Jobs: Lost and Found

Knowing my current work assignment might be ending, I started a job search several months before it was to end, something I never thought I’d have to do. As a result of my efforts to find new employment, I have learned several important steps that can make a job search go more smoothly.

Don’t take your present job for granted. Because of rapidly changing world conditions and new technology, work opportunities are less stable than they were in the recent past. Keep your résumé updated.
Prepare for the unexpected. Discuss with your spouse what a job loss might do to your circumstances and decide how you might meet such challenges. How much of a financial reserve do you have? How well prepared is your year’s supply of food and clothing? What expenses could be immediately cut from your budget? The plan that my wife and I created some time ago gave us both peace of mind as we faced potential changes in the workplace. Make sure your home is kept in reasonably good repair in case you need to rent or sell it quickly. When circumstances become unsettled, needed home repairs can become a burden if they have been deferred.
Improve your chances of staying employed. Learn ways to increase your value to your employer. Maintain cordial business relationships. Take advantage of employee training, workshops, and your company’s educational reimbursement program, if available. I completed my master’s degree over a period of five years on a program of company reimbursement. Attending numerous professional seminars also helped keep my skills polished and up-to-date.
Hold yourself responsible for finding work. If it appears that a change of job is coming, register with an employment agency. However, don’t relax just because you have enlisted help. You have the most to gain from getting a good job and should spend much more time and effort looking for work than an agency is likely to do. I also learned that a friend of mine found that many larger companies now advertise employment openings on the Internet. He was able to send a résumé over the Internet and receive quick replies, sometimes overnight, to his queries.
Create a plan. Decide what steps you can take to look for new employment. Keep a current list of people you might contact about finding work. After receiving news of the possible changes at my workplace, I set a goal to initiate at least one contact each week while I was still with the company. I called friends, former employers, and other people I didn’t know personally but who I heard might have job openings.
Keep a positive outlook. Don’t be unduly upset by rumors—even though most of them may turn out to be true. Focus on what you can do today to prepare, not on worrying about what might happen tomorrow. Worrying about uncontrollable matters wastes valuable time and energy.
Keep your spiritual reserves high. Pay your tithing faithfully, and make scripture reading and prayer a priority. During difficult weeks of uncertainty, I took walks on my lunch hour and often felt the comfort of the Spirit that all would be well with my family no matter what the company did.

The news finally came that my plant was being closed. Within a short time due in part to the efforts extended, I was offered a job in Vancouver, Canada. I also learned for myself that “if ye are prepared ye shall not fear” (D&C 38:30).—Douglas R. King, Federal Way, Washington

Illustrated by Joe Flores