Last night I attended the wedding of a close family friend. It was a beautiful wedding and there was a fun reception afterwards. As I sat through the wedding and reception, I found myself comparing the events that lead up to a wedding with the process of finding a new job.
The dating process is a lot like the job search process. You send out resumes, work your network with coffees and lunches and hope that through all of the hard work you will make a connection with somebody.
That first positive response from an employer is like that first date. You are nervous and hope that you make a positive impression. You hope that they will want a second date by calling you back for future meetings.
As you continue dating with your new potential employer you know you are only one bad meeting away from falling out of favor and your relationship could end at any time. This uncertainty makes you wonder if you should play the field to see if there are any other potential hot dates out there – kind of like “The Bachelor”. 🙂
You go through the dating process that leads up to the proposal. They want you to be their partner in employment. Might be at a fancy dinner trying to help you want to say yes as they try to woo you to say yes.
Now you are engaged! But you have not hit the wedding date yet. You have to work through background check – meeting the extended family to see if they approve. You go through the wedding planning and negotiations – big wedding or small intimate affair which is like negotiating the salary, vacation and fringe benefits.
You finally get to the wedding day which is your starting date. You sign all of the paperwork and you sign an agreement for better or worse, sickness or health to death do you part. Of course this is no longer true in most employers today, much like the marriage track record.
Then you have a honeymoon period until reality sets in. You mean this company operates differently than portrayed in the interview? You mean you leave dishes in the sink? You know how this process works.
As I think about this I am glad that I have been married to my wife for 26 years and have not had to go through the job search process in a long time. Its like starting the dating life all over again – back to my days in college. Ugh!
But at least I have God helping to direct me in this process so I don’t have to do it on my own. I have to still get out there and do the work, but now I can rely on God to open and close the doors and to trust Him to lead me to where He wants me to be.