What Can You Do About A Tedious Job Search?

“The Israelites ate manna forty years,
until they came to a land that was settled;
they ate manna until they reached
the border of Canaan.”
Exodus 16:35

Here we go again; same song, different verse. Tedious. Tiresome. Monotonous. Futile. Ever feel that way? While you were working, it was, “Another day, another dollar” type of repetition? Even with your job search, it can be a… “Nothing new under the sun” kind of activity.

The Israelites had that same boredom. They wanted a new diet, a new cookbook, anything that didn’t start with “manna.”

When life takes on this kind of sameness, it’s difficult to attain any meaningful peripatetic movement, placing one foot in front of the other.  It’s challenging to go through the motions, and at times, the only motivation you may feel is the tweets of the little birds in your nest demanding food.

What do you do when life becomes this monotonous and tedious?

How can you handle the necessity of doing what needs to be done, but that has not yielded much in the way of results? This calls for a new perspective:

• Adventure: Any adventure is composed of minutes of high adrenaline, frantic activity, followed by hours of drudgery, whether it’s mountain climbing, treasure hunting, or criminal investigation. God’s adventure is no different..some days are just stick by the stuff days, and such is your job search.
• Results: There are the exciting aspects of a job search. But you must leave them in God’s hands while you see to all of the mundane tasks required to produce the results. Keep your eye on the target, the results, while you do all that’s required of you.
• Evaluate: Don’t fail to evaluate your tactics. Don’t assume that you’re doing things most effectively and you just need to keep at it. Maybe your tactics could use an overhaul:
  • your résumé
  • your marketing
  • your interviewing
  • Evaluate them all, but not by yourself. Ask for others’ perspective.
• Others: Involve others in your evaluation and in other parts of your search. You need accountability, transparency, encouragement.  Mentors and support groups can provide support, but you must be open to feedback, honesty about your situation, transparency with your feelings and state of mind.

Not all adventures need to or will take 40 years. When it does take time, look at it as an adventure and focus on the results.  But don’t forget to evaluate; maybe all you need is someone to provide directions.

Lord of the long road, help me to keep my eyes fixed on You and the results You will bring, and be faithful during the drudgery.

If you would like to explore working with a Christian centered Career Coach, Contact me for a no-obligation consultation and we can discuss your situation, what you would like to achieve, and structure your job search to fit your uniqueness. I am also available to speak to groups.