Hire Me!

Job Hunting. It’s daunting. It’s grueling. It’s a full-time job in itself.  Needless to say, at one or many points in your life, you will find yourself scouring the internet or utilizing your contacts to land yourself a job in your desired field. The key to securing the right job is to trust God’s plan for your life and the path He’s leading you to take. The job search should start and end with God, and we’ll discuss how that process looks below.

• Seek Counsel

Our careers take up a large portion of our lives. According to Psychology Today, the average person will spend about 90,000 hours working in their lifetime! With that said, it’s imperative that we find a job that will satisfy us. To do this, we need to seek counsel from God. In Jeremiah 29:11, it says “’For I know the plans I have for you,’ says the Lord. They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and hope.” If anyone knows what job will bring us prosperity, it’s God. It’s not enough to utter a prayer, however. We must actually trust and believe that God will provide the blessing we desire. Just as faith without works is dead, works without faith is also dead!

“Plans succeed through good counsel; don’t go to war without wise advice.”

Proverbs 20:18

 

• Create/Update LinkedIn

Many employers use LinkedIn to get an idea of who a job candidate is and the work they’ve done. Be sure to keep your profile updated with your work experiences, education,  and accomplishments!

 

• Spruce Up Your Resume

Make sure your resume is up-to-date, free of errors, concise, and easy on the eyes. Look up modern resume templates, as well as information you should include and/or leave out on your resume. Because many employers now use applicant tracking systems to screen resumes submitted for a given position, it’s important to make sure your resume is as relevant to the job listing as possible. This is done by including keywords used in the job description on your resume. It is suggested that you tweak your resume for every job you apply for. Also, have someone look over your general resume to make sure it’s grammatically correct and free of spelling errors. Your resume is sometimes your first impression and you want to make a good one.

 

• Search for Jobs and Contact Your Network

This is the most demanding and time consuming part of the process! Head to job search engines like Indeed.com or the career pages of the companies you’re interested in working for and see what they have to offer.

Carefully read the job descriptions and required skills/education before you hit apply. Don’t waste your or the recruiter’s time by applying for jobs you clearly don’t qualify for.

Searching for a job is not the time to be private! Let your network of friends, past coworkers/bosses/colleagues, family, etc., know that you are looking for a job. If an opportunity arises, they’re likely to pass that information to you and even make a recommendation on your behalf.

 

• Prepare for the Interview

You’ve heard back from a potential employer after possibly being ignored for weeks/months or sent rejection letters from various employers, which is totally normal by the way, and they want to interview you.  You’re one step closer to landing the job! If you haven’t already, you need to do some research on the company before the interview. You want to prepare to answer questions that gauge your interest in and/or understanding of the company. You also want to have an understanding of the culture to see if the company is a good fit for you. Sure you may be able to do what is required of you, but will you fit in? Will you like how the company operates from within?

Use this time to especially practice common interview questions! There are plenty of free resources online that you can use to practice. From “Tell us about yourself” to “Describe a time you faced conflict and explain how you dealt with it” you will come to be prepared for many questions typically asked. You don’t want to be stumped by a simple question. Practicing will allow you to have experiences, scenarios, and general answers readily available, so you won’t appear to be caught off guard.

 

• Pro Tips

Wear business professional attire, show up early, put your phone away, don’t chew gum, have a firm handshake, make eye contact, and pray! Pray particularly that God will give you the words to say and that He will allow things to work out in your favor. Remember, “The king’s heart is like a stream of water directed by the Lord; He guides it wherever He pleases.”- Proverbs 21:1. This verse tells us that God can control all outcomes and can influence decision making!

After the interview, be sure to thank the interviewer and send a thank you email not too long after.

 

• Pray Some More and Wait it Out

You should pray throughout this entire process. It may or may not be an easy one for you. You may or may not experience a ton of rejections, but remember, what is for you is for you! Though a particular opportunity that you were looking forward to may not work out for you, something even greater is on the way. Be careful not to compare your journey to that of others. Everyone’s journey will be different and your blessings, or the path to get to your blessings, may not look the same. It’s all about trusting in God and believing that He will provide you with the right job and in His perfect timing. Keep the faith and keeping pursuing! You will hear back, and will surely be worth the wait.

“Be still in the presence of the Lord, and wait patiently for him to act…”

Psalm 37:7