Unemployment, especially long stretches of unemployment is extremely dificullt. If you’ve got a family member or friend who is struggling with unemployment, you’l no doubt want to help and support them the best you can.
At Graduate Coach, we have helped students, graduates and career changers transition from unemployment and become gainfully employed over the past 15 years. We know first hand the impact unemployment can have on individuals. The uncertainty, financial stress, and the job search struggles all pile up to make unemployment all the more challenging.
In this post, we share some effective tips on how you can offer your assistance.
Lend a Listening Ear and a Shoulder to Cry On
Sometimes, the most helpful thing you can do is simply listen. Allowing them to vent and voice their feelings helps someone who is struggling during their time of unemployment.
Validate Their Feelings
Your unemployed friend or family member may be experiencing a wide variety of emotions. They may be feeling:
- Frustrated due to sending out countless applications without hearing back
- Worried due to financial concerns and financial responsibilities
- Hopelessness due to not being able to find suitable jobs to apply for
- Angry due to being ghosted after completing interviews
- Apprehensive about their career prospects
- Excited about the possibility of getting a better job opportunity than their previous role
- Anxious about upcoming interviews or feedback
- Shame: cultural and societal pressures could make someone feel they aren’t fulfilling their role
- Sadness: due to losing their job, especially if they were passionate about the job or had built close relationships at the workplace
The key here is to not come across as dismissive by telling them not to worry.
Even though you might mean well by saying this to them, it may not help them and may make them feel as though their emotions are not valid.
Avoid Unsolicited Advice
Offering advice without being asked might make them feel more pressured. Instead, just be there for them and understand what they are feeling.
Also, avoid giving them ‘obvious’ advice. Telling your friend or family member to ‘keep applying’ may not be helpful to them at all, especially if they have been treating their job search as a full-time job, and sending out applications daily.
Offer Practical Help
Real, hands-on support is invaluable. Especially during the early days of job hunting.
Here are some ways you could offer support to a family member who is struggling with unemployment:
Offer to Review Their CV
You may not be able to offer specific advice if they work in a different industry. However, you can proofread their CV and capture any spelling or grammatical mistakes. You will also be able to ‘judge’ to what extent they are showcasing their skills and achievements. Whilst reviewing their CV, ask yourself: ‘Have they included figures and statistics to quantify their achievements and impact in the workplace?’
Network
Share job openings, introduce them to contacts in their field, or recommend networking events. If you do not have any connections in their industry, feel free to do some online research for events and upcoming career fairs. If you can, offer to attend the events with them.
Skill Development
Suggest online courses or workshops that could enhance their employability. There are many free online certifications that they may benefit from. Encourage them to use this time of unemployment to upskill.
Encourage Routine
Having a structure can offer solace during uncertain times. During a period of unemployment, it is easy to adopt bad habits such as:
- Not maintaining good sleep hygiene and waking up/going to sleep at different times each night
- Not eating healthy, balanced meals
- Skipping the gym and maintaining an exercise routine
A lack of routine during a period of unemployment can make it much more difficult, impacting their mental health.
Here are two good ways to encourage someone to maintain a routine while they are looking for a new job.
- Maintain Daily Habits: Encourage them to maintain a regular routine, that incorporates exercise, hobbies, or job hunting. If you can, offer to engage in these activities with them. For example, you could both sign up for the same gym and train with each other daily. Alternatively, if they do not want to sign up for a gym membership right now, check if your gym membership allows you to bring a friend.
- Set Goals: Help them set weekly goals, whether it’s sending out a certain number of job applications or learning a new skill. You could take on the role of accountability coach, whereby, each week you check in with them and assess if they have met their goals for the week. If they have not, talk through the reasons and create some new goals for the following week.
Be Mindful of Financial Strains
Unemployment puts strain on finances. Income is reduced or eliminated, while outgoings continue. This often leads to the erosion of emergency savings or general savings. Be sensitive to this fact. Here are some factors to consider when supporting someone who is unemployed:
- Avoid Expensive activities and events: When suggesting get-togethers, opt for budget-friendly or even better, free activities, such as going to the beach or the park.
- Gift Thoughtfully: Consider gifting essentials or gift cards. This can help immensely to reduce financial strain.
Focus on Well-being
Unemployment can have a toll on mental and physical well-being. Here’s how you can help:
- Encourage Self-care: Recognise that your loved one might feel isolated or overwhelmed during this time. Treating them to a spa day, going for a walk in the park or a movie night at home with someone who is struggling to find a job may help them to distress and take a break from sending out job applications and interviewing.
Encourage your loved one to meditate, recommend a good book, or suggest regular nature walks. These aren’t just distractions; they are practical ways to help them relax.
- Promote Seeking Professional Help: Remember, there’s strength in seeking help. The benefits of career coaching, counselling or therapy might be worth mentioning. These professionals are trained to assist individuals as they navigate unemployment.
Be Patient and Don’t Judge
Job hunting and returning to the workforce can sometimes be prolonged. It rarely follows a predictable timeline. During this time, your patience can be their greatest comfort. Avoid setting expectations on when they “should” secure a job, as this might only add to their stress. Here are 2 great ways to show your loved one that you won’t judge them for the situation they are in and that you deeply believe in them and will be patient and supportive during their journey.
Mind Your Words and Steer Clear of Negative Comments
Words hold great power. They can either uplift or weigh someone down.
Be mindful that offhand comments or questions that might come across as critical or judgmental. Phrases like “Have you found a job yet?” or “Maybe you’re not trying hard enough” can be really disheartening. Instead, strive to be their sounding board, offering words of encouragement and understanding. Phrases such as how is the job search going? Will come across in a much more gentle way.
Celebrate Every Milestone, No Matter How Small
Recognising and celebrating milestones during the job search journey can be a powerful motivator for your loved one. Did they polish their CV, network with professionals, land an interview, or perhaps complete a professional course?
Each of these is an achievement in its own right – worth celebrating.
Share Resources
There are many tools and resources available for job seekers. Here are some job listing sites that may help your loved one who is unemployed:
Job Websites:
Indeed: A global platform listing thousands of jobs across various sectors.
Reed: Reed is one of the UK’s largest job search websites.
Totaljobs: Offers vacancies from private companies across sectors.
CV-Library: Allows job seekers to upload their CVs and apply for jobs to the CV-Library platform.
Government Resources:
Universal Jobmatch: Provided by the UK government, lists vacancies.
National Careers Service: Offers information, advice, and guidance to help people make decisions on learning, training, and work.
Find an apprenticeship: Government service for finding apprenticeship opportunities.
Specialised Job Boards:
NHS Jobs: For those looking for a career in the healthcare sector.
Guardian Jobs: Offers jobs mainly in the education, government, media, and charity sectors.
Recruitment Agencies:
Hays: Specialises in various sectors from accounting to engineering.
Michael Page: Provides recruitment services for a range of sectors.
Robert Half: Specialises in finance, accounting, and office jobs.
Regular Check-ins
A simple “How are you doing?” can mean the world to someone who is unemployed and looking for work.
Casual Conversations: Not every conversation has to revolve around their job hunt. Talk about everyday events, movies, or books to give them a break.
Reminders: Let them know you’re thinking of them and are available if they want to chat.
Conclusion
Supporting someone through unemployment is about striking a balance between offering practical help and providing emotional support.
While you can’t solve everything for them, your understanding, patience, and consistent presence can be the beacon of hope they need during this challenging time.
You won’t have all the answers but showing up and reminding them they’re not alone in their journey, will help them tremendously during this time.
If your family member or friend is particularly struggling with the job search and being unemployed, there are plenty of resources that can help them including mental health charities such as Mind, the NHS, and governmental resources. Here at Graduate Coach, we can also help with our one-to-one career coaching, interview preparation, online courses and more.
Read: 15 Proactive Steps to Ease Anxiety While Awaiting Job Interview Results
Featured image by Liza Summer from Pexels
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