Most job seekers avoid using friends, feeling prodded by the Merit Principle to obtain jobs solely based on ability, not personal factors. Indeed, job seekers often feel embarrassed at the mere thought of asking friends to help. At most, they may mention their need for a job only casually, or only if they happen to run into friends by accident (however, that might take weeks or months).
The job-club approach: what are friends for?
The Job-Club approach, on the other hand, uses friends to help you find a job. The reason is simple: two-thirds of job seekers get jobs when they use the help of friends on a fairly casual basis; therefore, using friends actively should lead to even better results. The Job-Club method shows you how to
- Identify which friends can help you.
- Ask friends for help without feeling embarrassed.
- Use your friends to let you know where the jobs are (an important step—the first before applying for the job).
- Have your friends actively help get you hired.
- Use many of your friends, not just one or two.
- Use them all, from close relatives to casual acquaintances.
You get the general idea—you actively ask all your friends, relatives, and acquaintances to help however they can.
How to ask friends for a job
There's no reason to feel ashamed about asking friends to help you. People often are eager to give suggestions about where there might be jobs. Relatives are usually more than willing to help family members directly, especially when the request is such a simple one.
By asking people for information, you are indirectly saying that their advice is valuable; often, they arc flattered. And if you tell people directly that you want their advice or help because of their special information or contacts, they will probably try to live up to your opinion of them.
When you tell people why they are in a special position to help, they will understand why you asked them, and won't feel imposed upon. The following types of statements work well:
- "You've lived in this town a long time and know lots of people."
- "You probably hear about jobs opening up before anyone else."
- "I know you have lots of friends in the place where you work."
- "You've always had such good ideas on how to do things, I figured you'd have some good ideas about jobs, too."
- "You know me about as well as anyone else, since we worked together. So I figure you'd think of some kind of job I would be good for."
- "People know they can trust you, so if you just put in a good word for me to the foreman, I know he'll take you seriously."
- "Since we went to school together, you know as much about what I know as anyone else, so if you tell the superintendent about me he'll have a good idea whether I could fit in."
- "You're teaching now, so you know best what teaching jobs may come up in your school."
Identifying the people who can help you to get jobs
The first step is to determine whom to ask. Many job seekers think of only a few people. However, since you can't know in advance which friends will help the most, it's best to mention your interest to all of them. List types of people who might be helpful. Create categories, such as "Relatives," "Fellow Employees," and so on. First read about each category; then fill in the names and information requested; then read about and fill in the next category.
List only those people who either live or work in the area where you wish to work. A person who does not live or work in the area is not likely to have any helpful information or contacts. For example, if you wish to work in Springfield, Jacksonville, or Urbana, then list only those people who work or live in any of those three cities.
Relatives
Your relatives generally will be more eager to assist you than any other unrelated person. All they need is a hint from you. In your list, put a checkmark or a number for each relative who lives or works in the geographical area where you would be willing to work.
Former fellow employees
Possibly, the best source for job leads are past colleagues. People who have worked with you in the past know a great deal about your capabilities and work habits. They have seen you work and know how well you can do a job. As a result, they can tell an employer about your merits on the basis of actual experience; and because former fellow employees know you as a person and often as a friend, a potential employer will justifiably trust their judgment. So, think back to each place where you have worked. Include volunteer as well as paying jobs. Indeed, include all jobs, not just those that resemble the type of job you are seeking now. For each job, ask yourself, "Who worked there when I did?" They don't need to have been your best friend, so long as you knew them personally.
The Reminder List of Former Co-Workers should help you remember your past co-workers. Start with your most recent job. Then go on to the job before that, and continue on for each job you have had. For each job, write down the name of each co-worker you remember. To help you remember, ask yourself the following questions:
- "Whom did I eat lunch with at that job?"
- "Whom did I ever give a ride to?"
- "Who ever gave me a ride?"
- "Who did I ever ask for help or for information when I needed it?"
- "Who trained or helped me when I started working there?"
- "Whom did I say goodbye to when I left?"
- "Whom did I ask to fill in for me when I couldn't come to work?"
- "Whom did I ever lend money to, or who lent me money?"
- "Whom did I say hello to when I got to work?"
By spending a few minutes thinking in this way about each job, you will remember many more co-workers. As the names occur to you, write them down in the blank space provided next to each job, as long as that person still lives or works in the same general area where you want a job. If you aren't sure of where that person lives, list his/her name anyhow and look it up later.
Classmates and school acquaintances
People who went to school with you are in a special position. They know how well you did in school and how well you get along with people, and they have spent considerable time with you. Your classmates are about the same age and may, like you, want a job nearby.
You probably have been friendly with many of them and shared teachers and courses. If you went to the same trade school, then you probably are looking for the same type of job your former classmates now have. The same is true for all college classmates who majored in the same subject as you or went to the same professional school.
If you are now attending school, or just recently finished, then your classmates are in a very similar position to you—they have been, are, or will be looking for the same type of job as you. This puts them in an ideal position to tell you of job openings they have heard about during their own job searches. If they already have jobs, they can also provide contacts where they work and can tell you about jobs they interviewed for but decided not to take.
Teachers or professors are in a special position to help because they usually are very familiar with job opportunities in the subject they teach. In fact, employers frequently ask them to suggest students to fill job openings. Many such teachers and professors keep files on requests addressed to them personally. In addition, trade schools and professional schools often maintain a central listing of these job requests by employers.
Close friends from school also know you as a person as well as a student. You may have belonged to a club, been on an athletic team or committee, or been in an especially small class with other students and formed a close acquaintanceship on the basis of these relations.
To recall your classmates, find a copy of your school yearbook for your senior year. If you don't have a copy, ask a fellow graduate, or contact the school. Since the yearbooks usually include pictures as well as names, your recollections are likely to be more vivid.
Create a Reminder List of Classmates, list the names of your fellow students. The reminder list is arranged by class, so list the students in each class. Under "Class Number I," list the most recent class; under "Class Number 2," list the class before that; and so on for as many classes as you have taken. (List each class separately if the classes contained different students.)
As in the previous section, as you consider each class refresh your memory by asking yourself questions. For example:
- "Who was my closest friend in that class?"
- "Who helped me with my homework or whom did I ever help?"
- "Who asked questions in class?"
- "Whom did I eat lunch with?"
- "Who was on the team with me?"
- "Who was in the Club with me?"
- "Whom did I ever gripe with about a course or a grade?"
- "Who dropped out because of a job or because something came up?"
- "Whom did I envy for doing so well?"
- "Who were the class officers?"
For additional classes, clubs, teams, or committees, use a separate sheet of paper and list the names of the classmates as above.
