptions for each one.
Look at the job descriptions and ask yourself:
Have I done most (70% or more) of the things on this job description before?
If so, did I enjoy them?
If the answer is not “yes” to both of these questions, then the job title is not the right one for you. If the answer is “yes” to both of these questions, mark that job as something you could pursue. We call this, “the double yes.”
Once you have done that for 3-5 different jobs that have both questions answered yes, look back at the job descriptions you picked.
If you have done 90% of the job, you likely are at the correct level of responsibility.
If you have done less than 90%, you need to move down until you can say that you have done that in your job history.
If you have done 100% of the job, you may not be shooting high enough.
Now you have clarity on the job titles that will fit you next.
Now, you can move forward in your job search with more confidence!
Side note:
I still recommend talking to people that have actually done the job before. That way you can know exactly what the job entails day to day. I break down how to easily find those people in this post: 15X Your Interview Chances After Leaving Vocational Ministry.
QUICK WINS
QUICK WINS
✅ DO THIS RIGHT NOW: Step by step process for finding your best vocational job.
✅ DO THIS RIGHT NOW: Step by step process for finding your best vocational job.
Start the search for the job titles that fit you as outlined in the Strategy Section.
Find 3-5 job titles that have “the double yes.”
Find the level for 1 of those that fits you.
Start the search for the job titles that fit you as outlined in the Strategy Section.
Find 3-5 job titles that have “the double yes.”
Find the level for 1 of those that fits you.
🚀 FROM THE COACHING GROUP
🚀 FROM THE COACHING GROUP
Some of my solutions they are actually going to start acting on, and they talked to me about changing the role a bit to mold better… This is a huge win. Excited to move on to the next round!
Some of my solutions they are actually going to start acting on, and they talked to me about changing the role a bit to mold better… This is a huge win. Excited to move on to the next round!
🤝 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 566+ 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 463+ others, every Friday morning.
Rooting for you! 🚀
Todd Linder
Founder and Head Coach // Connect with me on LinkedIn
How we can help you:
The Ministry To Marketplace Coaching Program: Join 89 others that have successfully transitioned from ministry into marketplace jobs that value their experience. Our coaching program will give you our proven step by step process to getting a job faster in the marketplace, weekly coaching calls and check ins, and community with others on the same journey as you. Book a call here.
The Ministry To Marketplace Quiz: Join 474+ 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.
Want to hire someone with a ministry background? We always have 20-30 people in our coaching group who are hire ready! Email me (todd@launchpoint.co) with a link to the job description and I'll personally take a look in our coaching community for someone that fits, make sure their resume is lined up, and connect you with them directly. (completely FREE)
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