Your friend has been laid off from their sales job and is depressed about it. How do you help them to stay motivated and focused without being overbearing? Here are some suggestions that may help your friend turn around.
1. Be a supportive listener: Sometimes just being a non-judgmental listener and giving them someone to talk to can be a big help. Letting them know you will be there for them will make them feel that aren’t all alone in facing this crisis in their life. Call your friend and check on them often. Invite them over to your house for dinner or to go for a walk. Maybe have a movie night with popcorn to help lift them out of the doldrums. Do things that you can both enjoy but that cost little or nothing.
2. Find out exactly what kind of work your friend is looking for. Help your friend to find the right job not just any job. There’s a very fine line between nagging and helping them get motivated, make sure you don’t cross it. Asking how many job applications they filled out that day won’t help and may cause them to stress out.
3. Help them clean up their resume: If they haven’t been unemployed for awhile, help them refresh their resume. Show them how to search for jobs online and how to fill out the applications. You can have them check out job fairs, networking groups and paid job training. Sometimes even temporary jobs with a Temp Agency will help pull them through a rough spot if that‘s what they want to do. Some communities and churches have programs that will help the unemployed.
4. Help through your connections: Through networking, you can be in a position to help your friend. Think of your friend’s working experience and background and try to think of who can be of help. Networking is gathering information and forming relationships with people who may know someone who is hiring in the field you’re looking for.
5. Filing for benefits: Even if your friend doesn’t think they’re eligible, have them file for benefits anyways. You never know. Plus they can job search through the employment office. There may be government programs out there that may be of help or can get them retrained. They can also look into the possibility of going back to school and going for a different or new career.
People that are out of work can be easily overwhelmed by their circumstances. With your help and support, you can get them back on their feet and into the working force again. After all, isn’t that what being a friend is all about?
If you have had a friend that has helped you find a job, please tell me about it.
By Linda Lee Ruzicka
Linda Lee Ruzicka lives in the mountains of Western PA , happily married and with her 6 cats and three dogs. She has been published in Twilight Times, Dark Krypt, Fables, Decending Darkness, Writing Village, June Cotner anthology, The Grit, Reminisce , the book, Haunted Encounters: Friends and Family. She is an Affiliate member of the Horror Writers Association She also does freelances work for Beyond and for Salesheads. More of her blogs can be found at Salesheads blog.
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