How to Help a Friend Job Search
Assist your friend in determining their strengths and interests., Help them determine their preferred industry and position., Focus on industries that they would be most successful in, based on their past experience, knowledge and interests...
Step-by-Step Guide
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Step 1: Assist your friend in determining their strengths and interests.
Before someone starts a job search, it is important for them to understand their strengths and interests so they can apply to jobs that they are most qualified for and would be happy doing.
However, it can be hard for some people to analyze themselves.
If you have worked with this person or have known them for quite some time, you may have a strong understanding of this person’s strengths and interests.
To determine their strengths and interests, think about the following:
What does this person like to do? For example, they like talking to people and solving their problems.
What have they excelled at in the past? For example, they have received a customer service award.
What are they educated in? This includes degrees, certifications and professional training. -
Step 2: Help them determine their preferred industry and position.
If your friend needs some direction regarding the industry and positions they should apply to, you can use your evaluation of their strengths and interests to help them figure it out.
Sometimes, all a person needs is someone to help them talk through it. ,, In addition to figuring out the best type of position and industry, you can also talk to them about where they might like to work.
If you met your friend in a certain area, and they seemed happy there, perhaps that would be a good place to start.
Keep in mind that people move all the time when looking for jobs, so it may be better to focus on the industry and position targets rather than geographic location.
Ask your friend if they would be happy relocating, or where they would prefer to commute to. , Determining the type of company someone will work well in allows them to avoid wasting their time applying for jobs they will never be happy at.
Since you may have a great understanding of this person, you may have some good advice about what type of company culture they will fit into.
Other factors to discuss with them are private vs. public companies, size of the company (small, mid or large) and global vs. non-global companies.
For example, you may know this person will work better in a small company with a type of company culture that gives a family feel. , If you can truly provide assistance in these areas, be sure to offer your help.
Before changing anything on a person’s cover letter, resume or social media profile, be sure it is OK with your friend and that you are truly helping them.
If nothing else, you can provide another set of eyes to proofread.
This be especially useful if you are a talented writer, or have a deep understanding of the position they are seeking and what the recruiter is probably looking for. , The interview process can make people very nervous.
Sometimes practicing with a friend will help them get over the fear of an interview so they can appear more confident when facing a potential employer.
During a mock interview you can prepare your friend to answer questions about themselves and provide suggestions along the way.
When conducting a mock interview:
Assess the person’s nonverbal communication.
This includes their smile, eye contact, handshake firmness, posture and hand gestures.
Maintaining a smile, eye contact and good posture is most desirable.
Offering a firm handshake and using hand gestures to stress interests while not causing a distraction is also desirable.
Ask questions about the person’s experience and ask for examples to prove they can do the job.
For example, “Tell me about yourself”, “What are your strengths?” and “Give me an example about the time you successfully completed this type of task”. , If you come across any job postings that your friend may be qualified for and interested in, feel free to pass them along to him or her.
However, do not make it your job to look for them.
If you are constantly sending them job openings they may either stop looking for jobs themselves and rely on you, or they may get annoyed that you are trying to help them so much.
In other words, pass along job openings in moderation and only when they are extremely relevant to their job search. -
Step 3: Focus on industries that they would be most successful in
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Step 4: based on their past experience
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Step 5: knowledge and interests.
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Step 6: Discuss the location that they would like to work in.
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Step 7: Assess what type of company they would like to work at.
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Step 8: Offer to read over their cover letter
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Step 9: resume and social media profiles to look for poor content and typos.
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Step 10: Act as an interviewer to prepare them for their interview.
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Step 11: Forward job postings to them to broaden the scope of potential jobs.
Detailed Guide
Before someone starts a job search, it is important for them to understand their strengths and interests so they can apply to jobs that they are most qualified for and would be happy doing.
However, it can be hard for some people to analyze themselves.
If you have worked with this person or have known them for quite some time, you may have a strong understanding of this person’s strengths and interests.
To determine their strengths and interests, think about the following:
What does this person like to do? For example, they like talking to people and solving their problems.
What have they excelled at in the past? For example, they have received a customer service award.
What are they educated in? This includes degrees, certifications and professional training.
If your friend needs some direction regarding the industry and positions they should apply to, you can use your evaluation of their strengths and interests to help them figure it out.
Sometimes, all a person needs is someone to help them talk through it. ,, In addition to figuring out the best type of position and industry, you can also talk to them about where they might like to work.
If you met your friend in a certain area, and they seemed happy there, perhaps that would be a good place to start.
Keep in mind that people move all the time when looking for jobs, so it may be better to focus on the industry and position targets rather than geographic location.
Ask your friend if they would be happy relocating, or where they would prefer to commute to. , Determining the type of company someone will work well in allows them to avoid wasting their time applying for jobs they will never be happy at.
Since you may have a great understanding of this person, you may have some good advice about what type of company culture they will fit into.
Other factors to discuss with them are private vs. public companies, size of the company (small, mid or large) and global vs. non-global companies.
For example, you may know this person will work better in a small company with a type of company culture that gives a family feel. , If you can truly provide assistance in these areas, be sure to offer your help.
Before changing anything on a person’s cover letter, resume or social media profile, be sure it is OK with your friend and that you are truly helping them.
If nothing else, you can provide another set of eyes to proofread.
This be especially useful if you are a talented writer, or have a deep understanding of the position they are seeking and what the recruiter is probably looking for. , The interview process can make people very nervous.
Sometimes practicing with a friend will help them get over the fear of an interview so they can appear more confident when facing a potential employer.
During a mock interview you can prepare your friend to answer questions about themselves and provide suggestions along the way.
When conducting a mock interview:
Assess the person’s nonverbal communication.
This includes their smile, eye contact, handshake firmness, posture and hand gestures.
Maintaining a smile, eye contact and good posture is most desirable.
Offering a firm handshake and using hand gestures to stress interests while not causing a distraction is also desirable.
Ask questions about the person’s experience and ask for examples to prove they can do the job.
For example, “Tell me about yourself”, “What are your strengths?” and “Give me an example about the time you successfully completed this type of task”. , If you come across any job postings that your friend may be qualified for and interested in, feel free to pass them along to him or her.
However, do not make it your job to look for them.
If you are constantly sending them job openings they may either stop looking for jobs themselves and rely on you, or they may get annoyed that you are trying to help them so much.
In other words, pass along job openings in moderation and only when they are extremely relevant to their job search.
About the Author
Angela Harvey
Enthusiastic about teaching organization techniques through clear, step-by-step guides.
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