Assignment Title: Boost your Catholic Career with Professional Development Opportunities
Course: CHMN 699 - Internship
Student: Kristine Sage
2022
Professor: Dr. Mary Smith
Liberty University
Boost your Catholic Career with Professional Development Opportunities
Looking back over my career, I’m often struck by how little I knew going into business in the
“Catholic world.” Sure, I’d been a devout Catholic all my life, but I didn’t know much about
what it truly meant to be a Catholic professional. Thankfully, I’ve been blessed to have many
mentors and Catholic professional development opportunities over the years that have allowed
me to hone my skills and become the professional I am today.
Upon reflection, however, I’ve realized that many of my skills have actually developed from
secular or seemingly unrelated experiences that I’ve been able to repurpose for ministry use.
If you have the opportunity to participate in professional development specifically for
Catholics in your field, I highly recommend it! However, potential Catholic employers are also
often interested to see the skills and professional development you bring from your previous
experiences, even in secular fields, and how that outside perspective could benefit their
ministry. These will be hugely helpful when it comes time to write your resume.
Professional development opportunities also give you tangible experiences to discuss at a
job interview. Many common interview questions invite an applicant to illustrate ways that
they have used particular skills or reacted in past situations, and professional development not
only proves dedication to your work, but also provides these concrete examples you can use in
an interview.
So what professional development opportunities should Catholic professionals be on the
lookout for? Here are some unique ways to gain Catholic professional development.
1. Brush up on your marketing skills
One of the reasons communication is so valuable is because it is the root of marketing, the
work that convinces someone to take an action on a product or service. Employees who can
communicate well help forward this mission, even if they aren’t part of the marketing or
communications team.
So why is marketing a helpful skill for Catholic professionals? Just replace that product or
service with Jesus, and you’ve got yourself evangelization.
I would argue that every Catholic organization can find its root in evangelization. Thus, as
a Catholic professional, marketing skills prove you can use evangelize not only about the
prospective ministry, but also about Christ. That alone can set you ahead of the rest of the
pack.
Unique marketing professional development opportunities:
Volunteer to run the social media account for your parish or a favorite company.
Subscribe to newsletters or podcasts about email marketing that will help you keep up
on the latest spam laws.
Try to convince a friend to take action about a product or service, even if you receive no
financial gain from it.
2. Plan an event for Catholic Professional Development
Being able to discuss your past experiences in event planning allows you to practically and
succinctly illustrate many of your “soft skills”: time management, organization, teamwork,
ability to conceptualize ideas and plan for the long term, and creativity.
Don’t worry if you only have secular event planning skills: you can still use that experience
to leverage a Catholic job opportunity. Attention to detail, keeping calm under pressure, and
remembering to plug in the microphone are skills relevant across fields.
Unique event planning professional development opportunities:
Present a parish event idea to your pastor and volunteer to organize it.
Become a speaker or presenter at an upcoming conference, and keep a record of how
you prepared for it.
Coordinate a networking event in your area to meet fellow Catholic professionals (and
potential employers).
3. Build your business acumen
Oftentimes, churches and Catholic organizations will shy away from business practices. It
seems to contradict serving others, but that method simply isn’t sustainable.
Whether you have a background in finance, office management, entrepreneurship, or even
design, bring those skills up at an interview! Many churches and Catholic organizations are
beginning to realize how essential business management skills are to successfully fulfill their
mission. Thus, Catholic hiring managers are specifically seeking candidates who can bring those
skills, while keeping in mind that personal gain is not the goal.
If business hasn’t been your forte in the past, but you’re looking to grow in this area, there
are so many opportunities for you to grow your skills!
Unique business professional development opportunities:
Shadow a small business owner for a day and see what it is like to be an entrepreneur.
Check out your local Chamber of Commerce; they may have training for aspiring
business professionals.
Put your business skills to work for practical experience! Volunteer to prepare taxes for
the elderly and disadvantaged. Conduct a business plan for your local crisis pregnancy center,
or organize a community fundraiser.
5. Join a professional organization
I cannot emphasize enough how valuable professional groups have been to my
development as a Catholic professional.
Joining Catholic professional groups, particularly online Facebook groups, have helped me
stay on top of current trends, learn new skills, and constantly challenge me to keep growing in
my field.
More importantly, however, it has allowed me to be inspired by so many wonderful people
doing great things for Christ.
Being part of a professional organization, either in person or online, tells a Catholic hiring
manager that you take your continued education seriously. It also illustrates that you know
other experts in your field who you can bounce ideas off of.
Unique professional development groups for Catholics
Young Catholic Professionals
Catholics Online
Legatus
Catholic Creatives
Catholic Writers Guild
6. Educate yourself on Catholicism
Working for a Catholic organization does not mean you have to know everything about the
Catholic faith. However, understanding the essential theology around Jesus Christ and the
Church’s teachings is important to obtain a position in religious ministries.
You don’t have to have a master’s degree in Theology to be qualified for every Catholic job,
however. Thankfully, there are so many free, popular theological courses and offerings for laity.
Plus, mentioning these Catholic organizations during an interview is like a secret code that
you actually know your stuff. Being able to discuss your favorite Scott Hahn book or Fr. Mike
Schmitz video will prove to the interviewer that you are serious about this position and
upholding the culture of the organization.
Unique theological (and free!) development resources:
Alpha or Discovering Christ series
Ascension Presents
Formed.org
Word on Fire
7. Don’t neglect your faith
Soon after I started my career in Church work, I noticed myself begin to burn out. My faith
was now associated with work. Mass attendance became just an extension of the work week,
and prayer was like taking work home.
That’s when I realized the importance of feeding myself spiritually before I spent my day
trying to do the same for others.
A job candidate who places a large emphasis on prayer understands the importance of
continually developing his or her faith life and is less likely to burn out.
Even attending a retreat could be considered Catholic professional development for your
soul!
So when a person demonstrates they take time to feed themselves spiritually, it indicates
to a hiring manager that he or she is dedicated to faith and takes steps to prevent burn-out.
Unique soulful professional development opportunities:
Attend a silent retreat or a Catholic conference aimed at professionals.
Sign up for a weekly slot at your Adoration chapel. Bring some of your faith-based work
to allow Christ to be a part of it.
Write a prayer to say before you begin work each day.
8. Catholic-specific professional development opportunities
Want to really wow your Catholic employer? While Catholic-specific professional
development opportunities can be rare, participating in one shows you are really dedicated to
your new position and already have the training that comes along with it!
