The Vine News

If a tree falls in the middle of a forest does it make a sound? If a job seeker builds his or her personal brand on social networks but hiring managers don’t see it, does it really matter?

We live in a world of social internet exposure. From Search Engine Optimization to retweets to recommendations and blogs, social networking is all about seeing and being seen. However, if your personal branding efforts have not caught traction with decision makers, then you may be missing the mark. While I am a strong supporter of social networking and personal branding, I caution job seekers to avoid putting all their efforts into just creating an online persona. Even in an age where 77.3% of Americans are using the internet[1],Human Resources Departments are a laggard when it comes to adopting effecting social networking processes. Recruiters, however, have embraced social networking and serve as both a link between job seekers and hiring managers and as an advocate for qualified job seekers. And they are looking for YOU.

In the social networking age, I encourage job seekers to continue to work with recruiters for the following reasons:

Recruiters are a direct pipeline to job opportunities.
Recruiters serve the purpose of helping organizations find the right candidate for a job. Our current economy and new technologies such as online applications and job boards have combined to create an environment where the number of applicants per position has skyrocketed. It is a crucial advantage to have someone on your side that has the ear of prospective employers. For example, as an HR Specialist for my current employer, I recently recruited for a position posted on a reputable job board in the Washington DC area and had over 300 applicants for the position. Had I used a recruiter to help fill the position, it would be his or her responsibility to analyze each candidate and serve as the liaison between HR and selected prospective candidates. Instead, honestly, it was easier to use the application system which screens resumes and ranks individuals on fit, from 0 to 100 percent. Only the top candidates are usually screened and only a select few of those are contacted.

Which brings me to my next point…

Recruiters provide a “personal” touch.
One of the most common complaints that I hear from job seekers is that the job search process seems so cold and impersonal. Candidates hate not getting calls back and HR professionals post ads that routinely say “Please no calls about this position.” Unfortunately the process is designed that way for a reason and is not going to change anytime soon. The online job application process has made recruiting more efficient for HR. It allows us to use algorithms and screening tools to distinguish between the best and worst candidates and to capture data that we need for mandatory Federal reports and record keeping. Recruiters, on the other hand, use the old fashion method of screening resumes one by one and use their experience and “gut” feeling to reach out to potentially qualified applicants. Often times, recruiters scan online job boards and social networking sites such as LinkedIn and Twitter to find eligible candidates.

Recruiters help present you in the best light possible.
First impressions are everything in the job search process and so is credibility. Once your resume hits the desk of a hiring manager or HR staff member, you are being evaluated based on those two to three (please no more than three!) sheets of paper. A recruiter knows the needs of the company and will make sure to discuss with you the key points of the position. Not only that, but they will speak with the company regarding you and how you can help address the key points of the position. If you are a really good candidate, the recruiter serves as a trusted advocate and can help you stand apart from the rest of applicants.

So as you can see, a recruiter can help you enhance your career search by serving as a direct liaison between you and potential employers. How should you optimize your experience in working with a recruiter? Sell yourself and sell the brand that you have worked so hard to build up and establish. In your attempts to build your personal brand, ensure that you are broadcasting your efforts to recruiters and others that can help lead you to decisions makers in the hiring process. In addition, once you get contacted by a recruiter, you can list all of the strides that you have made on social networks and perhaps have it serve as evidence that you are remaining current in your field in spite of your current employment situation.

Best of luck in your career search!

Joey V. Price is an experienced Professional in Human Resources (PHR) and founder of Push Consultant Group, LLC. He has been featured in Ebony Magazine, CNN.com, Monster.com, CareerBuilder.com, and more.  Contact him on the web at www.pushconsultantgroup.com, on Twitter at www.twitter.com/pushjobs, or by email at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .

SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. --Most would agree that a church should be able to open a school to ensure that its children get an education that conforms with its religious teachings. It follows that a church should be able to employ only those teachers who actually agree with its religious principles and apply them to their lives. But this important aspect of religious freedom is now under attack, and its fate rests in the hands of the U.S. Supreme Court.

Last year, a church school in Redford, Mich., was dealt a blow to its independence from government control by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit. Hosanna-Tabor is affiliated with the Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod, and operates a church and school. All the school teachers lead weekly chapel services, teach a 30-minute religion class four days per week, lead prayer three times per day, and teach a morning devotional. In fact, most of the teachers are commissioned as ministers. So when an issue came up that prompted the church to dismiss one of its teachers, the church naturally believed that a "ministerial exception" would apply.

Courts have long recognized the "ministerial exception," which prohibits courts from getting involved in the relationship between a religious organization and its ministers. This independence (often referred to as "church autonomy") from government control is considered vital because ministers are recognized by the law as the lifeblood of the church.

While the Sixth Circuit upheld this principle in EEOC v. Hosanna-Tabor Evangelical Lutheran Church, it failed to apply it because it found the teacher in question was not really a minister. The court said she wasn't a minister because she spent six hours a day teaching secular subjects like math, social studies and music. Only an hour or so was spent on exclusively religious instruction. So the school was prohibited from firing the teacher, even though she allegedly violated church teachings regarding mediation of disputes among believers.

The court failed to recognize something even Christians sometimes forget -- our biblical worldview and Christian principles affect all aspects of our lives. That certainly includes how we teach our children all subjects -- even those that don't appear to be "religious" -- such as music and social studies. It even includes math, as demonstrated by the great mathematicians Sir Isaac Newton and Rene Descartes.

The good news is that the U.S. Supreme Court has agreed to review the Sixth Circuit's decision this year. It will be the first time the court has directly ruled on the ministerial exception, which is widely recognized by lower courts. This will likely have significant ramifications for all churches that want to employ only those individuals who agree with and abide by their church's teaching. For example, if the court doesn't get this ruling right, a church could be forced to hire someone engaged in an immoral sexual relationship to head up its daycare ministry.

Please be in prayer for this important case. The Alliance Defense Fund recently became involved in the matter at the trial level, and one of our allies, the Becket Fund, is representing the school before the U.S. Supreme Court. We will continue to work to help the court come to a decision that protects religious freedom and keeps the government out of the business of churches.
--30-
Kevin Theriot is senior litigation counsel for the Alliance Defense Fund. This column first appeared at the blog of SpeakUpMovement.org/church, an ADF resource for churches.

“When I attended Sunday School a few weeks ago, I did not imagine that I would see the faces of hunger. I lived with it briefly as a child but did not conceive the thought that hunger would be in my daughter’s Sunday School class.

Like many churches who want their congregations to expand, my church in Prince Georges County Maryland is no different in wanting more members to join. The church is located in the neighborhood of modest living citizens and very close proximity to a Talented and Gifted elementary school. Even though I work at Share Our Strength, it was beyond my imagination that hunger existed in my own church.
Here’s what brought that reality to light.

Earlier this week I asked the question "are job fairs still relevant?" The easy answer to this as an HR professional would be yes but nowadays with fairs I've attended being under-attended and lacking stellar candidates, I'm not so sure that job seekers would agree with me. That's most unfortunate because the whole purpose of a job fair is to connect businesses that have vacancies with potential candidates looking to fill them.

While job fairs tend to be under-attended, this could be a great time for you, the perfect candidate, to swoop in and shine! How, might you ask? Follow these tips: