Know Someone Who Is Unemployed? Time for you to step up and help them - 3 Ways To Have Impact

Consider this scenario. Life is moving along just fine, you are doing well in your career, maybe driving a nice car, have a nice house in a wonderful neighborhood and maybe, a wonderful family to share it with. You are active, have lots of friends, enjoy doing lots of different and fun things. Then all of a sudden, your near-perfect world is suddenly shattered. Your job is eliminated. Poof, it is gone! One of the major elements which goes a long way to giving a person their identity no longer exists. You didn’t see it coming, especially after delivering stellar results. You struggle to accept what has happened, do everything you can think of to get back on your feet and nothing at all seems to work. Shocking, devastating, life-changing and does not feel very good at all. So what might make a difference? Help from people you know goes a long way, but those people might not know what to say or do. So here are some things which will make a difference in their life, something worthwhile which will help them overcome the trauma of losing their job. EMPATHY - expressing your empathy for what an unemployed person is going through means a lot. Avoiding the discussion about something which is at the core of their universe might seem like the right thing to do, but you just cannot act like everything is peachy. At least make an attempt to talk about it. If the person does not want to discuss things, they will let you know. Pride can get in the way of discussing a difficult situation. If you do end up talking, choose the right setting, be it a phone call or conversation, but open some dialogue. Exhibit an interest and willingness to understand what they are going through. Demonstrate you care. It means a great deal to the person. INQUIRY – once you have broken the ice, you have a captive audience. The issue is out there, open for discussion, maybe. If you get the green light, ask them, “How can I help?” Maybe you can offer a suggestion about something they might do, perhaps different than what they are doing, based on the strength and personality traits you believe they possess. Sometimes a discussion like this brings about solutions you did not earlier think about. Make the effort. Whether you come up with a solution during this talk or not, that there was an effort shows someone cares about their predicament. But there is plenty which cab ne done to help. ACTION - after you make the inquiry and discussed a little more about where they see their next landing spot to be, consider putting together your own plan for how you can help. Maybe you have contacts in their industry or the type of work they want to pursue. Maybe you can help point them in the direction of networking group or a social organization where people share similar interests. Connect them with these people; introduce them in a social setting or over morning coffee. Showing an interest in helping find a solution to what might be the most difficult situation a person can face goes a long way to building confidence and demonstrating there are people who care about them. Of course the other side of this equation that as a resource, you have to genuinely care about others. Many will talk about it and say they will do something, but plenty never do, avoiding phone calls, voice mail messages and e-mails. I’ve witnessed this in my own neighborhood. But you truly can make a difference. I hope for the sake of the unemployed people you know, that along with a little courage, empathy and dedication to brightening the lives of others, that process can begin today. But you might have to take the first step.