This is a series of 6 articles about the different aspects of your job search…
Aspect #1: Personal Aspects of Your Search
Friends and family may offer advice on how to write your résumé or plan your job search, but this is your search.
You must do what’s right for you, not what’s right for them.
No one can decide for you what your résumé will say. No one can decide for you what marketing techniques you’ll utilize.
Only you can decide what skills and abilities best represent what you have to offer and the direction you desire to take. Your search should reflect you.
Make it your direction…
There is something to be said for determining your own direction and then pursuing it, making choices you think are best and then following through on them, crafting your own tools and then watching them work for you. Christian philosopher Blaise Pascal put it well:
People are generally better persuaded by the reasons which they have themselves discovered than by those which have come into the mind of others.”
At the same time, your friends or family may have insights you can learn from. Now is not the time for the independent, individualistic approach to life. A job search is a group effort. Others will lend their support, encouragement, and prayer. Still others will be there to push you when you grow slack, to strengthen you when you’re weak, and to challenge you to live up to your potential.
For those who forget the value of others, it’s like Charles Spurgeon said,
It seems odd that certain individuals who talk so much of what the Holy Spirit reveals to themselves, should think so little of what he has revealed to others.
You need other people, but you can’t just accept their ideas and comments unequivocally.
-
- You must think.
- You must consider.
- You must weigh.
- You must decide how the advice others provide fits with your plan, your direction, your purpose, and your approach to your search.
Is your plan realistic?
As you consider your approach, be realistic about your plan. No matter how good your strategy may be, if you know you won’t follow through, your plans are wasted. Be consistent and make plans you know you’ll follow through on. Are you ready to have a new encounter with the risen Lord in your job search, as Saul did on the road to Damascus and as Joseph did on his road to Egypt? God is ready to have an encounter with you, but he won’t force His way in. Are you ready to put in the time and energy to determine your path, to fashion your tools, to make the decisions you’ll face as you travel the road to a new job? Are you ready to listen to others, without letting them dictate your direction or choices? Are you ready to launch out on a new road without knowing what lies around the next bend?
To read about any of the other Job Search Aspects, please click on a link below:
The Spiritual Aspect
This is an excerpt from my book “The Christian Job Search Manual,” click on this link to purchase the book.
If you would like to explore working with a Christian centered Career Coach, Contact me for a no-obligation 60-90 minute job search consultation with America’s Job Searching Coach, or text me at 425-220-0707 and we can discuss your situation, your résumé, what you would like to achieve, and structure your job search to fit your uniqueness.
I am also available to speak to groups.
Comments are closed.