Talent Tip #19: 5 Tips for Your Unemployed Friend

Brought to you by Katie Loovis, Director of Business & Society Relations at the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, Business Civic Leadership Center

Like most Americans, you probably have at least one or two good friends who are currently unemployed. We all know that the outlook for job seekers is not particularly positive. On nearly all accounts, the “Great Recession” will continue to include a jobless recovery. So what do you say when your friend asks you for advice and help? Are you at a loss and end up giving a sincere but awkward, “keep your chin up”? Good news - there are actually hundreds of free resources out there to help your struggling friend make ends meet and get back on his feet. Here are five to get you started:

Tip 1) Attend a job fair
To land a job, you need to first know about some job opportunities. Monster is making that easier with their “Keep America Working” Tour. Launched in March of this year, Monster has put a helpful twist on the traditional career fair. This signature event, happening in cities across the country, is connecting individuals who are looking for work with job opportunities available now. Additionally, the events feature networking opportunities and workshops with career experts who are providing tips for re-entering a job search, searching during a recession, and staying positive. To date, nearly 2,000 companies have participated in the Keep America Working Tour, providing nearly 50,000 open positions.

Tip 2) Get some free job training
Sometimes landing a new job requires sharpening your skills and acquiring some new skills. In fact, more than half of today’s jobs require some technology skills, and the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics estimates that statistic will reach 77% in the next decade. To help Americans get back on their feet, Microsoft forged a unique partnership with states to provide 1 million vouchers for Microsoft e-learning courses and select certification exams at no cost to recipients. This is part of Microsoft’s Elevate America, which was launched in early 2009 to help train 2 million people in the technology skills critical for our 21st century economy. States such as Washington, Illinois, Virginia, Iowa, and Maryland have adopted the program and, according to Microsoft, reported unprecedented demand among unemployed, underemployed, under skilled and displaced workers seeking to upgrade their technology skills.

Tip 3) Start your own small business
At a time when many feel like they are at the mercy of the markets for landing a job, some are stepping out and starting their own small business. There are all kinds of free resources out there to help these budding entrepreneurs, and a good place to start is the Small Business Toolkit created by IBM and the World Bank’s International Finance Corporation. The free web portal, which is translated into 17 languages and deployed in 30 countries, is connecting 4 million visitors a year to a wealth of tools that help young enterprises learn and implement effective business management practices and improve their access to capital and new markets.

Tip 4) Get your prescriptions and medical services for free
It is likely that your friend who needs a job is also in want of healthcare assistance. Paying out of pocket for health expenses can be daunting, but the good news is that if you dig a little, you are likely to find a clinic providing healthcare services and prescriptions for free thanks to sponsorships from companies such as Abbot. For example, in Lake County, Illinois, where approximately 30% of residents do not have health insurance or are under-insured, there are two free clinics and a pharmacy called HealthReach. The clinics provide its more than 4,100 active patients with cardiovascular, obstetric, gynecological, dental, and ophthalmology care. From screening and diagnosis to helping find patients access to hospital-provided health care, HealthReach has served more than 30,000 patients since its inception.

Tip 5) Get involved
Looking for a job can feel like a full-time job. Despite the time demands, it’s wise for job seekers to carve out some time to serve the community. Volunteering can not only help them feel better about themselves, but it can help them develop marketable skills, and put them in new encounters that could prove fruitful in the job search. In 2008, about 28 million employees from the private sector volunteered, giving 3 billion hours of service. To put it plainly, corporate citizens are out there volunteering in communities all the time. If you want a job at a particular company, a good first step is to volunteer alongside those employees, see the great things you can accomplish together outside the corporate walls, and then maybe you’ll get a good shot at accomplishing great things with them inside the corporate walls. (*Data from the Corporation for National and Community Service).

As you might have noticed, all the resources mentioned are offerings from businesses. That’s right. To many people’s surprise, the business community is stepping up and offering hundreds of resources to help cushion the impacts of the recession for struggling individuals. The U.S. Chamber’s Business Civic Leadership Center (BCLC) has galvanized these business offerings into an easily accessible online portal called Together For Recovery. Learn more about the offerings above and hundreds more. www.TogetherForRecovery.org.