Job creation project: "Having the opportunity to create jobs is such an honour"

She has a brilliant understanding of relating the Christian faith to today’s culture, and with this, brings great wisdom to our Job Creation Project, as she shares her experiences both as an employer, as well as a jobseeker.

Ruth is based in London, where she’s been spending lockdown for the last year.

Ruth on the creation of Magnify

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Ruth created the organisation when she was in her first year studying politics at Durham University, initially as a series of events.

“Having discovered a personal faith for myself, I wanted to give my friends an opportunity to explore the Christian faith in a way that was engaging and relatable.”

However, events were expensive to run, so Ruth went on to develop a blog, and the print magazine came five years later.

“What’s been exciting to me is utilising different forms of media to communicate a message that I believe is life-transforming — but in a way that the everyday woman can understand.”

When Ruth graduated, she worked for L’Oréal and then Burberry. Being in environments that were so creative and focused on excellence was an eye-opening experience for her. Ruth then freelanced, before working voluntarily on Magnify for two years. In 2018, Ruth could begin to pay herself, and was able to hire staff.

“It’s been an exciting up and down journey over the last 12 years.”

Ruth on how Magnify flourished through the pandemic

“At the start of the pandemic I just had a sense that this was our time. We bring a message of truth, of hope, and of grace.”

Many of the women in Magnify’s target audience are ambitious professionals, who in the normal business of life might find it easy to put their trust in things other than God.

“Finally we had people’s attention because life was up-ended.”

For Magnify, 2020 was an exciting and rewarding year. From Instagram, to digital events, Magnify now reach around 30,000 people each week — a huge increase from before the first lockdown. After 11 years of sowing seeds, Magnify has blossomed.

“In so many ways I think that the pandemic was the making of us.”

Ruth on job creation

In 2020, Magnify were able to bring on new people. Some people who had previously volunteered became freelancers; freelancers turned into staff.

“I see it as such a privilege that a dream I had is now something that other people can have jobs through, and build their own dreams. I take this as a huge responsibility. People’s livelihoods depend on this vision being around and growing.”

As a non-profit, Magnify had previously had some volunteers writing blogs each week. But as so many creatives have been devastated by the pandemic, Ruth felt that was an unsustainable way to build her organisation.

“I’ve loved that through growth we are able to renumerate people for their skills and time. Having the opportunity to create jobs and reward people is something I see as such an honour.”

As a Christian, Ruth makes it a priority to demonstrate the value she believes her employees have as image-bearers of God.

“You can bestow value on people within the capacity that you have. Always be honest about what you can offer people. Invest in your people, show that you care and want them to grow and develop. When someone works two days a week and we know that eventually we’re going to need that to become a more senior role, how can we have a strategic plan to grow them into that role?”

She let me into some of the ways she relies on God when navigating the obstacles that come with running a non-profit organisation.

“I’m always asking God for provision and wisdom. I don’t care if I stay on the same salary for the next 50 years, but I would never want people to sacrifice a life that is sustainable to work for Magnify. I don’t want people to have to struggle to work for us, or want to work for Magnify but feel like they can’t afford to.”

Ruth on how the church can support Christians in the workplace

“Churches need to understand people’s working life outside of a church context. We need to honour the jobs that pay our bills. People can feel excluded from the church community if they can’t make every meeting. We want to allow people to be reliable members of staff. At the end of the day most of us interact with people who are not of faith all day long. How can we be more missional and less activity-based in the way that we do church? Being in a position of leadership at a business is a position of sacrifice and responsibility; you have to serve the people that you’ve been entrusted with, not just in your church, but where God has placed you for five days a week.”

Ruth on finding your first job 

The statistics tell us that 18 – 24 year-olds will be the hardest hit in terms of employment opportunities coming out of the pandemic. As I listened to Ruth, I couldn’t help but think that many might read this article and envy her. She had a passion, which she pursued and has managed to turn into her career. It’s what many school-leavers and graduates dream of. What advice could she share for those at the start of their working lives?

“Don’t look down on whatever job you get.”

She explained that most people put far too much pressure on themselves to land their dream jobs straight out of university.

“I remember at university in the holidays, I would have a data entry job. It was one of the most boring ways to spend 10 hours a day but I needed to earn money and that was the job that was available to me. But I see now that I learnt discipline from those days.”

Ruth has seen this in members of her team, who might come out of university with a first, but have started in a role involving lots of different things, some more boring than others.

“In your 20s, it’s more about picking up skills that you can then develop.”

She watches them grow into positions of leadership and responsibility — it just takes time. Ruth looks for people who are willing to get stuck in, learn skills and go above and beyond.

“When I think about promoting people, it’s those who are focused, diligent, have the spirit of excellence and are looking to serve other people on the team. There are very few dream roles for people who are entry level. I wish I had given myself more grace when I was 21. Rather than finding the perfect job, find an environment that you can grow and learn in.”

“At 19 I thought, ​‘I’ve started Magnify; I want to work for it full-time next year,’ and it took me eight years before I was ever paid a single penny. But I’m grateful for all the lessons I learnt in those eight years.”

Take-away

Ruth is an inspiring figure for those responsible for the employment of others, and those who are trying to enter the job market for the first time. She is a brilliant example of tenacity and discipline in following one’s ambitions and dreams, while keeping Jesus as one’s steadfast anchor and drive.

My conversation with Ruth is the second in a series of interviews I have conducted with Christians in leadership, as part of our Job Creation Project. The Evangelical Alliance seeks to encourage the church to step into the unemployment crisis wherever possible, as a means by which to love our neighbour and demonstrate the character of God to our communities.

Look out for more from the Evangelical Alliance’s Job Creation Project coming soon.