God can still get you that job

Did you know that if you google “God give me a job” my blog is the first site that comes up?

People searching using that phrase is how I get the most new visits to this blog. It’s all because almost two years ago I wrote a post titled, God gave me a job. At that point in my life, I was a month into working at my previous job. Yes, previous job. I no longer work there. I am unemployed and on the job hunt again. I am no longer an unemployed college graduate as I was the time before, but a recently married unemployed woman who moved to a new city to be with her new husband.

The 2007 hunt took about 2 1/2 months and consisted of sending out dozens of resumes and going on 11 interviews. So far in the 2009 job hunt, I’ve sent out dozens of resumes and have had no interviews. I have been job searching for the past 5 weeks. (I tried job hunting while in my last position and it was really hard, but I did search around for 2 months. Also I took the month of April off since the Navy kept Aaron out of the loop of where they were sending him next.)

This time around I have more experience to offer employers, great references and extensive knowledge of new mediums useful to PR. There are, however, many others looking for a job as well. The statisical unemployment rate in San Diego county is 9.1%. However, this does not included “involuntary part-time” workers (people who took part-time work because it is all they could get) or “marginally-attached” workers (people who have looked for work in the past 12 months, but have not looked for work in the past 4 weeks). Read this AP article and NY Times blog for more info about those not counted in unemployment rates.

HR directors are flooded with resumes in their in-boxes. When I left my last position, I assisted HR in finding my replacement. Within the first five hours of posting my position on Craigslist, over 60 resumes had been submitted. Over the next two days, we had hundreds.

Emailing HR in response to a job posting doesn’t always work anymore. It used too. It worked 2 years ago. I got 11 job interviews that way. But it’s not the way to go now. You need to be different, you need to stand out.

I’ve gone back to the “old school” way of sending out resumes via snail mail. HR won’t look at all emails regarding a job posting, but they do have to open their mail.

I email/write letters to companies who don’t have positions open. In doing this I’ve received emails back saying that they were impressed with my resume and would keep it on file for when they are looking for someone. Companies will many times look at resumes they already have on file to fill open positions, it’s easier for them this way.

No, I haven’t had any interviews from my new tactics, but I’ve made some great contacts this way. And remember, the number one way to land a job is to know someone within the company. Connections are key in these economic times.

All this to say that God can still get you that job. I don’t think the right thing to do is google “God give me a job.” But you need to ask Him, “God, please open and close the right doors so that I may get a job that is pleasing to you. Help me to understand what you are trying to teach me during this period of my life and equip me with the patience and strength to make it through.”

Maybe the right job for you isn’t available yet? Someone at that company needs to be promoted before they can hire you. Maybe you should switch careers? Don’t take a job just because you have a degree for it, try to like it! Maybe you are supposed to work just part-time and focus more on your kids.

I don’t know your situation and you don’t really know mine, but I know what it feels like to be unemployed when you really want to be in that “I have a job” club. People ask you “what do you do?” and you tell them you are in between jobs. I’ve had some pretty awkward silences let me tell you. Some just don’t know how to respond after you say that you are unemployed.

But it’s ok. Today I slept in, had my oil changed, tires rotated, detailed the inside of my car myself, had a healthy lunch, caught up on personal emails and exercised all before 3pm. That’s something an employed person doesn’t usually get done on a Tuesday.