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Btw, has anyone here encountered a job that asked for "religious testimony" to be considered? I've actually seen a few of those in my job search, which immediately caused me to pass on applying... one was a Christian school that said you must submit "Testimony to the belief of Christ," which I obviously couldn't pull off honestly (and wouldn't want to). Totally legal since it was a private school, but wow! Even the school librarian has to profess a specific belief? I've seen ads for other Christian, Catholic & Jewish schools that didn't require such a thing - so obviously this place was hardcore, LOL.
I might be misunderstanding you, but it does make sense to ask if the job is AT a religious organization.
Yes, you are right, gizmo. In my attempt to be brief, I should have expanded that certain religious affiliations would expect an applicant to be knowledgeable in their teachings and practices and therefore, it would be necessary to provide such information. Unlike you, I would have no problem expanding on my beliefs. I'm not sure it would guarantee an invitation to work for them but if they want to know, I'd be happy to tell them.
Yes, you are right, gizmo. In my attempt to be brief, I should have expanded that certain religious affiliations would expect an applicant to be knowledgeable in their teachings and practices and therefore, it would be necessary to provide such information. Unlike you, I would have no problem expanding on my beliefs. I'm not sure it would guarantee an invitation to work for them but if they want to know, I'd be happy to tell them.
In the case of that Christian school, it wasn't a matter of expanding on my beliefs - it was a matter of lying about them. I'm 100% Jewish, so it would be difficult to testify my belief in Christ! I have no problem "creatively stretching the truth" for a job interview, but simply couldn't claim a belief that I don't have. And what would I do if I got the job? Pretend to be Christian forever? There go my High Holy Day vacation requests, LOL.
I put down my volunteer work at the Red Cross and what I do there, man the desk, check ins of donors, answer the phone and maintain and watch the donors after they donate in the canteen. I do this for several reasons, it shows I'm not sitting at home since I've been unemployed for 2+ years it "fills the gap" to a certain extent, I'm a certified phlebotomist looking for work so it's very relevant to those job applications, for other non-medical jobs it's shows I have current customer service, phone and organization skills.
I live in the rural deep south that is part of the bible belt and let me tell you I run across the "what church do you go to" constantly and since I don't I've also gotten the "you'll burn in hell" response (not quite in an interview but close). Quite frankly I feel my religious beliefs to be very personal and my own and would never put them on a resume. Over the last 2 years there have been several church secretary jobs and of course I did apply, one I actually got an interview that lasted all of 5 mins when they found out I wasn't a "christian".
I also include some of my hobbies- digital imaging/photography, it shows I have current graphics computer skills and I also put down extensive internet research performing Genealogy that shows I have a lot of patience, perserverance to dig for information and the skills to dig beyond the surface on the 'net.
What I don't include in my hobbies is my voracious reading habit, my love of horses and that I own a farm and manage it.
On several occasions I did mention my farm and what I do as far as pasture and timber maintence, working with the the county ag agent for soil testing, fencing knowledge etc. but I was applying to be an admin for the Ag school and admin for the county agricultural office and my "farming hobby" was relevant. Most farmers today also have outside jobs.
I tweek my resume to match key words and where I'm applying, at 60 I've done quite a lot in my life and to put it all down is stoopid, however, if the hobbies are relevent I'll write something in to show my knowledge of something specific.
I haven't had a single interview where someone asked me what church I go to.
Unless I were a mormon living in Utah I would leave it off altogether.
You're likely to give the impression that you're a suck-up.
I'd leave it off even then unless you are sure the hiring manager/HR person is LDS. I know many people in Utah who are not fans of the LDS.
When I received resumes, I didn't mind if some mentioned a religious or political organization, as long as it was relevant to the job, even tangentially. Volunteer work at a religious organization or political group can illustrate your skills, so it didn't bother me if they mentioned where those skills were developed.
What I don't like is people mentioning religious or political affiliation without any context on how it is relevant to the position. To me, it is sort of like they put it in as code for "please hire me, I'm just like you" or "please take care of one of your kind." I wouldn't reject anyone outright for it, but it would make me question their judgment.
In the end, it probably wouldn't make that much a difference to me if they were otherwise well qualified, but you never know who it might rankle.
I think it's good to include volunteer work and activity in the community. But I would leave out anything indicative of religious preferences/church membership.
And it's not always what you think it is. I taught ESL through a church organization for a while. But I wasn't in any way affiliated with that church.
I think it's good to include volunteer work and activity in the community. But I would leave out anything indicative of religious preferences/church membership.
And it's not always what you think it is. I taught ESL through a church organization for a while. But I wasn't in any way affiliated with that church.
So leave off the name of the organization and just state that you taught ESL through a charitable organization.
Every company or firm that I've worked for has strongly encouraged its employees to do volunteer work and most made matching donations to (non-religious) charities. A brief mention of volunteer work on a resume is appropriate. It shows that you are engaged with the community.
You should have no trouble mentioning an organization that is run by, or affiliated with, a religious group, if the work itself is non-religious. For example, volunteering at a thrift shop or food pantry run by church. Such organizations benefit the public at large, not just members of a particular religion.
In our church, members often go away for 18 months to do missionary work. This is not usually put on a resume, but somehow in Utah, this is usually brought up in the job interview, and usually works in favor of the applicant...
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I have no problem "creatively stretching the truth" for a job interview, but simply couldn't claim a belief that I don't have. And what would I do if I got the job? Pretend to be Christian forever? There go my High Holy Day vacation requests, LOL.
