I've used your website as an aide in the development of a resume, and for advice concerning the job search and interview process.
Chris Freeland

 

Compelling and Attractive
Stand out from the Crowd

Here are David's unvarnished, personal perspectives on great resumes. These are some of the "all time great" resumes that have been sent to David and are used with permission. David has hired scores of Ministers and looks at hundred of resumes each year. Also, check out these pages:

• How to hire staff―XPastor's perspective on how churches hire staff
• Resume and job search tips from About.com
• Resume and career advice from Monster.com

Now, for some great resumes ...

Petar Nenadov

Petar began with the standard and boring two page black and white resume. As he evaluated what he wanted to do, he opted for an avant-garde style.

He reduced the size of his resume to one page. In the land of color, Petar went for a striking black and white resume. He used straightforward text, fewer words rather than more words and a stunningly simple design. The use of the black call out box works quite well. Check out the old version and the new one.

 

Claudio Priolo

Claudio and I met an at XP-Day in Chicago. He is a "go getter" who wanted to meet for breakfast before the event. We got to know each other and have enjoyed talking about great ministry. When it came time for Claudio to put together a resume, he sent me a copy. His first version had three pages of text and a final page with a family photograph. It weighed in at a whopping 23.1 megabytes! Check out the difference between the old version and the new one

Claudio looked at the great resume page and totally renovated his resume. There are some great artistic elements now, which add visual clarity to his message. The reader can easily see what Claudio stands for and what his gifts are. His experiences is clearly put forward and one gets an good idea of his giftedness as an XP.

In the final resume, I opened it in Adobe Acrobat Profession and reduced the file size for him. Always do this! It cut the "unused bytes" by about a third or half (by the way, when I did this with his original resume, it went from 23.1 megabytes to 225 kilobytes!)

 

Paul Hofstetler

This is a resume that Realtime Republic Design has redone. Check out the difference between the old version and the new one.

Paul is a missionary returning to the states. His first version was a real "snooze."

He needed to: draw attention to his main points, have a sense of purpose and direction, add some color, add a photo and make it stand out from the crowd!

 

Evan Miller

Here is a young guy who wants to serve Christ. Evan sent me his resume and asked for some advice.

I said, "Evan, give your resume a make-over. Dress it up so that people can easily see your experience and abilities."

He got back to me with a revised resume. Take a look and enjoy his fine work.

• Was hard to read, lots of detail, not well organized
• Had a photo that needed improvement
• Created a resume that looks creative, which is what I would want in a youth pastor
• Organized the material so that it flows. I can follow his thinking better.
• Has his contact information on every page. This is great!

Evan shows what cane be done a resume with some hard work, creative thinking, and good graphics.

 

Walt Pitman

Walt's XP resume has experience in a large church of 1,000 and a super large church of 5,000. Walt is doing what more and more have found great: he is using his own website to bring together all sorts of professional information about himself, walt.pitman.com

• Creative use of color
• Great quotes in the side margin to know what Walt values
• Helpful listing of his skills and abilities as documented by the SIMA (System for Identifying Motivated Abilities) process
• Some people include information on their spouse, as Walt did here. It is something to consider in building your resume
• Also note that the e-mail links and web site links are active in the pdf version. This is a nice touch.

 

Rob Bollinger: XP Resume

Rob has an extremely strong resume. Most ministry resumes are now running 4-6 pages and his is right at the 6 page limit. I see many resumes and this one is a standout.

• The first page is extremely clear and has an amazingly warm family photo.
• The resume is colorful and graphically driven without taking away from the substance
• Rob's experiences are strong and his tenure in his positions is lengthy, a real plus.
• He developed powerful concepts to summarize his talents and abilities.
• This resume makes it easy to get to know Rob.
• Out of one hundred resumes, this one will be remembered.

 

Amanda Herron: a Children's or Family Ministry Position

Amanda's old resume was plain and colorless. She wants to work with kids and parents, so how should she present herself? Take a look at her new resume.

• Amanda added a color theme.
• She added a color photo.
• She put the resume in Adobe Reader format. The old one was in Word. Remember that Word can look quite different on other peoples computers. Fonts and spacing can change dramatically.
• Amanda also created a separate document of ministry photos (because of child protection issues of the images, that document is not available on the web).
• One suggestion would be to put her contact information on page 2. You always want your name and e-mail address on every page. Put them in the footer on pages 2 and following.
• While many ministry resumes are four to five pages, Amanda was concise and utilized two pages.

The result is a resume that does a great job of positioning her for a terrific ministry position. It lets the reader know of her gifts and experiences.

 

John Allison: Worship Pastor Resume

Since writing the comments for Buzz Matthews (below), I have come across another example of simple elegance. John Allisons' resume, like John, is articulate and thought provoking:

• Demonstrates the heart of an artist
• Illustrative background images on each page-stunning Words outline his face.
• John's abilities and diversity shine in this resume
• "I went to his web site, listened to his music & called him immediately"
• Terrific use of a personal web site (the wave of the future for all ministry applicants)

 

Buzz Matthews: Youth Pastor Resume

In the last five years, I have reviewed over one thousand resumes as I fill staff positions. Only twice have I asked a potential candidate for permission to post his/her resume on XPastor. Buzz Matthews' resume is outstanding with a simple elegance:

• Superlative photo-not your typical mug shot
• Different background images on each page-stunning
• Core competencies that spoke without shouting: "missional," "theological and biblical orientation, arts and creativity."
• Articulate, biblical, defined, purposeful, aesthetic

 

Judd Dickey: XP Resume

Judd's resume is clear and articulate. He combines good graphics, photos and text. His education is a strong asset for an XP role, as is his business background.

Judd uses the 5 Functions to explain how he can help a local church.

The first page is strong, with more primary information on the second page. The third and fourth pages contain data that "I will read if I am interested in him as a candidate." Page five has great references. Most ministry resumes are now about five pages and follow a similar format.

 

J.P. Gradone: XP Resume

While not as graphically appealing as the other resumes on the Great Resumes page, J.P.'s resume is a prime "executive" resume:

• Note the executive experience, going from corporate executive to Executive Pastor
• Begins with a great summary of qualifications
• Very clear grouping of employment history

 

Chris Vogelsang: Pastor of Small Groups

Chris developed the best cover page to a resume that I have seen. See the first page of his resume.

• He posts all his contact information at the top of each page. Since it is in a smaller type size, it doesn't get in the way, yet it is present! He is easy to contact.
• The crisp and professional color photo is relaxed yet polished.
• The Life Purpose clearly shares his vision for living.
• His education is on the front page, so I can easily see if he is within our preferences for a given position. The web addresses of the schools did not help me, but they are an innovative addition.
• The Experience section shares data in a flowing form. The bolded terms make it easy to read. On succeeding pages, he shared the data behind his overview paragraph by talking about each of his ministries with starting and stopping dates.

Because of this resume, Chris got an immediate phone call, which is virtually unheard of in our search process. As a candidate who lives locally, I invited him to lunch and heard his story. This resume stood out from 35 others and got immediate attention!

Because of Chris' resume, good contacts and God's providence, Chris is now the Pastor of Small Groups in a Fellowship Church.

 

John Gibson: Pastor of College

What a great resume to read! Take a look at John's original resume and then at John's revised resume:

• Great looking color picture-warm, personable and professional
• Fascinating use of key words in the left margin
• He hooks your interest on the first page
• Right on the first page, easy to get to know his personal and ministry mission
• Pages 2 and following have good, detailed information
• Contact information in the footer of each page, a nice addition for any Search Committee member

Because of John's resume, good contacts and God's providence, John is now the Pastor of College and Young Singles at Creek Baptist Church in Allen, Texas.

 

Cricket Keith: Women's Minister

• Great heart for ministry that is easy to see.
• Education on the front page is good for Search Committee with scores of resumes to look through.
• Ministry experience begins on page 1. A huge item in my hiring checklist is ministry experience, especially quality and length in one church.
• Conversion on page 3. If I like the resume enough to read to page 3, then I want to know the conversion experience.

On the basis of this great resume, Cricket got a wonderful position in ministry! Check out Cricket's original resume and also Cricket's revised resume

 

Christy McFarland: Outreach Minister

• Amazing clarity
• Superb ministry
• Distinctive style
• Easy to read
• Hireable!

Because of Christy's resume, good ministry experience and God's providence, Christy is became the Assistant Minister of Singles & Local Outreach at Northwest Bible Church of Dallas. Christy's resume

 

 

Rick Parks: 2005 & 2009

The 2005 resume for was for an Associate Director position

• Here is a resume that was e-mailed to me by Rick as a "cold call"
• Wonderfully different
• Easy to read
• Quickly see his heart
• Excellent use of Black and white
• Superb photo

Rick is now the Associate Director of Seeds International. One of their projects: "Project Seedbag provides children around the world with their own Bible, a 14 week children's Bible study, Seedlings, which covers the basic foundations of the Christian faith. Trained local teachers guide and mentor these children through the first steps of their Christian walk."
Rick Parks' 2005 resume.

Rick created a new resume in 2009. He said:

• Since 2005 my resume has changed dramatically. I am not really pursuing a new career at this moment. To make a long story short, I finally decided to do what I do best on my own and stop trying to fit the mold that I have always viewed as successful.
• To that end I am trying to develop my own business built around my passions. You will note the I borrowed a little bit from Rob Bollinger. I really like his approach. It inspired me.
• Thanks for your time David and thank-you for all the effort you have put into your website. Now that I am on the other side of the boardroom table from my pastor I often drop by and read through an article or two when I need a little guidance.