Today, with the economy continuing to struggle, a lot of friends and acquaintances are looking for work. Unfortunately, I’m not in a position to help directly most of the time. When contacted for help, I sometimes feel like there is nothing I can do.
In these cases, where I can’t directly refer someone to an open position I know of, I can still try to help. I usually end up meeting for lunch, and going through my contacts, referring them to people that I think might be able to help, either with info on a position, or by referring to yet more contacts.
Opening your network can be a scary thing, but it is worthwhile. The help is genuinely appreciated, even if it doesn’t lead to anything. It doesn’t cost much. It’s really the ultimate in risk/return.
Eric M. Ralph 