This short list of seven items is practical advice for anyone who is newly unemployed…
Perhaps the one thing people fear more than heights or public speaking is losing their job. Losing your job can be as scary as it probably was for the disciples who were gripping the sides of their boat as they were being tossed about in the stormy waters while Jesus slept.
But like them, we should listen to Jesus’s words: “Why are you afraid? Do you still not have faith?” (Mark 4:40) The diaconate’s duty during stressful and turbulent times like these is to remind the member that God is in control, to comfort them, and to aid them as necessary. One practical way you can help your members is by helping them get a new job as soon as possible. This will restore their financial position and help restore them to stability.
Seven practical steps
The article provides seven practical steps you can recommend to a member. The diaconate, or the diaconate with the assistance of other church members, can help walk the unemployed member through these steps:
- Make lists of job successes, career contacts and future employers.
- Add structure to your week.
- Tell everyone you know what you’re looking for in a new job.
- Acquire information.
- Stay organized.
- Develop a backup plan.
- Pace yourself.
The first exercise challenges the person to focus on their skills:
Your first list is to help you become clear on what you are good at and enjoy doing. Identify 25 achievements, accomplishments or tasks you enjoyed doing on the job. Did you ever improve a process or make recommendations that were implemented? Did you ever get a “thank you” message from a happy customer? Go back through your performance reviews to make sure you don’t leave out anything.
This is something you can recommend now as a practical step to anyone who hasn’t yet lost their job. You can build it into a weekend job strategy seminar.
They recommend collecting a list of companies the person may want to work for, then doing deep research on them:
Now you are ready to identify 50 organizations for which you think you might like to work. These organizations do not need to have jobs posted. The only thing that matters at this point is that you think you may want to work for them.
With your three lists, you can now begin doing research. Who do you know who works in those 50 organizations? Are any of those 50 companies hiring? Do they need your skills?
This, too, is something you can recommend that your members begin doing now, before they lose their job. It could be that they are unhappy in their present job or in a bad situation. This is a practical step that they can implement now which will give hope of a better future.
The first new job of the recently unemployed
I was particularly impressed by this next piece of advice. They pull no punches:
One of the best ways to overcome the loss of a job is to create a new daily routine. Your job search needs structure and allocating 30 hours a week is what it will take to land a new job. So set your alarm, take a shower and get your day started, like you were going to your job.
Allocate blocks of time for specific job search activities each day of the week. This should include networking events, meeting one-on-one with people, occasionally volunteering, investing in formal or informal training and some “you” time to re-energize and indulge in your favorite hobbies or activities.
One last reminder: Do not spend all your time online! Online applications account for a small portion of filled jobs. Get out of your house and meet people. Your weekly job search plan should consist of outreach efforts ranging from networking requests to talking with recruiting agencies.
The bottom line is this: when someone loses their job, finding a new job needs to be come their new full time job until they’re successful. Again, if you teach a weekend seminar as a service to your members, you can explain this to them and establish this expectation in their minds in advance.
To read the entire article, click here.
Conclusion
These are very practical and useful steps deacons can take to help members who have been afflicted by unemployment. They must not lose hope. You must point them to Scripture and remind them that there is good cause for hope. They have important work to do for God’s Kingdom.
He has called them for a purpose. Earning an income, supporting their family, engaging in charitable works—all things they are called to do, so there is a job out there for them.
Prayer and action are tools God gave us for exercising dominion in a cursed world groaning for redemption. You can help downtrodden church members with both.