By Laura Lee Rose,

Hello, this is Laura Lee Rose, author, speaker, and expert in time and project management.

Today’s comments come from a busy professional:

1. What is the best way to offer your unemployed friend encouragement as they look for a job?
2. What are some specific things you can do?
3. What are some helpful or encouraging things to say?
4. Should a friend ask how the job search is going? If so, how often should you ask this kind of question?
5. What are some things to avoid doing or saying?

Let’s answer these questions one by one:

1. What Is the Best Way to Offer Your Unemployed Friend Encouragement as They Look for a Job?

Ask them what their game plan is. Understand the types of jobs they would be interested in and good at. Understand their strengths and weaknesses. Understand what areas they already have covered by other family or friends. Understand the ways they would like you to help.  And then ask permission to help in those ways.

If they don’t have a game plan, ask permission to help them with it.

2. What Are Some Specific Things You Can Do?

Offer to: introduce them to individuals; invite them to your networking events; pass along other networking events that might better fit their job goals; review their LinkedIn profile and recommend changes that could help them better attract job offers; show them how to use the job links on LinkedIn; etc. There are lots of things you can do!

But, please ask permission before doing anything. Your friend may already have someone working with them on some of these areas.  You want to make sure not to overwhelm your friend or distract them from their current plans and goals.

One other thing you can offer is to do some mock interviews with them. If you have experience in interviewing people for jobs — or just a lot of experience with interview success — you can offer to mock interview your friend to give them some practice. You can do the same thing by pretending to be a hiring representative at a job fair, giving them practice with navigating a busy job fair situation. Providing your friend with a safe place to practice these things will increase their confidence for when the real thing comes along

Once again: you have to ask permission to see if they want this kind of help first.

3. What Are Some Helpful or Encouraging Things to Say?

In all honesty, actions speak louder than words. Follow through on the things you and your friend agreed that you would do for them. Attend some of the networking events with your friend. Keep an eye out for job fairs and other helpful opportunities for them — if these are some of the things your friend agreed that they needed your help on, of course.

4. Should a Friend Ask How the Job Search Is Going? How Often Should You Ask This Kind of Question?

• I would ask about any job position that you specifically lined up for them.
• I would ask about any networking event that you specifically lined up for them.
• I would ask about any meetings or interview that you specifically lined up for them.

If you find that your friend didn’t follow up with any of the things that you lined up for them, then I would stop sending them any additional information until they are ready to take action. They will call upon you when they are ready — because you have already shown your willingness to help.

5. What Are Some Things to Avoid Doing or Saying?

Avoid doing things without your friend asking you do to them. They may have other plans in the works that you do not know about, and your unasked-for interference could complicate their job search strategies.

Avoid continually sending them positions, interview opportunities, etc., as this may overwhelm them. Start off slow to see if they actually take action on a few things you pass their way before sending them anything else. They may be struggling with other people sending them things as well, and could be feeling overwhelmed.