Benefits of the Buddy System

Using the buddy system can keep you from getting lost in a big city or on your job hunt. It can spot you when swimming or sinking in search options. The ability to connect with someone facing the same challenges you are dealing with everyday can act as a lifeline during an extended stint of unemployment.

In college, I had a friend named Sarah who I met the first day of school. We arranged it so we had every class together and continued to support each other as we pursued our career options after graduation. Because we had equivalent experience levels we could compare offers and swap contacts. Jobs that weren’t right for me might be a better fit for her and vice versa. She would forward me links and I would refer her to postings I’d perused. We kept each other on track and accountable by reminding each other how much we had spent on schooling and that if we didn’t start making it back soon our skills would be out of date.

Sarah and I supported each other on the phone, online and in person. I’d give her a ride to any job interviews if she had car trouble and she would babysit so I could make it to mine child free. When either of us was particularly frustrated after a series of rejections we could meet for coffee and plan strategies for new approaches to get noticed. Some may have been a little silly but other ideas really worked out well and neither of us would have come to them without collaborating.

In the end I was very blessed to find a friend and a colleague in Sarah. We worked together for a while before taking our own career paths but we continue to support each other as we go. At first glance we might not have expected to make such an impact on each other’s lives but sometimes that’s what happens from taking a chance and saying hello. Ask someone to be your career building buddy today and you might wind up with your best friend for tomorrow.

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By Heather Fairchild - Heather is a multimedia developer with experience in web, film, photography and animation as well as traditional fine arts like painting and sculpting. In addition to writing for RealestateJobSiteBlog.com, she is co-founder of design and promotion company, Creative Kazoo with fellow Nexxt blogger, Staci Dennis. Heather’s spare time consists of making puppets, teaching Sunday School, building Legos and doing science experiments with her children.