Priesthood and Relief Society Leader, Ward and Stake Employment Specialists
The Church has a new website to support ward and stake leaders who are assisting those with employment needs. The following is a brief orientation to its creation, features and use.
Extensive expansion of the Church's Employment program of the Church began in the Spring of 2000. President Hinckley directed an increase in the budget of the Employment Program by a factor of ten. By March of the following year the United States had entered into a major recession.
The recession of 2001 lasted 40 months before returning to pre-recession employment levels. The current recession has seen 24 months of increased unemployment with continued job losses expected into 2011. Many economists believe that it will be 2014 before we see pre-recession employment levels again. The church has been well aware of the temporal and spiritual consequences that this recession is having on the membership.
Last October, R. Jay Gerken (of Legg Mason ClearBridge Aggressive Growth Fund) assessed our economy in the following words, "The U.S. recession, which began in December 2007, now has the dubious distinction of being the lengthiest since the Great Depression."
Long before the current recession began, Church headquarters initiated an ambitious plan for a new comprehensive employment website, under the direction of the Presiding Bishopric. The Bishopric wanted a website that would coordinate the efforts of bishops, quorum leaders, Relief Society leaders, ward and stake employment specialists and Regional Employment Centers in assisting those with employment needs. The Beta version of this website became active the last week of October, 2009 and is currently in use. In January 2010 the website will be formally introduced to Church members across the world. Stakes are being asked to embrace this opportunity to better coordinate efforts and serve those directly impacted by the recession and subsequent unemployment.
At the April 2009 General Conference Richard C. Edgley of the Presiding Bishopric addressed the stress of these economic times. He challenged stake presidents, bishops and quorum leaders to respond to the unemployment crisis with the same sense of urgency as the early saints did in their rescue efforts of the Willy and Martin handcart companies. An excerpt from his talk is available here
The Church is effectively organized to respond to the needs of the unemployed and underemployed. However, this organization requires every man to learn his duty and then to act in his calling. The following PowerPoint presentation provides suggestions on how each member in a leadership position and welfare responsibility can effectively fulfill their calling in regards to assisting those with employment needs.
In it's current Beta version the new website is accessed at www.ldsjobs.org. At this location the user is presented with the existing classic employment page as well as with the new Beta version. On January 1st, 2010 the classic page will be discontinued and replaced with the new functionality of the Beta system.
Note that the information job candidates currently have on the classic site will NOT be transferred to the new site. For this reason it is encouraged that all current job candidates enter their data on the Beta site that is effective immediately the Church's operational employment system.
A strong feature of the new functionality is it's attractiveness to employers ...
The Church has spent a great deal of time and money on a website designed to help priesthood and Relief Society leaders assist those with unemployment needs. Part of this website is designed to bring companies and potential employees together. Employers can search resumes and profiles for the right personnel and then contact them with a simple click. Job seekers can see job postings with companies that LDS Employment Resource Services has established a relationship with and submit their applications. Additionally ward and stake employment specialists can post word of mouth jobs for distribution either within their own stake or across the world.
The Church will soon launch a marketing campaign to employers across the world, inviting them to utilize LDSjobs.org for their employment needs. Strong selling points in this marketing campaign will be:
In addition The Presiding Bishopric has a team which will personally visit with large fortune 500 companies to develop a partnership in use of the new website.
Establishing an account will require a member to include their membership number; this is available from their unit clerk or from their temple recommend. more details here for instructions on obtaining an account. In the near future all Church sites will be accessed using the same account and login for each individual. If they already have an account, such as the one they use to log onto their ward or stake website, then they will use the same login rather than create a new account.
The registration process has several options. Priesthood and Relief Society leaders as well as employment specialists should register as stake or ward employment specialists. The term specialist in this context really means “team”. Or in other words they are registering as a member of the ward or stake employment team. They will be given an opportunity to list their specific calling during the process. Needless to say, job seekers should registers as job seekers and employers and employers.
The centerpiece of the system is the Profile. It brings together in common format information of interest to potential employers. It allows employers to search for candidates with the skills and experience they need to fill a position. more details here for a quick look at the information that will be needed.
The material that follows goes into more detail to assist the job candidate in completing the entry of data for the Profile.
Your “Me in 30 Seconds” statement will introduce you to employers who visit this site. It is a simple way to present to employers a balanced understanding of who you are. It is a brief but compelling answer to the question “Why should I hire you?”
Your “Me in 30 Seconds” statement should include:
After posting your statement, review it and consider how employers might view you from this brief introduction. Share it with your quorum or Relief Society leaders and employment specialist and ask them for feedback.
In addition to posting your “Me in 30 Seconds” statement on the site, you can share it with those you are networking with and in interviews. For additional ideas on “Me in 30 Seconds” statements, attend The Career Workshop offered at Church employment centers.
A power statement is a concise statement that briefly describes the value you can bring to a company. Employers who use this site to find potential employees will be able to gain a better understanding of the contribution you could make to their company.
Your power statements should highlight strengths you have and show how you have used those strengths to achieve results in quantifiable terms. Power statements include two elements: power words and achievements.
Example:
Review your power statements with your quorum or Relief Society leaders and ward employment specialist to receive feedback. Attend the Career Workshop offered at the LDS employment resource center for additional help and ideas on how you can use your power statements.
Your target job titles are an employer’s way to match up your profile with their job opportunity. You may enter several. Using industry standard titles and descriptions will enhance the possibility of an employer finding you in the database.
Here is where you will enter your work history consisting of Job Title, the company or organization worked for and the time frame of your employment. Careful attention needs to be paid to how you address your reason for leaving your previous job.
Enter the School and field of study pursued, the degree program engaged in and whether a formal degree was earned.
Here is the place to enter the key words related to your experience and skills. Include registrations and licenses issued by the state as well as languages. Provide generic and specifics on machinery or technical applications. This information will be available for searching by employers needing specific skills.