Re-entering the job market can be a lonely proposition. After months of unemployment, the job seeker in your life probably doesn't need more job search tips. He needs a hug.
Career counselors say emotional support -- or lack of support -- from family and friends is one of the most important factors in determining how well job seekers weather unemployment.
In the end, though, the job seeker alone is in charge of how hard the job search is pursued and what attitude prevails.
I often hear from loved ones frustrated with a job seeker's lack of progress. Some job seekers do give up, and it's hard for loved ones to know just how hard to push or just how much ego-boosting they should do.
Unfortunately, there aren't any pat answers for that.
But the one hard-and-fast rule for those who want to be supportive is that they must understand the realities of the current job market before they conclude that a job seeker is lazy or unmotivated.
It may be a temporary condition, but sometimes there truly is "nothing out there" for a job seeker who is trying to replace what he or she lost.
It takes time to retrain and a resolute mindset to reframe a career, especially for middle-age or older workers who have never been in a long-term job hunt before.
