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&lt;p&gt;You may have escaped the axe at work, but chances are you know someone who has lost his or her job and can use a helping hand.&amp;nbsp; As a friend or family member, you certainly feel a responsibility to be there for your loved ones, but what can you do; what should you do; and what should you avoid doing when it&amp;rsquo;s time to give back?&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img style=&quot;margin: 4px 9px; float: left;&quot; title=&quot;find job, helping hand&quot; src=&quot;http://www.vault.com/VCM/homepage/carousel/find-job-helping-hand-263x252.png&quot; alt=&quot;find job, helping hand&quot; width=&quot;271&quot; height=&quot;185&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;br&gt;Don&amp;rsquo;t tell them everything will be ok.&amp;nbsp; &lt;/strong&gt;It might be nice to hear, but the newly unemployed hear those words differently than the way you intended them to sound.&amp;nbsp; They might be angry, because you have a job and think &quot;What do you know about my situation?&quot;&amp;nbsp; They might feel like you are trying to pacify them.&amp;nbsp; And most times, they just want to wallow in their misery.&amp;nbsp; It&amp;rsquo;s part of the healing process.&amp;nbsp; They want to feel bad for a moment and you&amp;rsquo;re interfering with that.&amp;nbsp; In reality, you do not know if everything will be ok, so it&amp;rsquo;s best not to get someone&amp;rsquo;s hopes up, because if things get worse, what will you say then?&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Don&amp;rsquo;t tell them, you&amp;rsquo;ll get a job soon.&amp;nbsp; &lt;/strong&gt;There is a certain level of disappointment when everyone tells you, &amp;ldquo;don&amp;rsquo;t worry, you&amp;rsquo;ll get a job soon,&amp;rdquo; and you don&amp;rsquo;t. &amp;nbsp;It&amp;rsquo;s as if they are letting people down.&amp;nbsp; It also begs the questions, &amp;ldquo;Everyone said I would get a job, but I haven&amp;rsquo;t&amp;hellip;what&amp;rsquo;s wrong with me?&amp;rdquo;&amp;nbsp; In truth, it&amp;rsquo;s the economy that&amp;rsquo;s wrong and it might have nothing to do with the unemployed person, but that simple comment actually places undue pressure on the jobseeker, regardless of if it was intended.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Send them the right job postings.&amp;nbsp; &lt;/strong&gt;The biggest mistake friends make is just sending any job posting to their friend.&amp;nbsp; For the first couple of months of unemployment, it&amp;rsquo;s fair to say that an unemployed jobseeker is allowed to be slightly picky in his or her job search.&amp;nbsp; Ask what they are exactly looking for in terms of a job and listen to them.&amp;nbsp; Then ask, &amp;ldquo;If I run across something, would you like me to send any your way?&amp;rdquo;&amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp;If they say yes, look for jobs in their field and email possible matches to your friend.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Open your door to them.&amp;nbsp; &lt;/strong&gt;If your loved one is struggling and has to cut services to make ends meet, and they need to use an Internet connection or a printer for their resume, make sure they know they can count on you in their time of need.&amp;nbsp; It&amp;rsquo;s hard to find a job in the first place, but if you are lacking the tools necessary to get the job done, it is almost impossible.&amp;nbsp; This simple gesture will get them on the right track again.&amp;nbsp; On that note, if they need a ride to an interview and you can help out, open your car door for them, too.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Help them network. &lt;/strong&gt;Introduce your friend to anyone you know who could help their career.&amp;nbsp; There are ways to go about this without being pushy.&amp;nbsp; You can simply ask a colleague or connection to meet with your friend through an informational interview.&amp;nbsp; You can connect them via LinkedIn.&amp;nbsp; You might even throw a party and make sure your friend attends, so he or she can meet industry players who could help them further their job search.&amp;nbsp; Never say, &amp;ldquo;If there is anything I can do, I am there,&amp;rdquo; without meaning it.&amp;nbsp; It&amp;rsquo;s important to follow-through with your promises.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Be a real friend. &lt;/strong&gt;&amp;nbsp;First, let your friend vent.&amp;nbsp; Only offer advice if they ask.&amp;nbsp; Sometimes, they just want to complain and knowing they have a friend there to listen means a lot to them. &amp;nbsp;Second, help your friend deal with the stress by not having to deal with the stress.&amp;nbsp; Find cheap, preferably free, ways to enjoy each other&amp;rsquo;s company &amp;ndash; basketball, watching a game on TV, playing video games, working out.&amp;nbsp; Help them keep their mind off their troubles and it will help them de-stress and become better focused for the job search ahead.&amp;nbsp; Finally, don&amp;rsquo;t offer money, but find ways you can help your loved one deal with their financial difficulties in a more creative way.&amp;nbsp; Invite friends over to hang out and then order pizza.&amp;nbsp; Free meal.&amp;nbsp; When they offer to pay, just say, &amp;ldquo;You&amp;rsquo;ll get me next time.&amp;rdquo;&amp;nbsp; These little ways help your friend without it being thrown in their face.&amp;nbsp; A good support system can make a big difference in someone&amp;rsquo;s life.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;&lt;strong&gt;--Jon Minners, Vault.com&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

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