Editor’s note: This article is sponsored by CatholicGigs.com.
Saint Josemaria Escriva wrote, “Professional work is also an apostolate, an opportunity to give ourselves to others, to reveal Christ to them and lead them to God the Father.” These words are true yet not always easy to live by during the job search process— it’s a full-time job looking for a full-time job.
Finding employment can be one of the more stressful activities in life. Over the years, I have struggled to find work that both paid the bills and gave me satisfaction. Starting The Simple Catholic blog was something I did out of a need to cope with loss and grief but also as a means to stay connected to the professional Catholic world.
The founder of Catholic Gigs reached out to me a few months ago about helping him create content for their website. I have found my writing can act as a bridge to lead others to Christ. Catholic Gigs also acts as a bridge connecting Catholic jobseekers and Catholic employers. I see this as an apostolate in fostering faith DURING the job process. Below is an interview I had with Paul Massell and Jacob Spence on the origin and journey of Catholic Gigs.
How did you come up with the idea for Catholic Gigs?
After graduating from Catholic universities, we each spent several years struggling to find employment that both aligned with our faith and provided a living wage. We ultimately decided to start our own company which offers marketing content and support primarily for Catholic organizations. One of our early ideas was to build an authentically Catholic job board to help our clients (and ourselves) find and collaborate on meaningful work.
While this project sat on the back burner for a few years, we continued developing professional relationships with a variety of Catholic organizations throughout the U.S. through the marketing work we did for them. Through these experiences, we learned a lot about the needs of Catholic organizations. We eventually met a Catholic investor who provided the seed funding that allowed us to build the Catholic Gigs site and begin sharing it with the Catholic organizations in our network, and beyond.
What makes Catholic Gigs different from other job search sites?
What makes Catholic Gigs unique boils down to our desire to build a Catholic community. Built into the site itself, as well as in all our communications with both job-seekers and employers, are a variety of features that facilitate and encourage more meaningful connections between Catholic organizations and their future employees. Our content-rich employer profiles offer insights about organizations that aren’t otherwise present in a single job description. This content includes photos and videos, background and history about organizations, and information about benefits offered to employees.
We regularly share authentically Catholic content with the goal of inspiring and motivating young Catholics to explore meaningful careers at Catholic organizations. We are also partnering with career centers at Catholic universities across the country to help match recent graduates with entry-level job openings at Catholic organizations. Beyond this, we are always attentive to
the needs of both job seekers and employers to better incorporate their suggestions into the site and the features we offer.
How do you plan to scale your business and what are your growth plans?
Our long-term vision is for every Catholic diocese, nonprofit, and Catholic-owned business to post their job openings on Catholic Gigs, but our first goal is to connect Catholic schools with recent graduates from Catholic universities to fill much-needed teaching roles.
What are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced so far and how have you overcome them?
For years we had the idea for Catholic Gigs on the back burner while we worked on other marketing projects for a wide variety of Catholic businesses and non-profit clients. While we had built an early version of Catholic Gigs, most of our attention was focused on completing work for our clients.
Providentially, one of these projects introduced us to a Catholic investor who provided us with the seed funding and mentorship necessary to fully realize our idea for Catholic Gigs. Between his insights and our track record with this market, we feel primed to develop the best solution for Catholic employers and job seekers.
A lot of our past relationships with clients already laid a great foundation for Catholic Gigs. As soon as we launched the site, we reached out to many of our past customers and invited them to this new service.
What are your future plans for Catholic Gigs and what impact do you hope to have in the long-term?
Ultimately, we hope to bridge the gap between Catholic employers and individuals who seek to do meaningful work for the Church and the world, especially those just starting out on their career. For us, that entails sharing all the wisdom and goodness we’ve experienced through our work with Catholic organizations and passing that along to those who are in the midst of discerning their life’s work.
Describe the importance of Catholic education and its impact on society.
Catholic education plays an important role in shaping individuals and contributing to society. It instills values such as faith, compassion, empathy, and respect for human dignity, which can inspire people to be active and responsible citizens. Additionally, Catholic education provides a strong academic foundation and encourages critical thinking. This can contribute to individual
success and societal progress. Furthermore, Catholic education can provide a sense of community and belonging, which can foster social cohesion and support the common good.
Explore Catholic job opportunities by visiting Catholic Gigs today!