Thanking the People Who Helped You Along the Way
Tomorrow is Thanksgiving Day in the United States. While there are many things that we tend to disagree on as a society, I feel it safe to say, that a day where we give thanks for the good things that have happened in our life, celebrating it with family and friends and as a national holiday is something that we can agree on is a wonderful tradition. (When you are with those family and friends, just try to avoid topics that you know may lead to disagreement among one another).
The world I am a part of for a large part of the year is with those in job search. One of the techniques that job search coaches look to encourage their clients to do is to look to reach out, connect and have conversations with those whom may be able to help them in their job search. Not all the people we meet may be able to hire us. Perhaps they do not have a job opening at the present time. They may not be at the level in an organization to make the hiring decisions. Or, perhaps they do not even know much about the industry we are seeking to find our next employment opportunity, or even understand the nuances of the work we do. However, they may be the springboard to helping us advance to our next opportunity.
For example, as a job searcher, you may share with those close to you some of the companies you are targeting at which to apply. Your friend or family member may say, my close friend works at that company. I would be happy to introduce you to them. Your family member makes the introduction, you have a meaningful conversation with your family member’s friend, and they in turn both give you an understanding of the company’s culture, and look to advance your candidacy to a hiring manager in a department that has an opening for your skill set. Whether you get the job position or not, both your family member and their friend took the step to speak with you and help you. They took an interest in helping you with your career search. Think about them tomorrow, and perhaps reach out with a text, email, or phone call to thank them for helping you during your time of need this past year.
Or perhaps you learned in the early stages of your job search, that it is recommended to not go through a job search process alone. You were referred to or learned of a job search support group that provided sessions on job search strategies, introduced you to other job searchers that became job search buddies or even allowed you to get work experience for your resume in volunteering to help the organization in putting on the events that they provided. Think about those individuals and consider both giving them an update on how you are doing at present, asking them how they have been and thanking them for being there for you during a difficult time in your life.
I know that when I really stop to take the time to think of the people who are special in my life at the present time, when I really put thought to it, I often am amazed at how they came into my life. For example, my wife was introduced to me through a mutual friend of both of us. However, I do not know that mutual friend if my first wife is not friends with a school teacher she knew from her teenage years and kept a friendship with all through their adult years. The friend that introduced me to my current wife met my first wife and I at a birthday party, stayed friends with us, and stayed connected to me after the passing of my first wife making sure that I was OK and moving on with my life after her passing. I am sure all of you have stories like that.
Yes, tomorrow is a day to give thanks for the blessings in your life. And, it is possible you may not be able to reach out to every person that helped you along the way. However, if you keep in mind to reach out to them on occasion, check in on how they are doing, and thank them for what they did for you along the way, it is truly letting them know your gratefulness for what they did to help you enhance your life. It will be your way to help brighten up their day.
