Introduction
Unfortunately, there are times when you have steady work but someone close to you, whether a relative or a friend, has been out of work for a while.
It can be difficult to see someone linger in unemployment. And with the many challenges of the contemporary job market, it’s no great surprise that searching for a new job that is both interesting and pays well can be extremely trying.
But if you happen to be close to this person, then there’s a possibility that you can play a very positive role in encouraging them to do some networking and find a new job that they love.
And that’s why we’ve created this guide for how to motivate someone to find a job.
We also recommend consulting the many excellent resources on the internet that offer even more in-depth guidelines on how to find a job quickly and efficiently.
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The Importance of Being a Positive Influence
Above all else, we’d like to stress the importance of staying positive when helping someone you care about find a new job.
If your friend or relative has been struggling to find new job opportunities for the past several weeks or even months, it can be easy to have a negative view of the situation as a whole.
But wallowing in negativity simply isn’t helpful to anyone. It won’t help your friend find a new job and it won’t help you to lose hope and expect the worst.
So even though it may prove to be difficult at times, you’ll need to do your absolute best to maintain a positive, optimistic outlook. Look on the bright side of each situation.
We’ve all seen similar situations in popular media where one character is failing to find a new job and someone close to them start arguments about how they’re worthless and that they’ll never find another job.
While this kind of frustration is completely understandable given the circumstances, these kinds of conversations most likely won’t help inspire someone to grit their teeth and look for work.
But in contrast, providing encouragement and positive comments can be a great motivator when it comes to finding job interviews.
Offer Resources
If you’ve ever engaged in a lengthy and difficult job search yourself, then you know exactly how challenging it can be, both mentally and on an emotional level.
Job listings on popular career websites often receive hundreds of different applicants, many of them having more impressive credentials than you do.
It’s also frustrating to be brought in to an office for a job interview only to learn weeks later that you weren’t accepted for the job.
And while you’re certainly not required to do any research to help someone else find a job, a friend or relative would certainly appreciate any help.
Act like you’re looking for a job in their area of expertise. What would you do first in their situation?
Maybe you’ll find some great new job websites with plenty of listings or just some very helpful videos that illustrate how to conduct yourself in a job interview, or articles with career suggestions.
Pass your findings along to your job-seeking friend or relative. They’ll most likely be very appreciative and may even take their job search a bit more seriously.
Ask Others for Help
If your friend or relative is just refusing to make an effort to network and look for job openings in their area of expertise, then it may be time to ask for help.
After all, you’re not in this alone. Surely there are other people who care about your friend or relative who’s looking for work.
Explain the situation to these individuals from the very beginning. Explain that it’s been a while since they started looking for a new job, and that nothing has come through so far.
Even if these friends don’t have any immediate help they can offer, they can, in turn, ask their own friends and relatives, some of whom may have connections in that industry.
You may even want to speak with a headhunter on behalf of your friend. Give as many details as possible about their skills and expertise.
Headhunters can be excellent resources when it comes to finding work. It’s their job, after all, and they also benefit from helping others find jobs they love.
Hold Practice Interviews
Another great way to help motivate someone to find a job is to hold practice interviews every once in a while.
Try to treat these practice sessions as seriously and realistically as possible. Encourage your friend to wear exactly what they wear to interviews.
Then you can both sit down at a table and pretend to go through a normal interview procedure.
Find some basic interview questions online that you can ask your friend.
The ultimate goal is to find places where your job-seeking friend could improve. Maybe that means improving on their posture or giving a more detailed answer as to their five-year career plan.
Don’t be afraid to be completely honest with your criticism. It’s what will help them improve. At the same time, make an effort to point out several things that they’re doing very well.
Help Shop for an Interview Outfit
If you’re trying to motivate someone to find a job and they just don’t happen to have any clothes that would be appropriate for a formal office interview, then consider taking them out clothes shopping one weekend.
There are lots of great resources when it comes to learning about common interview outfits and office attire.
Apart from putting together an outfit that interviewers will be impressed by when the time comes, putting on some high-quality new clothes will also help your friend feel more confident, which will hopefully translate to better performance in a job interview.
Closing
When helping someone else find work, you may start to feel discouraged yourself. But don’t worry.
When you work hard at finding jobs that your friend is qualified for, the interviews will start to arrive.
From there, it’s only a matter of time until they find a company and a role that are a great fit for their skills and their personality.
