Helping and Giving Back

Sometimes you never know what could happen if you are willing to help someone, especially during a job search.  Almost immediately after being laid-off I knew I would not only have to proactively network, but also give back to the community and my industry by helping friends, helping reporters and doing whatever I could to keep my skills sharp while looking for paying work. I have helped Citizen Voice and Safely Out with a variety of projects including the Swim for Life and set up mini-debates for the June 2010 election.  I helped do media outreach for "Jamba Jump Day." I have helped reporters by volunteering myself as a source.  I have helped friends move and this week I helped two reporters find sources for articles that ran in today's Sacramento Business Journal and Sacramento Bee.  One reporter needed to find people that had been unemployed for more than a year and another that had kept their job, but had changed their lifestyle, while the other just needed to find a new homeowner (nearly the same story that I was featured in last year).  Both reporters were very happy that I was available to assist them and my friends were happy to be sources. So as I continue my search for either a full-time position or to create a more robust freelance and consulting business I am again reminded, that it is important to help others because it keeps my skills sharp, increases self-confidence, allows me to write blog posts and most importantly allows me to continue to develop strong relationships with reporters and others in the Sacramento region.
*Photo Credit: Dennis McCoy | Sacramento Business Journal