These days, especially in times of economic downturn and as available jobs dry out, it seems that everybody’s only looking out for themselves. But what if we all took personal responsibility for our fellow jobless professional and saw to it that they had ample opportunities ahead?
It might be absurd to think that you (yes, you!) could actually award another human being a job or career. After all, you’re not the founder of your own company, or the CEO of another business; and you don’t even work as a human resources representative, or as a recruiter. Even if you’re none of the above, there are some simple things you can do today to help someone who’s out of work.
Here’s how:
- Offer a referral. If you know the person who’s searching for a job well, and are familiar with their work ethic, why not go ahead and call someone you know in their industry to make them aware of an available candidate?
- Offer search help. The moment you hear that someone’s in need of a job, immediately extend an offer to help find what’s available in the market. Better yet … do an online search as soon as you can, and forward them any positions you think would fit the bill.
- Offer an extra pair of eyes. Most of us are just too embarrassed or proud to ask someone to review our resumes or curriculum vitae to check for errors and inconsistency. But go ahead and do your jobless friend a favor and extend the offer. It takes the pressure off of them.
- Offer hope and optimism. The last thing your unemployed compadre needs is some woeful story about the job market. The daily news headlines are enough to send even the gainfully employed into deep depression. By remaining hopeful and offering encouragement, you assure them that someone is in their corner even when the rest of the world seems a little self-consumed.
Keep the Discussion Going
Don’t let a financial crisis send you scurrying into your own self-centered hole. Instead, allow it to spur you on to help others in need.
Make the decision today to start paying it forward! You never know when a small gesture of goodwill today, can result in great gains (or at least a paying gig) for someone else tomorrow.
About the Author
Emily Brown is the key contributor and creator of TheCareerPioneer.com, a blog that delivers articles and posts about job industry trends; plus motivational, retrospective stories about career exploration and discovering one’s passion. A former business journalist at Bloomberg News, her work has also appeared in The Wall Street Journal, The New York Times, The Los Angeles Times, and others. Emily lives and works in Washington, DC. She can easily be reached at info@thecareerpioneer.com. Feel free to drop her a line to say “hello,” seek advice, suggest an opportunity or story idea, or provide news of your own.
