God may clothe the birds and the lilies, but he doesn’t seem that interested in our careers.
At least, that’s how I’ve felt at times. Perhaps you’ve felt this way too. Maybe unemployment found you through no fault of your own, the outcome of a medical issue, family circumstances, a new administration, or a company layoff. (In October of this year, over 150,000 men and women lost their jobs from layoffs alone.)
Even if you’re still employed, you may be miserable in your current job, doing some “vocational scrambling” and looking for new work. In either case, the longer the search drags on, the more isolated and bitter you feel, and the harder it is to believe God is paying attention.
This nagging suspicion can get us stuck in one of two places. Either we lack urgency—lackadaisically applying to new roles here and there, trying to be content in all things, praying that the Lord will provide “in his time”—or else we find ourselves wracked with anxiety, spending hours submitting applications online.
Even the mature Christian (who might not fall into either of these traps) has to ask, “How do I navigate a job search effectively?” Professional career coaches and social media influencers can give tips on résumés, LinkedIn profiles, and interview strategies, but they don’t often address our inner motivations or underlying unease.
Meanwhile, well-meaning faith-and-work literature can feel tone-deaf and out-of-touch for the desperate applicant. Yes, all work is sacred, and our vocations are a means of participating in God’s redemptive purposes, as best articulated by Tim Keller in Every Good Endeavor. But it’s hard to engage with that larger framework if you just need to pay the bills.
What I think Christian (and secular) job seekers need first and foremost is a practical recommendation—an encouragement to the means by which over half of job seekers report finding work. I’m talking about networking.
Networking sounds like a buzzword, a recommendation those career coaches and social media types would make. It evokes a “You scratch my back, I’ll scratch yours” mentality. It conjures an image of another perfunctory meeting over coffee and an awkward request for any “available opportunities.” It smacks of using subtle sales tactics to pressure a stranger to make a referral or a connection on your behalf.
Certainly, networking can be schmoozy and cynical. But we can approach it differently—not as a practice of fake flattery and underhanded manipulation but simply as a habit of intentional conversation with friends, family, and strangers. Yes, you’re still hoping for a job offer to arrive as soon as possible. But in the meantime, you receive opportunities to listen to others’ stories and advice and, as a happy side effect, to form lasting relationships.
If networking is the process by which most jobs are found, I’d like to suggest that all applicants should start there rather than wiling time away or frantically submitting cover letters to online portals. And for the Christian, networking can look different: more relational than transactional, more intentional than haphazard.
If this is unfamiliar territory, here are a few guiding principles.
Be clear and forthright in your initial outreach. The more straightforward the ask, the easier it will be for the recipient to say yes. Avoid the ambiguous “Could I have 15 minutes to pick your brain?” Introduce yourself and describe precisely why you’re interested in a conversation. If you received the same email, would you say yes? As a test run, send your message to a friend or two first and get their reactions.
Approach conversations as relational, not transactional, with humility rather than selfish ambition or vain conceit (Phil. 2:3). Fight the urge to focus on “What can I get out of this?” or “Do you have a job for me?” That’s the kind of networking we’re trying to avoid. Is there an element of self-interest in your initial outreach? Almost inevitably. Don’t let that discourage you.
Come prepared with thoughtful questions. One proverb goes, “The heart of the discerning acquires knowledge, for the ears of the wise seek it out”(Prov. 18:15). You initiated the conversation, so you should be prepared to lead. What could you learn that might help you discern whether a role or company is a fit? Which aspect of this person’s vocational trajectory might apply to your own?
Be a good listener; be genuinely curious (James 1:19). Don’t get sidetracked by your preconceptions of what a conversation should look like. Pay attention to what’s actually being said.
Recalibrate your definition of a successful conversation. What if this person can’t help you find a job tomorrow? It’s no problem. Remember, that’s not the only reason you reached out in the first place.
Stay in touch. This is easy to say but hard to do. As a first step, send a thank-you email or handwritten note. Follow the LinkedIn pages of your contact and her company. She gets a promotion, publishes an article, or speaks at a conference— send a congratulatory note! You stumble across an article or podcast that relates to her work—forward it. Real relationship consists of periodic touchpoints like these.
Become a connector. Seek the good of your job-searching neighbor (1 Cor. 10:24). In a conversation with a recruiter, you may realize that a position isn’t right for you but might be a good fit for a friend. Send an email to link the two of them. Schedule a Zoom call with someone who’s earlier in a career. The more you do this, the more it becomes part of your professional DNA even after the job search is over.
Don’t struggle alone (Gal. 6:2). Your search may last weeks, months, or longer. Each passing day may lead to increasing loneliness and resentment. Even those closest to you likely won’t understand what you’re going through unless you tell them explicitly. For men, sharing your insecurities with a spouse or friend can be particularly vulnerable. Know that it’s okay to admit you’re struggling.
Don’t count out the local church. Here are two examples.
After I graduated from law school, I was deferring student loan payments, was engaged to be married, and was unemployed. I frantically applied to job after job with not much to show for it. To say I was discouraged would be an understatement. My pastor at the time heard about my struggle and asked a simple, life-altering question: “Have you met the church’s attorney?”
With a brief email, he introduced the two of us. That attorney just happened to need some part-time help. After dozens and dozens of applications and six-plus months of searching, my pastor’s three-sentence email was the final piece of the puzzle. Unknowingly, my pastor had been part of my networking journey.
In a different context, at my parents’ church in rural Appalachian Ohio, men and women walk through the sanctuary doors looking for answers to life’s hardest questions and for help finding a job—many of them with criminal records or struggles with addiction. For as long as I can remember, my parents (and many of their church friends) have written letters to judges, given rides to and from work, and made connections with local business owners. Networking looks different in a rural setting—in part because everyone knows everyone and cold emails typically aren’t necessary. But an introduction by a church member with an exemplary reputation goes a long way for someone trying to get back on his feet.
related
If you’re reading this article as someone who’s comfortably retired or stably employed, what does this networking conversation have to do with you? You are in a fortunate position. Like my pastor many years ago, you might go out of your way to facilitate connections for people struggling with career transitions. You undoubtedly have more influence than you realize. An introduction from you could be the difference between an application floating into the digital abyss and getting pulled from the bottom of the pile. Let this be a gentle reminder that the only reason you’re comfortably retired or stably employed is because of God’s extravagant grace in your life. Now you have the opportunity to extend that grace to your neighbor.
Proverbs 21:31 proclaims, “The horse is made ready for the day of battle, but victory rests with the Lord.” The verse holds tension. Despite our skilled preparation, the Lord is responsible for each win. At the same time, God is interested in our effort, and his interest allows for both our labor (don’t just sit on your hands and pray for a new role to fall into your lap) and his sovereign provision (take the pressure off, reach out to strangers for coffee, and submit applications knowing that God loves you and will care for you).
Let’s be job seekers who skillfully prepare with the boldness and assurance that comes from knowing that the Lord provides for the birds and the lilies. “So won’t you teach me how I mean more to you than them?” goes the lyric to a Jon Guerra song. “In times of trouble, be my help again.”
Jacob Zerkle is a husband, father of three, and attorney in the Chicago area.
