Unemployment is a real possibility for graduating students. But there are always ways in which this time can be used for both service and spiritual development.

The big issue for graduates is not generally long-term unemployment, but the difficulty of finding a job in the first place. However, many of the lessons are the same for people in either situation, particularly if what starts as two months extended summer holiday then turns into a twelve month nightmare of joblessness.

A general principle from Scripture is that work is good, and that we should find meaningful occupation. There is no real ground for opting out of our own volition

Coping Without a Job

Make use of all the help you can get.  Accept that unemployment can raise significant personal and emotional problems for you, quite apart from the practical issues like loss of income. Whatever you do, don't try and cope on your own. Allow family and friends to help and support you. Get others to pray for you. Find a counsellor or understanding friend with whom you can talk about your reactions and feelings. Join a local support group for the unemployed.

Keep an eye open for the reactions that are common among unemployed people. Most common are anger and depression. Do what you can to deal with them as soon as they begin to appear. Be aware that there will be an extra strain on your family; watch for signs of tension and deal with them before they get too big.

Pace yourself. Combine a hope that the period of unemployment will be short with a realism that accepts it may not be.

Keep yourself occupied. Never do nothing. Draw up a list of jobs to do. Do the garden for the old lady down the road. Give a couple of mornings a week to the church office or to a local charity. Join the staff of a playgroup. Do voluntary work in your local school. Take on a new ministry in the church. Take up new hobbies. Join a local club. Develop new domestic skills. Run, swim, cycle, visit the gym. Offer your skills to your neighbours. Every week, plan and do something new that you've never done before.

Structure your day and your week. Aimlessness will quickly lead to boredom and despair. Follow a clear structure and routine as if you were working.

Use the opportunity to learn new skills. Take advantage of skills training schemes. Do a course in your local college.

Take it that God is giving you a ‘sabbatical' from work so that you can do something special for him. It may be special service of some kind, or giving a lot of time to prayer, or Bible study.

Take the opportunity to reflect. Give yourself time to do some serious thinking about your career, your values, your goals and priorities, your family, the principles that are controlling your life, and your relationship to God. Work out and put into practice any necessary adjustments.

Use the opportunity to develop a simpler lifestyle, and to have more understanding of the less fortunate in the world.

Make a point of maintaining and developing your relationships with friends and family. Fight the tendency to withdraw; God is giving you extra time to spend with them. Get alongside lonely people. Widen your circle of friends at church and in the community.

If you have financial problems, get help before they become acute. Re-plan your budget. Write to your mortgage provider. Talk to the Citizens Advice Bureau. Make sure you are getting any state benefits available.

Make full use of schemes and centres for the unemployed run by the government, churches and voluntary organisations.

Get advice over letter-writing skills, composing a CV, filling out job applications, and  interview techniques.

Remember, unemployment is a challenge, not a disaster.  However unpleasant the experience, be determined you will learn and grow through it as a person and as a Christian.

This article is based on the chapter on Unemployment from ‘What Could I  Say' - A handbook for helpers, written by Peter Hicks and published by IVP. It is reproduced with their kind permission.

Finding a Job

There are some brilliant resources out there to help you look for work. In particular, The Graduate Career Handbook, written by Shirley Jenner, a Christian working at UMIST, gives a really comprehensive view of how to think of the right job, and how to go about finding it. What Colour is Your Parachute is the world's best selling book on career change, and can also be very useful for career starting! Again, this book is written by a Christian, who talks in the book of the importance of seeing all things to do with work in the perspective of standing first and foremost before God.