FAITH-DRIVEN JOB SEARCH: Inviting God to Guide Your Career Decisions

By Jonathan Donahue

Jeremiah 29:11 

 For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the LORD, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.”

A friend of mine gave me this quote along with other bible verses to encourage me after an unexpected job loss.  At the time, I thought I was a person of faith. Little did I know that it was a key moment that contributed to a 7-year journey that resulted in a renaissance of my faith, a second baptism, and a lifestyle that has been more fulfilling than I could ever imagine.  My career had taken hold of me to the point that it was more important to me than all of the wonderful things in life that were around me, but I did not see.  My value, my self-worth, my confidence was determined by my success and accomplishment almost in entirety.

On May 29, 2015, that changed. I was a successful, driven executive who was told my employer no longer needed my services. It was one of those seminal moments in life when you either step up and move forward or step back and become a victim. In my journey to move ahead I encountered several people who put me on the path to lasting success by encouraging me to take a hard look at myself and my career choices through the lens of faith. I am telling my story to share what I learned, the mistakes I made, and the ultimate success I achieved after a series of adverse events in my professional career forced me to take a hard look at my life and my career. 

In these pages, I offer concrete advice on how to network, what your resume should include and how to position yourself to leverage resources long before you need to. We’ll take a look at  what a complete LinkedIn profile looks like, what a professional resume should include, the kind of research you should be doing before you agree to interview with a company, and more. I’ll also explore a 90-day action plan for what you should be doing after you secure a new position. Whether it’s effectively communicating with your boss, engaging your new team, or prioritizing company needs, these are the pieces that you’ll need to put together to ensure that the job you just got is one that you’re prepared to excel in. 

Perhaps most importantly, I also share my personal journey toward becoming the best Husband, Father, Friend, Neighbor, Community, and Business Leader I can be – with God’s help. While my story is told from the perspective of a white Christian male, it is told based on universal elements that apply to people of any race, gender or faith. From meeting with like-minded professionals to being open to what your faith is guiding you to do to filling your spare time with recommended books on growing as a leader who is grounded in faith, there are networks of support available that extend far beyond the professional world. I explain how I tapped into them on my own journey and offer suggestions on how you might begin to reach out to find them in your own life. 

As I explain in my book: “I ask God to help me find the right opportunity that can permit me to make the most contribution and build success for customers, suppliers, employees, investors, and security for my family. Then I get to work - for God helps those who help themselves.”

 Whether you are just beginning your career, looking to correct your course, or embarking on a completely new chapter, this book and your faith can guide you to greater heights. 

• Language: English
• Publisher: Outskirts Press
• Release date: Feb 6, 2024
• ISBN: 9781977270269

Jonathan Donahue

Jonathan Donahue always strives to be the best Husband, Father, Friend, Neighbor, Community, and Business Leader he can be. He is blessed with many gifts and always tries to share them with others in need. Professionally, he has been in various executive positions in the banking, financial services, and healthcare industry for over 30 years.  He has been married to his wife Jessica for over 26 years and has four daughters Ainsley (14), Ella (20), Molly (21), and Grace (22). He has a Bachelor of Arts from Rutgers College and a Masters in Business Administration from Columbia Business School.

Book preview

Faith-Driven Job Search

Inviting God to Guide Your Career Decisions

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Copyright ? 2024 Jonathan Donahue

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Where Do You Turn When You Experience Career Adversity? God Is A Great Guide

On May 29, 2015, I was a successful, driven executive who was told my employer no longer needed my services. It was one of those seminal moments in life when you either step up and move forward or step back and become a victim. In my journey to move ahead I encountered several people who put me on the path to lasting success by encouraging me to take a hard look at myself and my career choices through the lens of faith. I am telling my story to share what I learned, the mistakes I made, and the ultimate success I achieved after a series of adverse events in my professional career.

In these pages, I offer concrete advice on how to network, what your resume should include and how to position yourself to leverage resources long before you need to. More importantly, I also share my personal journey toward becoming the best Husband, Father, Friend, Neighbor, Community, and Business Leader I can be – with God’s help. Whether you are just beginning your career, looking to correct your course, or embarking on a completely new chapter, this book and your faith can guide you to greater heights.

Author Biography

Jonathan Donahue always strives to be the best Husband, Father, Friend, Neighbor, Community, and Business Leader he can be. He is blessed with many gifts and always tries to share them with others in need. Professionally, he has been in various executive positions in the banking, financial services, and healthcare industry for over 30 years. He has been married to his wife Jessica for over 26 years and has four daughters Ainsley (14), Ella (20), Molly (21), and Grace (22). He has a Bachelor of Arts from Rutgers College and a Master’s in Business Administration from Columbia Business School.

Table of Contents

Part 1:

1. Reflection

2. Introspection

3. Preparation

Part 2:

4. Planning

5. Networking

6. Execution

Part 3:

7. Convert

8. Negotiate

9. Deliver

Part 4:

10. Journey

11. Epilogue

Jeremiah 29:11 – 14

For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. ¹² Then you will call on me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you. ¹³ You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart. ¹⁴ I will be found by you, declares the Lord, and will bring you back from captivity. I will gather you from all the nations and places where I have banished you, declares the Lord, and will bring you back to the place from which I carried you into exile."

A friend of mine, Tammy, gave me the quote from Jeremiah 29:11 along with other Bible verses to encourage me after an unexpected job loss. At the time, I thought I was a person of faith. Little did I know that it was a key moment that contributed to a 7-year journey that resulted in a renaissance of my faith, a second baptism, and a lifestyle that has been more fulfilling than I could ever imagine. My career had taken hold of me to the point that it was more important to me than all of the wonderful things in life that were around me, but I did not see. My value, my self-worth, my confidence were determined by my success and accomplishment almost in entirety.

I have tried to share my journey as well as I can in this book. My objective is to share as many details as possible, including my emotions, challenges, and mistakes, so that you can learn from me. I would like you to use what I have learned to help you determine what is best for you, your career, and the life you want to live.

I also want to encourage you to dig into your faith and seek guidance from God to follow the path that He wants for you. Pray to Him, listen for His message, and pray that your decisions are aligned with the life He wants to prosper you with.

Despite my challenges and adversity, I am fortunate to be blessed with so many gifts, successes and a wonderful life personally, professionally, and financially, none the least of which are my wife, my children, friends, neighbors, extended family, and the wonderful community in which I live.

I hope you enjoy this book and I welcome your constructive feedback and areas that you would like me to share in more detail.

Part 1:

Reflection, Introspection & Preparation

1. Reflection

On May 29, 2015, I was told my employer no longer needed my services. It was one of those seminal moments in life when you either step up and move forward or step back and become a victim. I am sure my employer had a different view, but I took what I considered a calculated risk to help improve and accelerate the performance of a privately held company in a senior executive role. My objective was to drive 5x performance growth over the next 3-5 years, get EBITDA to a significantly higher level, execute a change of control, create a liquidity event for the private owners, and become CEO of the New Company after the acquisition (a.k.a NEWCO) as part of a strategic or financial buyer’s investment strategy. In the beginning, it seemed like a dream opportunity – in the end, I felt it was a big mistake, and I missed many signals that this could be an issue early on.

The point of this story is not to lament my previous employer – quite the opposite. I am telling my story to share what I learned, the mistakes I made, and the ultimate success I achieved after a series of adverse events in my professional career. It is also about sharing the story of a happily married person, the primary supporter of five dependents, an owner of a significant mortgage, a person with strong ties to the community, and someone with continued substantial ambitions to be a successful businessperson. I also will share my faith and relationship with God; however, I will try to be as objective as possible so that people of all faiths and religious devotion can relate. I am also a white, middle-aged male; however, I want to help women and people of various backgrounds and experiences. I am also writing this for my four daughters, who I want to learn from my experience, prepare themselves professionally (no matter what their career ambitions), and know that adversity is not an end – it is an opportunity.

One thing I learned is that change is constant. Job security is never assured, even if you are a high-performance, experienced, and well-educated executive. It can happen anyway that you can imagine and seemingly ruthlessly. Acquisitions, integrations, private equity investment, restructuring, raw material/commodity price & supply volatility, foreign exchange fluctuations, cost reduction initiatives, new competitive entrants, technology evolution, interest rate changes, the whims of a small group on a board, a significant drop in the value of investments, the retirement of a mentor, or even just a new CEO who wants to build his or her team – whether you have talent or not. None of these things are in your control except your ability to respond, adapt and pivot to unforeseen events.

I worked for a Fortune 1 – 5 company for 18 years that was extremely successful until it wasn’t. I joined that company as an eager young executive in one of their premiere training programs right out of college and became an Executive Band after 13 years. An Executive Band is among the top 1 – 2% of employees, representing about the top 4,000 of over 400,000 employees. In 1990, the company was the most valued and admired company in the world – like Google or Microsoft today. I had a great 6-year run as a Mergers and Acquisitions executive in their Consumer Finance division. I had reached one of my dream jobs and was making great money. However, all good things come to an end.

We invested in subprime mortgage companies and extended too much credit to below-prime customers in other product areas. The losses started to mount in 2007, and I spent more time selling assets and divisions than buying new companies and driving growth. By 2008, they no longer needed