THE CHRISTIAN JOB SEARCH - WHAT IS THE CHRISTIAN'S RESPONSIBILITY? PART ONE

CHRISTIAN JOB SEARCH CAREER & EMPLOYMENT INFORMATION
What Makes the Christian Job Search so Different?
Think Your Job Will Always be Secure?

A wise [man] will hear, and will increase learning; and a man of understanding shall attain unto wise counsels: Proverbs 1:5

When it comes to the basics of job search career or employment information, regardless of where you stand on the issue of God, there are basic steps that need to be taken. Christian or not, the job search requires a methodical, step-by-step process. The job search requires knowledge and skill that comes from educating yourself about the job search career and employment process. It isn't something magical that just occurs overnight. Submitting a resume or hundreds of resumes without guidance in your job search, whether it be to the major job boards or to employment agencies, headhunters or employers without a plan, just does not work. In fact, if you are employed, it can be downright dangerous. It is also simply a waste of the time and money to go about your job search without any guidance. God provided you with that time and money, so use it wisely. As we know, as Christians, we are all held accountable for how we use the time and money our most gracious God has given us. We are also accountable for how we treat our employers and our employees if we are a business owner.

Just like God put physicians on this earth to help take care of our illnesses, and teachers to help us learn our ABCs, engineers to help design our cars, architects to help design our homes, builders to build our houses, God put job search experts on this earth to help assist you in doing your job search the correct way the very first time. If you would like a basic step-by-step set of instructions for conducting your job search the right way the first time, then please visit http://www.jobsearchtop10.com where you will find a myriad of resources that will be helpful to you.

So what about your job search? Is it ok to be working for one employer and decide to change jobs to go to another? As a Christian, should you always seek to work for a Christian organization or is it ok to work for a secular company? What should you do when you are downsized, right sized, laid off or fired? Is it ethical or moral to talk with a headhunter about pursuing another job or career employment path? Let's see if we can find some answers in the bible as to what God has to say about work, your job search career employment path. Does He even care?

Although many people think you can and should, I do not believe that you can just close your eyes, pray about it, sit back and wait for months for God to answer. How do you eat in the meantime if you are unemployed? Don't get me wrong. I totally believe in miracles and have seen them happen. I have even experienced miracles first hand. I know that God can drop a job in your lap this second if He wants to.

But there are principals in the universe that He has set forth as well and miracles today are the exception rather than the rule. (that could be due to our lack of faith and unfaithfulness, certainly not Gods). So, if you think you can get away with sitting back and waiting, I just don't believe God will bless you because you are making no effort.

Let's take a look at God Himself. God is a proactive God. He didn't create the earth in one day. He took 6 days. He could have created it in one day, but he chose not to. He essentially "worked" at creating the earth and what a magnificent job he did! Can you imagine God putting all of His experience into a two page resume? After His creation of man, He put Adam in charge of watching over the Garden of Eden. That was work, although I'm sure it was a wonderful, enjoyable kind of work before the fall. He was assigned many tasks, including naming all of those animals! I can't even begin to imagine a job like that. He did a good job though since all of the animals names seem to fit them to a "T".

But on the terrible day of the fall, that pleasing work became a chore. Adam and Eve went from picking flowers to picking weeds, from picking fruit that just grew there for them, to having to grow it themselves. Picking weeds and growing fruit brought a whole new meaning to job and work. Now they had to work to eat, not just pull fruit from a tree. The beautiful animals Adam was in charge of naming, who were tame and with whom he and Eve could fellowship, now became a food source, with man not only preying on the animals but animals preying on other animals to survive. What turmoil the world was now in. What work, toil, sweat and tears now lay ahead. The process was started and continues on to this very day.

The book of Ecclesiastes details the experiences and thoughts of a man whose character is based on atheism, materialism and selfish ambition, leading only to a purposeless and meaningless end. Tragically, many individuals are in that same boat today. Every day we get up at the crack of dawn, get into our cold cars, sit on the freeways in loads of traffic with people beeping horns, screaming explitives, making gestures. We get to the office to toil and labor many times for a pitiful minimum wage from 8am to 5pm, and in some cases, sit in that traffic again only to have to go to a second job just to make ends meet. Where mom used to be able to stay home, now she has to hurry at the crack of dawn to get junior ready for daycare so someone else can watch her precious child while she goes into the rat race to make a living or to help make ends meet. Everyone comes home exhausted, fulfills household chores, are too tired to spend any time together, go to bed and wake at the crack of dawn to a clanging alarm clock only to start the day all over again.

Yes, the fall did us all in. We must all work until the end of our numbered days. Yet all is not doom and gloom. Your work is what you make it. Your job search can be a positive undertaking. Your new career or employment can provide new hope for you or a better income for your familyOn the positive side, you have Nehemiah, a cup bearer originally and then governor of one of the regions outside of Jerusalem had a life that was filled with purpose and meaning because he place and honored God above all, even in his work. (Nehemiah 2:1-5, 17-18). Nehemiah was given the task of rebuilding Jerusalem's broken walls in preparation for the return of the Jewish prisoners. Nehemiah honored his employer, the Persian emperor but above all, he served God and others. Nehemiah knew he was serving God through his work. He knew he was honoring God in his work. He wanted to do the best job so he got the best individuals together to work with him and they set out to accomplish the goal. (Nehemiah 2:18) Nehemiah and his team finished their work in an amazing 52 days. They celebrated the completion of this critical, very manually difficult task. They thanked God for being with them day and night to accomplish the task as they could not have done it alone in their own power due to the overwhelming nature of the job. (Nehemiah 12:27, 43). As you work, are you aware that God is there with you? Do you remember that He knows all that you do and what you will be doing tomorrow? That should bring a new perspective to getting up and going to work. Even if you loathe your job or your boss or your co-workers, you are commanded to "work as unto the Lord." "Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men . . . it is the Lord Christ you are serving" (Colossians 3:23-24).

God was in control back then and is as in control today. He gave Adam and Eve free will to choose what they would do. They chose to sin. As a result, we must all work in some way until the day we die. The truth is and the hope is that we know that we have an advocate for us. Christ Jesus. He didn't abandon us the day the fall occured. He had a plan to redeem us. His Son, Jesus Christ allows us to fellowship with God in a way that Adam and Eve did originally in that garden before the fall. He hasn't forgotten about us. He is there daily waiting for us to call on Him for everything that we need.

If you are presently working and want to change jobs, He is there for you to call on Him. If you have lost your job for any reason, He is there for you to call on Him. If you are getting your first job, He is there right beside you. Will you remember to first call on Him before you begin any type of job search? Will you ask Him what direction He wants you to go? Will you listen for His still, small voice to lead you?

If you haven't done that, stop now. Ask Him to "speak" to you (He does make impressions on your mind, he brings you thoughts and dreams, and he brings other people in your life who "just happen" to be there at the right time. If you plunge ahead without stopping to ask Him, how do you know if you are doing the right thing?

If you've already made a job search decision, and you believe you have made the wrong one, don't despair. God will not abandon you. He is faithful. You may suffer some consequences, but He will be there with you to talk to , to pray to, to call upon anytime. Your job search career is important to Him as well. He knows your needs and He is a big proponent of work. He created work. He will help you get your new job and He will be there with you once you get it. He doesn't ignore our job search or our quest for career information. He is there waiting for us to call upon Him first to direct us in the steps we need to take.

Here are a few critical verses that God says about work in His Holy Bible. Obviously not every question we have is addressed specifically by word, but the principals are always there and the answers can be found if you look. The basic principal is that work is essential to surviving because you need to work to get your food and clothing. Proverbs: 12:11, 16:26 and 28:19, all address the fact that food is essential to life, but in reality, these verses can include any thing that we need to sustain ourselves. Genesis 2:15 states "And the LORD God took the man, and put him into the garden of Eden to dress it and to keep it." 2 Thess 3:10-12 states: "For even when we were with you, this we commanded you, that if any would not work, neither should he eat. For we hear that there are some which walk among you disorderly, working not at all, but are busybodies. Now them that are such we command and exhort by our Lord Jesus Christ, that with quietness they work, and eat their own bread."

In the New Testament, we read, "Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men . . . it is the Lord Christ you are serving" (Colossians 3:23-24). Proverbs: 12:24 says: The hand of the diligent shall bear rule: but the slothful shall be under tribute. Proverbs 14:23 says, "Hard work brings a profit, but mere talk leads only to poverty." Proverbs 18:9: "He also that is slothful in his work is brother to him that is a great waster". Work can be very rewarding according to Proverbs 12:14: "A man shall be satisfied with good by the fruit of [his] mouth: and the recompence of a man's hands shall be rendered unto him." It is also God's plan that you enjoy your work and prosper in it. "Seest thou a man diligent in his business? he shall stand before kings; he shall not stand before mean [men]." And don't forget about God's specific plan for the Proverbs 31 woman! 31:13 on. . . " She seeketh wool, and flax, and worketh willingly with her hands. She considereth a field, and buyeth it: with the fruit of her hands she planteth a vineyard. . . She looketh well to the ways of her household, and eateth not the bread of idleness. . . Give her of the fruit of her hands; and let her own works praise her in the gates."

I think we get the point here. . . work hard because it is commanded by God and you will be rewarded. If you are injured, sick with a chronic illness, or have a legitimate inability to work, you are not held accountable for not working. However, if you are able bodied, you are required to do whatever is necessary to feed yourself, and if you have a family, your family as well.

Is it ok to look for a new job while you are employed? Is it ok to talk to a headhunter while you are still employed? Of course it's ok to look for a new job while you are employed. Your obligation is to do the best job you can while you are working for your present employer. If you find that it is not working out or you need to make more money, then begin your job search on the side, after hours when you have time to devote to your job search. It isn't immoral to look for a job that will help you better you life for yourself or for your family. In fact, if you are in a job that isn't lucrative enough to support your family, then you should be looking elsewhere. Always keep your options open. For security reasons, do not leave your job until you have another one lined up. You are perceived as being much more valuable in the eyes of a potential employer if you are employed. If you are unemployed due to no fault of your own, employers are becoming more lenient and interviewing more individuals who are unemployed because they may have had to lay off some of their own employees as well. Job Search 101 goes into much more detail about these things.

As far as talking to headhunters while you are on the job, yes, you should take their calls because most of the time they don't have your home phone numbers. What you should do is take the call just to take down their information and politely tell them that you will call them on your lunch hour or break using your own cell phone. You can always say that you will call in the evening from home. You should always listen. Listening allows you to remain aware of what is happening in your own field. It allows you the opportunity to refer someone else to the headhunter creating a better opportunity for that person. Headhunters never "steal" anyone away from a company. They have legitimate opportunities their clients have asked them to fill. They are "spreading the word" about those opportunities and it is up to the person who hears about them to make the decision whether to pursue it or not. Headhunters never make or cause anyone to leave their current employer. If an individual leaves their employer, it's because they make that choice to do so based on personal reasons. So take the call. Even if the opportunity isn't right for you, it could be right for someone else. You may even know someone that is unemployed that would be the "perfect fit." Job Search 101 goes into detail about the recruiting process and it is critical and valuable information you must have since there are different kinds of "headhunters" out there and that difference may even cause you to lose your job if you are not careful.

Should you always seek to work for a Christian employer? If you want to be a light to the world, I advise seeking to work outside of the Christian community. You can have a tremendous impact on your fellow employees by being "salt and light" as the bible calls us to be. There are obvious exceptions. I wouldn't go to work in an Adult Bookstore for example. Use common Godly sense. Don't put yourself in a situation where "one bad apple destroys the whole bunch" which is generally what happens. You would be "eaten alive" in that type of environment. But in the normal business environment, you will come across all different beliefs. We are to be "in the world, but not of the world". Jesus realized that we would be living and working among all types of people, just as He did. And as He did, we can follow his example everyday where we work. Make sure you check out the rules and regulations for the company you are working for regarding witnessing, and do what you can in every subtle way you can to share the love of Christ. You and everyone around you will benefit for obvious reasons. Give them a reason to ask.

If you are already employed by a Christian company, that's great too. Everyday can be an opportunity to praise and worship God among fellow believers. The freedom is there to do so. Take advantage of it.

Even if you are employed, you should read the next two stories. God may allow you to lose your job at some point as well. You must be open minded to know that nothing in life is permanent and that you should always be praying and thanking God every day for what you have and for what He will do next. The only thing permanent in life is God. He is the only thing you can count on to be there always. Keeping that in mind, read these two stories. Always remember, this could be your story some day as well.

TWO LIFE CHANGING JOB SEARCH CAREER STORIES

Five years ago I lost my biggest client a month before Christmas. As a single mother of two, I sat at my kitchen table in tears, in front of a stack of bills, crying and praying. That client brought in 90% of my business. I had someone else working for me who relied on my business to provide an income for her as well. I really didn't know what I was going to do. But God spoke to my heart. He brought back to mind that I had been faithful in tithing and that because of that, He promises to be faithful to me as well. He pointed out to me that my client wasn't my provider, God is (a very important point to always remember whether you have an employer or are "self" employed). He brought to mind comforting verse after verse that made me realize that there was hope and that all wasn't lost. I continued to pray, read my bible, called the woman who worked for me, and together, we took one of the worst jobs in the whole wide world (please forgive me if this is your profession and you don't agree with me). We became TELEMARKETERS! Need I say more?

God was merciful. Within several months, He brought a new client that just about replaced the income brought in by the old client and we were able to eventually quit that telemarketing job. Business has been steady ever since and I know that may not always be the case, but I know where to go if that should change.

That's my personal story, but here is another "real life" story as it appeared in Christianity Today International/Today's Christian magazine (formerly Christian Reader). (reprinted with permission) November/December 2002, Vol. 40, No. 6, Page 46. Entitled:

"Job Insecurity"

The Arthur Andersen debacle robbed me of my employment and life savings. But what I gained was worth the cost.
by Steve Stoner as told to Greg Asimakoupoulos

For tens of thousands of people (myself included) Arthur Andersen was the Grinch this past year. But even though I lost a job I'd had at Andersen for 14 years, that devastating experience has not completely stolen my joyThe fallout of Andersen's involvement in the Enron scandal and the current economic crisis has left me with all kinds of vexing emotions. I, too, was shocked by the unethical practices of a few greedy individuals. The harm they have caused is egregious. Sadly, many innocent and hard-working employees were punished for the misdeeds of a handful of people. But I'm also cynical about the way the media has misrepresented some of the good people I worked with.

I knew that Andersen was in trouble for months prior to the company's collapse, but I was convinced an empire that big couldn't fall. Surely one partner in Houston wasn't capable of bringing the whole thing down.

I was wrong. What began as a little landslide last January became an avalanche in a few weeks. I remember the day when I realized there was nothing to do except slide down the hill and try to land on my feet as best I could.

If you've ever been unexpectedly unemployed, you know the feeling. The loss of a business card is one thing. The loss of a regular paycheck is another. But losing what amounts to your life savings is altogether different.

I watched in disbelief as my Partner Capital investment program (that had grown impressively for years) evaporated almost overnight. At age 42, my net worth was the same as it had been 20 years earlier as I'd graduated from college.

Still the message of this season of the year is that God delights in redeeming the darkness of our lives and offering hope, peace, and joy to our world. And that's exactly what I experienced. The evening of the day it all dawned on me how much I'd lost, my wife and I were scheduled to volunteer at the local homeless shelter our church supports.

In spite of job insecurity, I was healthy and strong. I had a wife and three children who loved me. I had a comfortable home I'd be able to continue owning. And because of the reputation the majority of Andersen employees have in the industry, I knew I wouldn't have trouble getting another job.

The Holy Spirit seemed to remind me that my wealth had little to do with markets or pension funds. It was in feeling loved and cared for by a heavenly Father who was in control of my life. I realized that my real estate was not in my career but my confidence in God.

I was convinced that my situation was a validation of one of my favorite verses in Scripture: "And we know that God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to his purpose for them" (Rom. 8:28, NLT).

Rescued from burnout

The Lord knew I was at a burnout point before Andersen started to unravel. As a real estate consultant, I work with corporations to develop strategies that support and improve their facilities and operations. I'd been the head of Andersen's U.S. real estate consulting practice and worked with approximately 50 people in Chicago, New York, Los Angeles, San Francisco, and Washington, D.C.

But what looked to many like a dream job with enviable perks had in fact been taking a big toll on me. The excessive travel and long hours was having a negative impact on my family life. My marriage was beginning to suffer, too. With a boss in Europe and clients in Asia, multiple time zones meant my workday included all of my waking hours. As odd as it might sound, the collapse of Andersen was a welcomed opportunity to reclaim portions of my life over which I'd lost control.

In a strange sort of way, losing my job was a gift from God. I didn't have to stress out over the pros and cons of whether to resign or accept another job. I didn't have to worry about what my supervisors would say about my wanting to leave. Due to what played out, I had no other choice. And thankfully, I found a new position right away.

Grace for the hardest part

But lest it sound as if my roller coaster ride with the Grinch wasn't all that frightening, I'm quick to confess to anyone who asks just how hard it was.

Next to losing my life savings, the hardest part of the whole Andersen nightmare was having to fire those under me. I eventually had to terminate the jobs of almost 20 people personally. I did all of it in one day, one by one, face to face. I was up all night the evening before, dreading what I had to do.

The first two firings were traumatic. After that it got much easier.Fortunatly, the Lord gave me the grace to do what I had to do graciously, and those I had to terminate were all understanding. Because of my commitment to them, I did everything I could to help them find jobs. It was even possible for me to bring several of them with me to my new place of employment.

As I approach our family's holiday celebrations this year, I'm giving my wife and kids their husband and father back. My priorities have returned to the right order. I have taken a job with a controllable pace and a more realistic travel schedule. With the Lord's help, I've come to evaluate and celebrate that my true net worth is a measurement of what's at home and in my heart than what's in a bank account or on a brass nameplate.

Surviving a Layoff

No job is entirely secure. If major firms like Andersen, Enron, and WorldCom can fail, so can any other human-led organization. Here are Steve Stoner's tips for surviving a sudden job loss.

Maintain a savings account beyond company pension programs or stock options.

Treat every individual that you meet as a potential future employer. They may be.

Create balance in your life. Guard family time ruthlessly. Volunteer in a ministry or civic organization (i.e., a homeless shelter). Permit yourself a hobby. If your whole life is your job and you lose it, you don't have much left.

Surround yourself with a support system of peers at work and church. It helps to talk about these issues with people who care and understand.

Stay true to your Christian values at all costs. Always be able to look in the mirror and be at peace with the person you see there."

Both of these stories serve to illustrate the hope that there is after a job loss. God is faithful. Neither of us sat around and waited for an answer. We took steps in faith and trusted that God would honor those steps, even if they turned out to be the wrong decisions. The important points here are that we both prayed and relied on God as our Source and provider. That is the advice I would give to you up front. Call on Him first and watch Him work." End of article.

As we celebrate our work, we need to affirm the value of hard work and sacrifice and acknowledge that God is our source. No one is self-made. If you've made it, it's because God allowed it. Work hard on your job search. Depend on God for the wisdom to lead you where you need to go and to be with you when you get discouraged (and you may). Plan ahead for the next time to the best of your ability and pray, pray, pray and watch and listen for those answers which will come. "Be still and know that I am God."

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