I used to work in Hollywood. Hollywood and the entertainment industry are great to work in. But when you are out of work, things get cold and lonely very quickly. All those loving moments you see on television, all that warm and fuzzy stuff, goes by the wayside quicker than the last piece of sushi on the strike lines. People won’t take your calls. Friends avoid you for fear you are asking them to help you find a job. Which you are? You are forgotten easily.
Well, now with massive layoffs in publishing, media, advertising, and just about everywhere else, this same sensibility is becoming pervasive. When your friends get laid off, and you don’t, it is hard not to think how easily it could have been you that was let go, instead of them. It is difficult to not feel guilty to want to avoid their contact. they will be asking for your help and at least a little tenderness and consolation. And your focus, naturally, is hanging on to your job.
The fact is most people know you can’t really help them find work when there is no work to be found. In industries, such as the news media, where the entire industry has been decimated, you are only a friend and not a miracle worker. The thing is, be a friend. Help them where you can. If they don’t know much about social networking website, then show them how to use the FaceBook, Linked In, MySpace, Twitter, and all the rest. If you do, miracle of miracles, hear of a job opening, take the time to let them know. And be kind. Chances are it isn’t there fault that the economy was run into the ground.
There are reasons to show compassion. The first should be that you want to be a decent human being and not just one more uncaring homosapien who feels the rest of us our heavenly graced by your presence on the earth. It is time to be close not distant. Also, things change. Come one ugly Friday, you are out of a job and your friend is working again. You may need his help. You might even be working for him, If you have been aloof and cold, avoiding his calls, it would be safe to say he will return the favor. Your preemployment screening with his new found company may not go as well as you might have hoped.
So be cool. Be cool by being compassionate. Be helpful when you can. None of us our saints, in case you haven’t noticed. But we can do what we can and on our better days a little bit more. When the phone rings and it’s your buddy, answer it. A few minutes won’t hurt you any. In fact, it may even make you feel a little better about the world.
