Purpose Launch

What Employers Want – Advice from the Pros

Mike — Thu, 05 Apr 2012 14:18:08 +0000

1. Master Self-management
2. Be a team player
3. Have an awareness of general business principles like “Don’t spend more than you have.”
4. Know how to serve customers. Think “win-win.”
5. Be a Problem solver
6. Master communication and literacy
7. Maintain a resilient and positive attitude
8. Keep a ‘can-do’ approach,
9. Maintain a readiness to take part and contribute
10. Have an openness to new ideas
11. Foster a drive to make things happen
12. Strive for an entrepreneurial spirit
13. Seek an innovative approach to business and projects
14. Value and nurture creative thinking
15. Stay on the cutting edge and bring fresh knowledge to the discussion
16. Willingly challenge assumptions
17. Show up on time
18. Remember late projects in real life can get you fired
19. Be honest
20. Arrive early, stay late – work!!
21. Don’t forget no one owes you anything – you earn it
22. Understand that to get respect, you give it
23. Learn to spell
24. Act your age or older
25. Grow your vocabulary and leave out the slang

This list is compiled from a blog on LinkedIn contributed to by career counselors and employers in today’s marketplace.

Got Swag?

Mike — Mon, 26 Mar 2012 21:55:38 +0000

“Swag”—I like that word. It’s fun, current, and catchy. It has basically been culturally defined as the way a person presents himself. They say that your swag is the sum total of your overall style, reputation and demeanor. It’s a mixture made up of many things including appearance, attitude, approachability, and life-style. So…you ask, what’s swag got to do with my future, my ministry, my life-work?

Swag is what people think about you. It is the one or two word definition that most often pops in the mind of others who see you. Cool, fun, crazy, or even flirt could all be one word summaries of your swag. Remember, swag is important because we each need a network to help us move forward in life. We need friends and relationships to connect us to opportunities, give recommendations, help us find jobs and ministry opportunities. If your swag is negative ( cocky, insensitive, depressed, self-absorbed, sloppy, lazy etc.), you can hurt yourself in the long run.

Think about it. What’s your swag? Ask your friends and family.

Oh sure, you’ve got swag, but what is it?

Marketing and Your Career. An Analogy Worth Considering

Mike — Fri, 11 Nov 2011 16:45:40 +0000

Part 1 – Product Development

I am not a marketer by trade. However I have always had to dabble with it in regard to the various roles I have played in life. I may not remember much from my college days and marketing classes, but I do remember the four Ps of marketing—Product, Price, Promotion and Place. Interestingly enough, if the job hunt or career search is thought of in these terms, there are many parallels.

When pursuing a job, the job hunter becomes the product in a real sense, endeavoring to sell himself for a salary or wage. He will use various promotional techniques in the resume, cover letter, and interviewing process. His desire is to accomplish the purpose of finding a job in the place he wants to live and also fits best in regard to his unique design. In my next several entries, I want to focus on the four Ps with this analogy in mind.

First of all, let’s take a look at you as a product. Did you ever notice that Apple does not need a sales force to sell their IPhone? No one calls you with tempting buy-one-get-one-free offers begging you to try one for thirty days. Instead people stand in line outside of the Apple store just to get in. Why? Because the IPhone is a superior product. As a job-hunter, you need to assess yourself from an employer’s standpoint. Are you a good product for his money? How can you enhance your marketability by increasing your product value? The better product you are, the less you’ll need to focus on promoting, selling yourself, and even begging for the price or salary you need.

With that in mind, here are a few ways to boost your showroom value.

Gain experience. Volunteer. Secure part-time work. Participate in continuing education-type workshops to enhance your transferable skills and areas of special knowledge. Anything you can do to gain experience is important. Do investigative research on needed skills for the particular career you are interested in and then pursue online classes in that area. Need to know more about human behavior, budgeting, or managing projects? Take a class.

Whatever your passions, look for ways to utilize and develop them, even at home or at personal expense. Depending on your actual career pursuit, you can even start your own business. Build websites, start a blog, submit articles for magazine publication, remodel your bathroom—the possibilities are endless.

Get certified or credentialed. Looking to do auto work, serve in home health care, or sell make-up? Chances are, whatever the pursuit, there is a national group that provides certification. Research to find the best certifying agent and become a “certified” home health care professional, mechanic, etc. If there is no certification available, increase your qualifications by doing local workshops on a topic related to the field you are interested in. Write a pamphlet or gain a following on a blog in your knowledge area. All these ideas can help prove to people that you have qualities in these areas.

Almost every career involves good communication skills. Once again, do some research and look for ways to enhance these skills in specific provable ways. Find the best options for how the abilities are needed in your career of interest. Perhaps you will need to teach a Sunday school class, conduct a workshop on making photo albums, or develop PowerPoints for sale on a presentation website. Choose to do whatever avenue you like. In the process you gain verifiable communication skills.

Finally, build a network. Join local groups that revolve around your desired career. It may be a Rotary club, golf club, cooking club, pastor’s fellowship or Habitat for Humanity. If you enjoy an interest, there probably is a group in your area who meets to chat about it. These are great occasions to make contacts that can help you secure a job at some point in the future.

Enhancing the product, promotion, and price negotiations becomes a whole lot easier.

Consider Your Destination AND Your Direction

Mike — Tue, 15 Feb 2011 21:00:54 +0000

What do you want your destination to be? A lot of people want to talk about the destination. They want to talk about when they get married, they want to talk about when they get a job, they want to talk about when they get a house, finish high school, finish college, get their first car, and on we could go. However it is more important to think about all these things in relation to the kind of person that you want to be at that point. What kind of person will you be as a husband or wife, what kind of employee will you be, will you finish high school and college as a success? Thinking of your character and personal life when you reach these destinations will help you live your life now and understand what God’s will is now.
All the particular destinations listed above, don’t just happen one day. They’re part of a path, they’re part of a road, and the right road, someone once said, always ends up at the right place. Part of the process in considering your destination is determining where you are right now and the direction you are headed. Those two go hand in hand. If I spent all my time chatting and thinking about my destination of Six Flags over Mid-America while taking a trip and yet never considered where I was starting from or what direction I should go, chances are I wouldn’t make it to my destination. Perhaps I got started toward Six Flags but didn’t assess my direction along the way or consult a map, again, I’d probably not end up at Six Flags.
What direction are you headed? Are you headed towards being a godly husband or wife? Are you headed towards being a good hard worker? Are you headed towards being the kind of person that fulfills your obligations and thus brings glory to God in the future roles you’ll play? Are you headed towards being the kind of person who knows how to control your fleshly appetites and desires? Are you the kind of person right now who is headed toward being able to stand before the judgment seat of Christ and not bow your head in shame looking at wood, hay and stubble? The way you are living right now on a regular basis tells you the direction you’re headed. Take some time to assess. Ask a parent or a friend how what direction they think you’re headed. Will the path you’re on consistently right now lead to the destinations you really want in the future or do you need to correct your course a bit?
So often we think of God’s will as being the particular college you’re going to go to, the particular guy or girl you’re going to marry, the particular career that you’ll find yourself in, but God’s will encompasses so much more than that. Ninety-five percent of God’s will for our life is already right in the Bible. When we’re allowing God to accomplish that ninety-fine percent in our life, following His lead, obeying and making necessary corrections when we fail, the other 5% really just begins to start falling in place. Before you know it, you’ll be at the destination you’ve been anticipating. Sometimes the problem is that we spend so much time focusing on that 5% of the specifics of the career, and the college and the mate and all those things, that we lose the focus of the 95%. Where do I really want to end up in life? Wherever that destination is, if you are a Christian, you need to access the direction you’re headed now. The right road leads to the right place.

You can be whatever you want to be. Fact or Fiction?

Mike — Fri, 08 Oct 2010 19:38:16 +0000

I used to dream of being an electrical engineer, but I wasn’t good at math. I dreamed of being an artist, but I couldn’t draw. I dreamed of being a spy, but I probably talk way too much. In his book Strengths Finder, Tom Rath compiles ten years of research by the Gallop organization to again prove what we already know from God’s word. He puts it this way in his book, “You cannot be anything you want to be—but you can be a lot more of who you already are.” God said it through Paul long before Mr. Rath said it. In 1 Corinthians 12, Paul explains that each person is given spiritual gifts by God. Each gift is important. His analogy of spiritual gifts being like parts of our body implies that each part needs to function with the strengths it has been given. The eye should not try to be the ear and visa-versa.
Often the conventional wisdom in America is that you can be anything you want to be if you just try hard enough. The idea is that you should strive to overcome your weakness and after time, energy and effort, you will excel in that area. In his book, Strengths Finder, Rath alludes to the movie Rudy in which the main character works like crazy for several years in order to overcome his natural weaknesses and gain a few minutes of national attention when he was able to play for Notre Dame’s football team. The author makes the point that if Rudy would have put all those hours of persistent pursuit and effort toward excelling at his strength’s instead of trying to overcome his weakness, just imagine what Rudy could have accomplished.

Now, let’s think again about the Biblical analogy. If the eye tries to overcome its weakness in hearing or the ears try really really hard to see, the body would not be helped. If instead, each does that for which God made, strengthened and intended it, the body flourishes.
The point is that each of us has been given gifts of strengths and abilities by God. Find out what your strengths are and use your energy and effort to utilize those strengths for the glory of God and the good of others. Don’t get discouraged or frustrated about your weaker areas (obviously I am not referring to character weakness or sinful weakness). Don’t compare yourself with others or be jealous of their gifts, but instead understand that God has a plan to use you and your strengths for His Kingdom and glory. Furthermore, you’ll be most fulfilled when you are operating and utilizing the strengths you have been given. When you are being who you are and not striving to be something you are not in relation to your strengths and gifts,you are on the right road toward usefulness and enjoyment in life.
Pick up a copy of Strenghs Finder and take the online test to find out more about your personal strengths. You may also want to take a spiritual gifts test online by clicking here.

God’s will for your future? You already know more than you think you do.

Mike — Tue, 05 Oct 2010 17:31:04 +0000

Statistics show that 80% or more young adults entering college do not know what to major in. Over 50% change their major at least once during their college adventure. If you are currently wondering what you are going to do for a career, what you are going to major in, what God’s will for your life looks like, then you are in the clear majority of people your age. Don’t sweat it.
However, with all the uncertainty, there are some things you do know about God’s will for your life. Perhaps you haven’t really considered these realities too much in relation to higher education and your college selection. As a Christian, you know that you want to be a godly husband or wife. You know you want to be a parent who knows how to bring up your children in God’s ways with Biblical wisdom and direction. You know you want to be an active church member who can serve by teaching Scripture, offering basic Biblical counsel and discipling others effectively. In the big picture of life and eternity, aren’t these actually the most important parts of your life? Our attention to and effectiveness in areas of family, church, the Great Commission and the glory of God are some of the biggest things we’ll give account for.
If those truthes ring true in your heart and mind as you consider them. If those realities about your future under the direction of God’s will seem non-negotiable, then why not begin thinking about the preparation for your future in light of the clear knowledge of God’s will you already have? Would it not be wise to seek higher education and preparation for your future that enhances and educates you formally and systematically to be a better Christian? Yes, you will be called to a career, but you have already been called to be a godly Christian. Unless you already feel adequatley prepared spiritually, continue to pursue this part of God’s will in your higher education at a good Christian college. Choose a school where you’ll be better prepared for service and educated in spiritual knowledge and wisdom. Go where you know your inner-man will be strengthend and challenged. As you pursue, He promises to continue to direct your pathes in areas that in reality are of less importance although very signifigant. “In all your ways acknowledge Him and He will direct your pathes. Prov. 3:6

Winners and Losers – A quick comparison list for self-evaluation

Mike — Mon, 20 Sep 2010 18:22:22 +0000

Winners

Industrious – use time wisely
Have logical reasons if things aren’t done
Listen to Advice
Accept Responsibility
Are Courageous even in fear
Others focused
Act
Set goals and pursue them
Persevere in difficulty

Losers

Are Lazy and waste time
Have flimsy Excuses
Rejects Advice
Pass the Blame
Are Cowardly
Self focused
React
Remain Average

What’s Wrong When God Seems Distant or Gone?

Mike — Mon, 20 Sep 2010 16:09:27 +0000

Job said it; “Look, I go forward, but God is not there, And backward, but I cannot perceive Him; When God works on the left hand, I cannot behold Him; When God turns to the right hand, I cannot see Him. (Job 23:9) David said it; How long, O Lord? Will You forget me forever? How long will You hide Your face from me? How long shall I take counsel in my soul, having sorrow in my heart daily? (Psalms 13)

The truth is that we all have these thoughts and feelings. Perhaps parts of this list describe your life and feelings about God and your spiritual life at times.

• You don’t get much out of church.
• You don’t feel like reading your Bible like you did before.
• You hardly ever pray.
• That great feeling . about your relationship with God after summer camp just isn’t there any more.
• You pray and read your Bible, but it seems like it doesn’t help or have any results.
• Life is tough and God seems to be uninterested in helping.
• You are slipping further into sin and sinful habits.
• You wonder if God really cares like everyone says he does.
• You feel bored with God and spiritual things.

There are plenty of times in life when we just don’t seem to sense God in our lives. It can be frustrating, discouraging or even kind of scary. As I have gone through these times or talked with others over the years, God has led me to see several reasons for this difficulty. I’ll list them below with a short explanation, scripture and suggestion for help. As you read through them, ask God to speak to you and help you understand why you are experiencing what you are going through.

Salvation Issue –
• 1 Corinthians 2:14 But the natural man receives not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are
foolishness unto him: neither can he know [them], because they are spiritually discerned.
• Romans 3:11 There is none that understandeth, there is none that seeketh after God.
• Proverbs 15:29 The LORD [is] far from the wicked: but he heareth the prayer of the righteous.
• Answer: Be Saved today.

Sin issue –
• Psalms 66:18 If I regard iniquity in my heart, the Lord will not hear me:
• Ephesians 4:30 And grieve not the holy Spirit of God, whereby ye are sealed unto the day of
redemption.
• Answer – Confession and Repentance

Seeking issue –
• Psalms 119:2 Blessed are they that keep his testimonies, and that seek him with the whole heart.
• Jeremiah 29:13 And ye shall seek me, and find me, when ye shall search for me with all your heart.
• Rev. 3 – You have left your “first love” for another “love”
• Yourself (TV, computer, friends, fun, excitement,…)
• A relationship
• Sports
• Answer – Seek God with all your heart. Read Psalm 63 for some more thoughts on this.

Sense Issue
• Ps 34:18 – The Lord is near the broken-hearted.
• We don’t always “feel” God is near. God knows that when our heart is broken, we don’t necessarily feel
his presence, so He uses verses like this to promise us it is true even though we don’t feel it.

Serving Issue
• My soul longeth, yea, even fainteth for the courts of the LORD: my heart and my flesh crieth out for the
living God. (Psa 84:2)
• This passage talks a lot of needing strength for the battle and implies action, service, and fighting the
battle
• When we are not serving, we no longer feel the need to be close to God
• We get bored with the training and the learning if we aren’t “playing the game.”

Sovereignty issue – Catastrophic events, unanswered prayer, the prosperity of the wicked….
• Examples in Scripture are Lazarus – John 11, Asaph – Ps 73. Job 23, even Jesus – Luke 22
• Remember that God’s ways are not our ways and His mind and methods are beyond our comprehension.
Don’t assume He is absent when life is flipped upside down. When you can’t trace His hand, Trust His
heart of love for you.
Answers from the passages listed above:
• Martha went to meet him. – Keep pursing God in prayer and reading His Word, listening to sermons etc.
Mary sat still. Martha saw the Power of God
• Asaph went into the sanctuary. He spent time seeing the “big picture” of God’s plan and eternity.
He saw the justice of God.
• Job rehearsed and meditated on truths He knew to be true about God.
In the later chapters of Job we see how He saw the knowledge and sovereignty of God.
• Jesus prayed and submitted to His Father’s will, knowing his Father’s heart and love.
• See Isaiah 49:14-16 for more thoughts and help.

To wrap up, here are some questions to ask yourself and let the Holy Spirit help answer.

• Are you truly a Christian?
• Is Habitual Sin robbing you of fellowship?
• Are you really seeking God with your whole heart?
• Do you need to stop looking for a feeling?
• Do you need to “Exercise” and serve more?
• Do you need to pray for grace to “trust the heart of God?”

God will never leave or forsake his children. It may feel like it, but He never will.
If you have additional ideas or thoughts about this topic, please feel free to share them with me and others by commenting below. God may use your experience to help encourage others.

College Choice. Best Fit or Best Deal?

Mike — Tue, 06 Jul 2010 17:23:15 +0000

When it comes to avoiding exercise, I have many excuses. One classic defense is that my running shoes hurt my feet. The fact is that when I got those shoes, they were cheaper than the ones that really worked for me. I soon discovered that the best deal is not always the best fit. As you contemplate and pray about your college selection, remember that just because one college is a better deal doesn’t mean that it is God’s will or the best fit for you.
The best deal may have a lower price, be closer to home, and have fewer or more rules. Maybe the best deal has more students or better food or even more guys or girls to offer as a future spouse. Maybe it seems like the best deal because all your friends will be going there. Just as with my shoes, the best deal may not be the best fit. Which is really more important?
The best fit is the college that is most compatible with your personal goals for the future. If your goal is to become equipped for ministry and learn what it means to live a life of abandonment for God’s glory, the best fit will mix sound academics (taught by passionate, knowledgeable professors with a biblical worldview pervading every subject) with a pursuit of God that is encouraged and practiced in the lives of those who surround you. The best fit offers you balanced structure that enhances the biblical principles that you have learned at home, church, or Christian school—or provides structure in a way that you might not have had the opportunity to experience. The best fit is where you will feel loved as an individual and will be personally discipled by a faculty and staff you trust. Remember that the best fit probably won’t seem like the best deal because real spiritual growth and learning are never easy. They require a willingness to die to self and to follow Christ. Don’t miss out on the opportunity for the best spiritual growth and education for your future by choosing—like me and my cheaper shoes—the best deal over the best fit.
Continue to pray about what college is the best fit for you. Visit the colleges you are interested in, take a good look, and ask a lot of questions. We hope Northland is a college you are strongly considering. We would love the opportunity to challenge you academically, give you the tools you need for your future ministry, and walk alongside as you discover what God can do through you as you yield yourself to Him. In the end, when you consider the investment and its potential returns, the best fit is the best deal.

What is most important to you when considering your college choices?

What About Being Homesick?

Mike — Thu, 27 May 2010 20:33:40 +0000

Saying goodbye to people you love is never easy. Don’t be worried if you are feeling uneasy about it. Often God calls us to leave our comfort zones and step out away from family and friends. He asks us to leave those who have provided love, care, and companionship in order to teach us a simple and crucial although difficult lesson. He wants us to learn that He is enough.
Sure with new places, there will be new relationships and there should be. God works through people and relationships, however, in the long run, nothing is better than the mighty waves of separation from human support which wash us up upon the Rock of our all sufficient God.
I remember a particular time of loneliness and feeling discouraged. I was praying and asking God to send some friend to encourage me, maybe a call or email from home – even a Facebook message or text. Instead what I found was (Psalms 62:5-8) which says:
My soul, wait thou only upon God; for my expectation is from him. He only is my rock and my salvation: he is my defence; I shall not be moved. In God is my salvation and my glory: the rock of my strength, and my refuge, is in God. Trust in him at all times; ye people, pour out your heart before him: God is a refuge for us.

The Lord applied that to me and reminded me that He is enough. Sure he often uses others, but I needed to run to Him first, talk to Him, read His words to me and allow His Spirit to speak to me. Instead I had become too dependent on human relationships instead.
This was a great lesson for me to learn those years ago. There have been many situations in life since where no human relationship could answer the questions or meet the need. Sometimes they weren’t even available but I remembered that God is enough and my expectation must be from Him alone
.
It was a great life lesson that it took a little separation anxiety to learn. Remember, as someone once said, Happy is the man who feels that all he has, all he wants, and all he expects are to be found in his God.