Have you ever looked at your job search as an adventure? It’s quite possible you would have to respond, “Yeah, right!” As in all of life, God desires that your job search be part of life’s adventure. You can join with him to see what he has in-store for you.
They say the best time to get a job is while you still have a job, and I’ve been out of work for a couple of months now. Am I doomed before I even start?”
That idea about getting a job while you have a job has been going around for years, but the practical reality is that the large majority of people don’t start looking until they know they are going to be laid off or have already been laid off. And the vast number of unemployed folks find new positions in a reasonable time from when they apply themselves and understand the process.
If you see your job search as more of a partnership with God in His adventure, as a collaboration requiring your energy and His behind-the-scenes directing, and as an integration of your ingenuity and His power, then you will be able to take the more humble approach recognizing you simply cannot do it on your own.
What’s your vision for your next job? Right now you are engaged in a job search, but that won’t always be the case. God is going to open a door and you are going to move into a new position. When that happens, what’s your vision for what you will be doing in that new job? I don’t mean your job responsibilities, the skills you will be using, or the objectives of the position. I mean how do you see God using you in that new position; what’s your vision?
In a job search, the resources you have available to you can make all the difference in whether your search is long or short, effective or ineffective, challenging or gratifying.
Here are some resources that are helpful when conducting your search.
Do you think Joseph ever had the thought that his talents were being wasted while he spent those 13 years in slavery and prison?
You may see your day-after-day job search sameness much like Joseph’s day-after-day prison term sameness. You don’t see the whole story; you can’t see what God is doing. You can’t see what God is orchestrating.
How do you handle success? When things are rough, when your job search goes on and on and on it’s easy to remember to call on God for strength, wisdom patience. But when things turn around, when you get that new job, when things are going splendidly, do you remember God at that time?
A job search is not unlike dating. Remember those teen years? Whether you dated a lot or a little, were popular or a wallflower, you probably experienced the following once or numerous times, and now you are facing it all over again in your job search…
Does your life feel like you are caught in a downward spiral that seemingly has no end? You lost your job. No opportunities have panned out. Finances are getting low. You’re behind on some bills. There’s stress and tension at home. Your prayers seem to bounce off the ceiling.
When you were growing up your self-esteem was impacted by whether you were picked last for playground games. Now it can negatively be impacted during a job search. What can you do to prevent that from happening?
