Need advice

[SavannahSage]

I really don't know what to do. I've been searching for a job for the last two months. A friend of mine says to just take "anything" and then continue to look. I say it's not fair to them to start a job while having the intention to find something else soon. I just don't want to put another short term job on my resume (I already have two, unfortunately, each lasting 3 months). I've been praying about it, but have not received an answer. Any advice would be appreciated.

 

[Mskedi]

I suppose it depends on how desperately you need a job.

If you're eating away at your savings and the lack of income is going to seriously decrease the likelihood of your next meal, then I'd say your friend is right: take anything, and keep looking.

If you're okay for now, then you can afford to be pickier and take your time. Remember, of course, that you'll have to explain any periods without work to your future employer during an interview just like you would a series of short-term employment.

 

[dvanderdeen]

I agree too, a lot of the time when you start working this is the way that it has to go, most employers understand that you take short time work while looking for something in your field.

Also as far as it not being fair to the people that you start working for, I think it would depend on the type of Job. If it is something that they would spend a lot of money and time training you for, then prehaps you might want to think twice about it. But otherwise, I think as long as you work there to the best of your ability and always give them your best effort than you should be able to work there and leave on good terms when you find what you are looking for.

 

[SavannahSage]

I agree too, a lot of the time when you start working this is the way that it has to go, most employers understand that you take short time work while looking for something in your field.

Also as far as it not being fair to the people that you start working for, I think it would depend on the type of Job. If it is something that they would spend a lot of money and time training you for, then prehaps you might want to think twice about it. But otherwise, I think as long as you work there to the best of your ability and always give them your best effort than you should be able to work there and leave on good terms when you find what you are looking for.

I didn't just start working. I'm 47 yrs old. I was employed at our local newspaper for 9 yrs before they outsourced our dept to Wisconsin. In between that, I've worked in medical offices since I started working. I was hoping to get something in a medical office again. They see those 2 short term jobs I've had and probably don't want to take a chance on me. Before that, employers hired me on the spot. That's why I hestitate to add yet another short term position. It's bad enough my salary will be half it was when I worked at the paper (due to commission). People say if you trust God, he'll give you the right job. I've been blindly trusting God for the right job while sending out resumes. Was I wrong?

 

[heron]

It's more difficult to find a great job than it used to be, because employers have found more efficient ways to hire, and workers have adadpted to the climate. There's a lot more outsourcing and freelancing going on.

Fewer benefits are available because employers have had to adjust to exhorbitant health insurance rates, among other things. It is simply not feasible anymore to hire a full staff full-time.

Even though contract work will not pad a retirement fund, it will help prepare you for a better phase-out retirement. You can always be in control of the number of hours you work, and no one will tell you you're too old when you hit 55.... you will have a source of income as long as you decide to take on jobs. It's not ideal, but it might be God's way of blessing you.

 

[SavannahSage]

It's more difficult to find a great job than it used to be, because employers have found more efficient ways to hire, and workers have adadpted to the climate. There's a lot more outsourcing and freelancing going on.

Fewer benefits are available because employers have had to adjust to exhorbitant health insurance rates, among other things. It is simply not feasible anymore to hire a full staff full-time.

Even though contract work will not pad a retirement fund, it will help prepare you for a better phase-out retirement. You can always be in control of the number of hours you work, and no one will tell you you're too old when you hit 55.... you will have a source of income as long as you decide to take on jobs. It's not ideal, but it might be God's way of blessing you.

I am completely and utterly astonished as to the type of responses I've received. Isn't God BIGGER than any of this? Not once did someone say to trust Him for the right thing and that God can provide the right job. Sure we have to be sensible and put out resumes and job hunt. But this is advice I'd get from a secular site, not a Christian one. I am really disappointed.

 

[TexasSky]

I didn't just start working. I'm 47 yrs old. I was employed at our local newspaper for 9 yrs before they outsourced our dept to Wisconsin. In between that, I've worked in medical offices since I started working. I was hoping to get something in a medical office again. They see those 2 short term jobs I've had and probably don't want to take a chance on me. Before that, employers hired me on the spot. That's why I hestitate to add yet another short term position. It's bad enough my salary will be half it was when I worked at the paper (due to commission). People say if you trust God, he'll give you the right job. I've been blindly trusting God for the right job while sending out resumes. Was I wrong?

Savannah,

I think that the people who responded to you thought you were asking them for advice on the best way to go about getting full time, permanent employment. I don't think they realized that your real question was at the very bottom of your post - whether you were right to trust blindly in God or not.

I also think that the answers were good Christian answers. They were Christian women telling another Christian what their hearts told them was best for you.

That said - - trusting God is never wrong, but expecting God to do everything for you, and expecting God to do it in your time is wrong, and expecting God's answer to be what you want Him to answer is wrong.

Since you sent out your resume', it seems that you did not expect God to do everything for you. So apparently the issue is something else.

Perhaps God wants you in another career.
Perhaps God wants you in those short term jobs so that you can be a Christian witness for Him to someone there.
Perhaps God is having you wait because He has plans to open the perfect position up for you in the future, but He is not yet ready to move the person who has the position somewhere else.

In the mean time - - you should, as a Christian, go over your resume' again, and look at what you may or may not need to change to be ready when God does open that door.

You blame the short term jobs on the resume for being what is closing the door, but it could simply be God closing it. If it is the short term jobs, then you need to address that on the resume'. Put down the reason for leaving so quickly. If the jobs were temporary to begin with, list them as such so the future employers know that. If they ended because of down sizing, put that down as the reason for leaving. Knowing you did not get fired or that you didn't just walk out on a previous employer will help you.

Look for what God is trying to tell you. It may be that He needs you in another profession, and that you need to accept that.

It may be that God is waiting for you to get your skills up to date. Medical office work is becoming a specialized position. You need some background in medical terminology, you need some background in insurance coding, etc.

 

[SavannahSage]

Savannah,

I think that the people who responded to you thought you were asking them for advice on the best way to go about getting full time, permanent employment. I don't think they realized that your real question was at the very bottom of your post - whether you were right to trust blindly in God or not.

I also think that the answers were good Christian answers. They were Christian women telling another Christian what their hearts told them was best for you.

That said - - trusting God is never wrong, but expecting God to do everything for you, and expecting God to do it in your time is wrong, and expecting God's answer to be what you want Him to answer is wrong.

Since you sent out your resume', it seems that you did not expect God to do everything for you. So apparently the issue is something else.

Perhaps God wants you in another career.
Perhaps God wants you in those short term jobs so that you can be a Christian witness for Him to someone there.
Perhaps God is having you wait because He has plans to open the perfect position up for you in the future, but He is not yet ready to move the person who has the position somewhere else.

In the mean time - - you should, as a Christian, go over your resume' again, and look at what you may or may not need to change to be ready when God does open that door.

You blame the short term jobs on the resume for being what is closing the door, but it could simply be God closing it. If it is the short term jobs, then you need to address that on the resume'. Put down the reason for leaving so quickly. If the jobs were temporary to begin with, list them as such so the future employers know that. If they ended because of down sizing, put that down as the reason for leaving. Knowing you did not get fired or that you didn't just walk out on a previous employer will help you.

Look for what God is trying to tell you. It may be that He needs you in another profession, and that you need to accept that.

It may be that God is waiting for you to get your skills up to date. Medical office work is becoming a specialized position. You need some background in medical terminology, you need some background in insurance coding, etc.

I admit that I am very sensitive because it's harder for me because I'm not a "professional". Thank you for your kind & very well needed advice.

 

[dvanderdeen]

I didn't just start working. I'm 47 yrs old. I was employed at our local newspaper for 9 yrs before they outsourced our dept to Wisconsin. In between that, I've worked in medical offices since I started working. I was hoping to get something in a medical office again. They see those 2 short term jobs I've had and probably don't want to take a chance on me. Before that, employers hired me on the spot. That's why I hestitate to add yet another short term position. It's bad enough my salary will be half it was when I worked at the paper (due to commission). People say if you trust God, he'll give you the right job. I've been blindly trusting God for the right job while sending out resumes. Was I wrong?

I am sorry that I made an assumption from your original post. I can really understand how you are feeling now. It can be very frustrating to feel a strong calling to work in a certian area and face rejection because they look at past work experience without full checking into the circumstances behind it.
Prehaps it is possible that God has a certain place in mind for you to do the kind of work that you feel called to do. I think that you have been trusting in him to lead you there. If you have searched your heart and believe that God has called you to the medical office work you did in the past then trust in him to lead you to it. Ask him to bring you to a place of his choosing and to give you the calling that he has choosen for you and keep believing in faith that he will do so and he will. Remember that God does things on his own time and not on ours.

 

[SavannahSage]

I am sorry that I made an assumption from your original post. I can really understand how you are feeling now. It can be very frustrating to feel a strong calling to work in a certian area and face rejection because they look at past work experience without full checking into the circumstances behind it.
Prehaps it is possible that God has a certain place in mind for you to do the kind of work that you feel called to do. I think that you have been trusting in him to lead you there. If you have searched your heart and believe that God has called you to the medical office work you did in the past then trust in him to lead you to it. Ask him to bring you to a place of his choosing and to give you the calling that he has choosen for you and keep believing in faith that he will do so and he will. Remember that God does things on his own time and not on ours.

I'm so sorry. I'm a nervous wreck lately. I'll go to a third world country if I know it's where he wants me. I do admit though that each day I'm unemployed I'm realizing a lot of things that I did wrong while I was working, complaining, not being as nice as I should have been to the patients, and so many other personality faults of mine. I didn't appreciate the jobs I had. Maybe it's God's way of showing me. God bless you and thank you. Again, I'm sorry.