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Finding a Job 21st Century Style

Kenny Moore

The economy is down. Outsourcing is up. Globalization is in. And college grads have recently been let out. This has placed a great number of unemployed people out on the streets looking for work. Some timely advice is warranted.

For the past 20 years, I’ve worked for a heavenly CEO (figuratively speaking) in a New York City Fortune 500 company. Prior to that, I spent 15 years working for another heavenly CEO (literally speaking) as a Catholic priest in a monastic community. Oddly enough, the work remained similar in both jobs. But the incentive plans varied greatly.

Here’s my practical list of worldly and otherworldly advice for getting that perfect job:

  1. Suicide is no longer an effective strategy for initiating a job search;
  2. Employers continue to remain more interested in your personal passion than a PowerPoint presentation;
  3. The ability to manage anxiety, ambiguity and uncertainty is more valuable than a MBA in Finance;
  4. Developing a greater sense of humor and openness to surprise gives you a competitive advantage in the marketplace;
  5. Selling your soul to gain employment is bad for business and prolongs your stay in Purgatory.

The Sacred Side of a Job Search

Getting a job also has divine implications because it’s tied into our vocation. We show up on this earth with a host of talents and personal gifts that are meant to be used. Not only in the service of ourselves but also for the betterment of others. Aristotle said that where the needs of the world and your talents cross, therein lies your vocation. Our ultimate happiness is connected less to making wads of money and related more to cooperating with our divine calling. We can also expect to undergo some suffering in living out our destiny, but the price is worth paying. As the corporate mystic, Elbert Hubbard, reminds us: “God will not look you over for medals, degrees or diplomas - but for scars.” I anticipate that in our final performance review we will be compensated copiously.

Finding one’s vocation is not an easy task, so here’s some helpful hints from a former monk to serve as a guide:

  1. Pay attention to things that you naturally do well, skills for which you’ve received no particular training. These “charisms”, gifts from the gods, serve as an indicator for your future role in the world;
  2. Give closer scrutiny to childhood memories. At an early age, well before parents and educators interfered, you intuitively knew why you were here and what you were meant to do. But very quickly it got socialized out. This wisdom is never lost, just stored in your soul for future reference and recall;
  3. Listen to your dreams. Write them down and host a dialogue with them regularly. Angels are sent nightly to reveal divine wishes, offer counsel for personal decisions and provide preparation for pending challenges. Spend time improving your skill set for dealing with the sacred realm of the night;
  4. Understand that luck and serendipity are intentional events that are sent for encouragement, insuring that you continue to show up and cooperate with a divine master plan;
  5. Strengthen your interior life. Spend ten minutes a day in silent reflection. No prayer is required; no mantra needs recitation. Simply sit in silence and listen to your lungs breath and your heart beat. Wisdom will be dispensed, the work of your life will be revealed and your vocation will slowly be made manifest.

Some Strange Parallels

Years ago, when I left the monastery and returned to the world, I was looking for a job and seeking a spouse at the same time. These two searches curiously seemed to have much in common and the lessons I learned then seem to still apply today.

  1. In both venues, we are well advised to dress impeccably, put our best foot forward and intentionally misrepresent the facts about who we really are. This bolsters the odds of improving our standing in the community as well as garnishing a better future;
  2. Someone once told me that the closest we get to being godlike in this lifetime is on our resume. From what I can tell, this falsification of our true identity, professionally and personally, continues to remain a viable strategy for getting both jobs and spouses. Unfortunately, the likelihood of staying with one job for your lifetime seems to be statistically less likely than keeping the vows of your first marriage intact;
  3. Showing good form continues to win out in dealing with both prospective employers and potential mates. On the first meeting, good hygiene matters. Also, as Bill Clinton reminds us, taking advantage of the other person simply because you can has a way of hurting both your job and marriage prospects;
  4. Surprisingly, keeping your mouth shut and listening on a regular basis makes the other person experience you as a strong communicator;
  5. Lastly, before getting into bed with anyone (literally or figuratively) make sure you protect yourself. Failure to do so leaves you legally and/or physically at risk.

And for God’s sake, when consummating a deal stay away from self-enhancing drugs. Regardless of what Bob Dole tells you, it’s likely to compromise your on-the-job performance.

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