It’s been a while since I’ve talked about my career story. I’d like to believe every step was ordered by the Lord, and my hope is that, as I share it with you, you’ll be able to discover where God is leading you in your own journey. As you read today’s article, please remember that this is my journey. Always seek the Lord for yours.
A few months ago, I heard someone say, “Look at the patterns in your life.” It was interesting because I had never really thought about patterns repeating or how to discern when God might be telling me it’s time to move on.
Recognizing Patterns in My Career
My early career was pretty rocky. I didn’t understand how to plan out my career. When I entered the HR field, I knew I enjoyed the recruiting aspect of it, but I wasn’t too sure how to get started.
I landed HR assistant roles and quickly realized that I could best serve HR by having a specific area of focus. The only issue? When I brought it up in conversations with leadership, they brushed me off. As someone who lacked confidence at the time, I internalized their responses as rejection and ultimately decided HR wasn’t for me. (We’ll come back to this later.)
While working as an HR assistant, I noticed the excitement I felt whenever an employee asked me a career-related question. After each interaction, I would notice that excitement and whisper under my breath, “What is this?”
This new passion had started to pique my interest, and it became my mission to find out whether this “passion” was actually a thing.
Seeking God for Clarity
Over the next few weeks, I had deeper conversations with God about my career, asking Him, “What are You saying? Are You saying it’s time to leave?”
I have to credit what happened next to the Holy Spirit. Before that moment, I can’t remember actually knowing anything about career counseling.
One day, I decided to go on Indeed.com and look up employment specialist jobs. I had no clue whether I was even searching for the right job title. As I combed through job ads, I noticed there were barely any employment specialist positions listed.
“God, I don’t see any employment specialist jobs. If this is what You’re calling me to, where do I go?”
The Call That Changed My Career Direction
The next day, I was at my desk, going through my daily routine, when the phone rang.
“This is TaNiya. How may I help you?”
The voice on the other end said, “Hi, TaNiya. I’ve accepted another position, and I need to put in my notice.”
During the conversation, I walked her through her next steps. After ending the call, I became curious about the position she was resigning from.
I gasped as I read, “College and Career Specialist.”
“Was this the Lord speaking to me? It has to be Him,” I thought.
My mind was racing. All I knew was that I needed to discern what was happening fairly quickly. If I decided to leave my current HR role and apply for that position, my supervisor needed to know as soon as possible. I couldn’t touch the requisition if I planned on being a candidate.
As I processed what had happened, I believed the Lord was guiding me in my career and telling me it was time to go. So, I did, and He brought me into career services. (I’ll share more of that journey in future articles.)
When It’s Time to Move On
Now that it’s almost 10 years later, one thing I’ve noticed is that when God is trying to move me on, things can get really miserable. There’s a mounting pressure I feel.
I’ll spend days, and even weeks, talking with the Lord to make sure I’m discerning between pressure to produce growth and pressure that may be pushing me out.
Your experience might look different. Take a look at your past seasons and ask yourself, “Were there any common patterns that I experienced?”
One question I like to ask my clients is, “What is God saying to you?” Oftentimes, they already know what they’re being led to do, but there’s fear surrounding the decision.
About 90% of the time, as they’re speaking with me, the Holy Spirit will highlight certain phrases they mention. Then I’ll ask, “Have you thought about this?”
They’ll respond, “The Lord has been speaking to me about that,” or, “I’ve been thinking about that lately.”
Sometimes, the answer is already on their hearts. They just need to slow down, pay attention, and seek confirmation.
Listen for His Voice in Your Career
I know it might not always be popular to mix God into our career planning process, but why not?
He knows the end from the beginning. All our days have been planned out. So, why not ask Him?
I personally believe He’s probably been dropping hints and speaking to you already. Before I got back into recruiting, the desire popped up first. Before I knew it, I blurted out, “I miss recruiting.”
As before, I started feeling the pressure. I processed it all and began my application process. After speaking with another believer (I like to call her my mentor), God provided further confirmation that it was time to move on. The position was exactly what I needed, and it came in less than 90 days.
It’s worth mentioning that sometimes you might feel that pressure, but you still have to confirm the timing with God.
It’s similar to a woman being pregnant. Toward the end of my pregnancies, I felt exhausted and miserable, ready to have the baby, but I still had another month to go. In that last month, I knew it was time.
Feeling ready and knowing the timing are two different things. That’s why I believe it’s important to keep inviting God into the process rather than making a move simply because you’re uncomfortable.
The more you invite the Lord into these conversations, the more you can learn to discern His voice and recognize your next steps.
Invite God Into Your Next Career Move
As you navigate your own journey, one of the best things you can do is ask the Holy Spirit for discernment, wisdom, and confirmation.
There’s something about inviting Him into every area of our lives that just makes sense. If you’re like me, you might not always get it right, but the key is putting it into practice.
Invite Him in, not expecting things to be answered your way, but trusting that He will lead you, guide you, and reveal the answers when it’s time.
You just have to ask yourself: Do you trust God? Do you believe Jesus’ words that He sent the Holy Spirit as a Helper?
You don’t have to figure this out by yourself. Lean on Him. You won’t be steered wrong.
Talk soon,
TaNiya Clayton
Helping professionals clarify their value, strengthen their positioning, and move strategically in their job search.
Website: TaNiyaClayton.com
Explore my resources: Beacons
Email: careerservices@taniyaclayton.com
LinkedIn: Connect with me
Leave a Reply