Ecclesiastes 3:1 To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under heaven.

The next time your stomach reels as you ponder the state of our economy, the banking crisis, or the job market, take heart.

God’s word assures us that there is a time to every purpose under heaven. That means that regardless of how bad things look as related by news reporters and stock market indices, God has a sovereign design behind everything.

If you’re one of the thousands of Americans who is out of work right now, remember that everything happens for a reason, and while it’s easy to fall into victim mode, it’s not useful.

Like seasons, jobs come and go. It’s part of God’s master plan. It’s natural to grieve for a little while after losing a job you really liked, but don’t grieve too long. Instead, think of what you can do to adapt to the change, in a way similar to how you would adapt to a new season.

When winter arrives, you get out your heavy jacket or coat, change the way you dress, and if you’re like me, you even change the way you eat. I love comfort food in the winter — like hearty stews, soups, and roasts. 

What can you do right now to comfort your soul and nurture your confidence as you face this new season in your life? 

One parting thought:

Proverbs 3:5-6 Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight.

Proverbs 16:3 Commit to the Lord whatever you do, and your plans will succeed.

It’s funny how hard I’ve been resisting the idea of writing a scripture-inspired career blog. The problem — in my mind — is that nobody else is writing a similar type of blog, and so I’ve been afraid that it would fail. However, scripture above tells me just the opposite.

Yeah, this isn’t your average career blog, it’s different, because it is committed and dedicated first and foremost to my Lord.

My prayer for today:

Thank you, heavenly Father, for blessing my business so abundantly and for the wonderful clients, mentors, and role models you have brought and continue to bring into my life.

Lord, I commit this blog to you first and foremost and to job seekers and prospective clients second. I pray that you will provide me with divine inspiration for its contents and use it to touch the lives of thousands of career professionals so that they would see YOUR wisdom, love, and truth and take comfort in your holy words and plans to prosper them and never harm them and plans to give them hope and a future (Jeremiah 29:11). 

Lord, scripture tells us you would never leave us or forsake us (Hebrews 13:5). Father, please use me to pour your abundant blessings and provisions on each and every person who reads this blog. May they find comfort and wisdom in the words, not from me but from you, and may they commit their careers to you first, Father, so that they may have your assurance of success. I ask these things of you, in the name of your sweet son, Jesus Christ.

Amen.

Luke 14:28 Suppose one of you wants to build a tower. Will he not first sit down and estimate the cost to see if he has enough money to complete it?

Not very many people would set out to buy a new home or new car without first setting a budget. Yet, when many people decide to find a new career opportunity, they completely forget to set a budget.

There’s a reason that old sayings like, “It takes money to make money,” become old sayings. They’re usually true.

For those who are currently unemployed−and I know there are a lot of you out there right now, and I feel for you−you need to be realistic. Look at your monthly expenses and at your savings, and figure out how quickly you need to find your next position before your money runs out. You might want to put your head in the sand like an ostrich, but it’s better if you meet reality head-on and know exactly what your situation is.

Then decide how much money you feel comfortable setting aside toward job search expenses, including money for professional memberships, professional networking meetings, business lunches, new business attire (if necessary), personal grooming (you’re not going to cut your own hair, are you?), continuing education coursework, certification expenses, gasoline, etc. 

Other things to invest in that might help you land your next position more quickly and easily include: professional resume writing, professional cover letter writing, career coaching,  job search consulting, company research, and a recruiter email campaign. When making any investment you need to weigh the return against the initial cost. How much money will you save in lost income if you are able to cut your job search time in half?

Many people think these are things they ought to do by themselves. When we became followers of Christ, we all started to build a tower–a tower to reach God. The key to this passage above is building our tower, including our lives and careers, God’s way so that he can complete the good work He started in us. What are you willing to part with to more faithfully follow the Lord? If you don’t know, ask the Lord. His advice is always perfect.

Proverbs 15:22 Plans fail for lack of counsel, but with many advisers they succeed.

Job search techniques have changed dramatically over the last five years, and they will continue to evolve. You need to surround yourself with wise counselors to help you brand and position yourself to succeed, especially in today’s tight job market that has more than three job seekers for every one job available.

So… what will make you stand out in a tight job market? One word — VALUE. And communicating value starts with the ability to clearly communicate a strong brand. A product is what you buy and a brand is why you buy it, so the key question is why would someone want to hire you.

Here are some questions to help you identify your unique value proposition (UVP):

• What is it that prospective employers in your target market need that you have? Think in terms of things you can prove. 
• How will you drive revenues and/or profits, reduce costs, create efficiencies, and overall improve the bottom-line financial and operating performance?
• What would make a prospective employer really excited about the possibility of having you come to work for them?
• What’s the unique value you bring to the table compared with the other people who’ll be competing for the same jobs and who probably are of the same calibre and have a similar professional background and level of education?

If you don’t know or if you’re having trouble communicating your UVP, consider investing in the services of a trustworthy career-industry professional. Not everything that you can do yourself is a good idea. Would you cut your own hair, sew your own business suits, or make repairs to your own Mercedes? Of course not! And unlike hiring an auto mechanic, hiring a career professional will actually provide you with a return on your investment — frequently helping you land a new job more quickly, earning more money.

Finally, regardless of where you are in your career, consider getting a mentor and a professional role model (or more than one). If your role model has written any books, read them, or even better yet, reach out to them. You can find almost anyone’s phone number thanks to the Internet, while expending a limited amount of effort. Remember with many advisors, plans succeed.