I’m a Christian who works in the stock market as a trader in the past 10 years and I’ve been working since I was 18 years old. Before the stock market, I’ve worked as a TV-Cable salesman, English teacher, full-time ministry volunteer, door-to-door sales, tele-marketing and later in the finance world with 3 different global foreign banks. From memory, I’ve had at least 50 or more job interviews experiences throughout my working experience, most of them in my new born-again life as a believer of Jesus Christ. Since most churches don’t really provide a “Christian’s guide to job interviews” manual book, I believe I should be able to help for that big upcoming job interview!

Firstly, I didn’t arrive at the stock market by myself. God called me here and He opened the door through a crazy miracle! I never expected, dreamt or foresaw myself working in the stock market, even less when I became a Christian, because we all see the stock market as the devil’s stronghold, the residence of mammon.

But today I can testify that God is working greatly in the key areas of secular culture, which many prophecies in the past decade referred to as “The 7 Mountains of Culture“, and He is actively calling His children there to become a major source of influence. He miraculously opened the door for me to enter this area of calling, and He definitely can open the door for you to enter your calling! It might be your next job interview! So let’s get prepared for that.

I think my most important advice for Christian’s guide to job interview is what happens BEFORE the interview. These things matter A LOT when you really want to have the confidence of God with you during the interview process and afterward (especially when waiting for the result!). The most important things I can mention for this part are :

How Did You Get Here?

It’s worth taking a step back and look back to how it all started, how you got to this moment in the first place. People who didn’t have answers to their past will have difficulties in seeing their future. If you could see (and be honest to yourself) how God lead you to this moment with each step in the past, you will have much more confidence walking into that interview room than if you couldn’t see where God was before this moment.

In my case as I shared in “How God Gave Me A Job In The Stock Market“, I had a very strong impression that God wanted me to go to the capital market. So when the door opened, I fully believed it was His hands that opened it and I just had to believe Him and I didn’t feel any need to “fake it” or pretend to be someone I was not, I was very confident to just come out boldly as I am during the job interview process.

Why Are You Here?

Why am I applying for this job and going into this interview? Don’t worry, it’s completely fine if you only have general answers like “This is what I studied at school/college”, “I like this job, I think what they’re doing is interesting” or even “This job pays well and I want to be able to buy a house one day for my family.” I truly believe it’s fine if you go to a job interview without first seeing an angel visiting your bedroom at night or hearing audible voice of God telling you what to do or even seeing words in a financial magazine jumped out like I did.

What I mean with “Why are you here” is YOUR HEART. Do you really know your heart and what it desires? Is your heart really seeking God or seeking to be a god? How well do you know the answer to this determines a lot of things ahead and it has lot to do with your personal spiritual life.

If you know your heart is entirely for God, but you still haven’t figured out what He wants you to do next, then it’s fine, don’t worry. Go ahead enter that job interview room and surrender everything to Him.

But if you sense your heart is trying to get something you know isn’t good in the eyes of God, such as excessive amount of wealth, easy life, popularity, glamour, meet good looking guys/girls, etc…then you should be careful and take time to wrestle with it in the Word.

Now let’s get to the serious stuff:The Interview!

What To Wear To The Interview?

How should a Christian dress up for an interview? The question almost sounds too silly to ask right, but it’s a valid and legit question to ask nevertheless.

Firstly, you need to dress properly and look respectable, but keep a sober mind that one’s self worth is not determined by what one wears. Keep in mind the success of the interview is in God’s hands, not your clothing brands.

Second, be who you are, don’t fake it or try to look or talk like someone you’re not. God needs you to be comfortable and confident in your own skin, so He can work through you. God can’t use fake people. Dress respectably, simply and modestly so you still reflect your plain personality in the mirror.

Be Early, Be Prepared!

Sometimes there’s nothing that breaks a good life testimony than simply being late! Especially with unbelievers who will scrutinize every detail of a believers’ life and attitude. BE.ON.TIME. Be early. That’s one easy win to glorify the Lord and also to enter the room confidently. In my past interview experience, I usually come 30 minutes earlier.

Be prepared with your stuff. Don’t be naive and think you can land a great job just by simply rehearsing Bible verses and saying your prayers. Your faith must translate into actions (James 2:17). I’m sorry, but if a Christian’s Guide To Job Interview says you only need prayer, I disagree. Yes Pray, but follow up your faith into actions!

Learn your stuff and be on top of it. Read research reports, understand the latest trend in your industry, learn the who’s who in your field, imagine the questions coming to you and how to answer. Prepare hard, but keep your trust in the Lord. God will move when you move in your faith.

Prepare To Be Brutally Honest

In my entire career experience, I’ve learned that it’s always better to say openly what you really think than pretending or making stuff up. Of course we try to do this as polite as possible, but in the end you have to be open about what you think..sometimes even brutally. Let our Yes be Yes and our No be No.

We can prepare a great script to handle all the possible questions, but we must be careful not to slip into lies or soft denial of crucial topics. For example, if we’re asked about our faith or belief, we must be ready to give a possible brutal honesty and not holding it back. I personally believe this also applies when we’re asked about our past failures or maybe our family’s. In interviews I’ve had in my senior years, I’ve become very open about my past failures and I personally feel it represents me better and somehow makes me feel more confident – which the interviewers usually can feel. 

In a job interview, it’s crucial that we always remember about honesty, as it’s often determines the quality of our integrity. And integrity for a Christian is like the sun to the earth. It’s everything. A good name is better than fine perfume (Ecc 7:1). 

I have more to write and share, but maybe let me know what you wanna know? I’m happy to share and discuss. Let me know if I should write a “Christian’s guide to job interview PART 2”!