I just wanted to take a minute to mention how great it is to have friends.  Friends help each other in good times and bad.  Friends are honest with each other even when the truth hurts.  Friends stand by each other even when one makes mistakes.  Friends make the world a better place.

I’ve had many conversations with friends recently who are unemployed or underemployed and looking for work.  In a tough job market such as ours, it can be easy to want to limit the competition when you find a job that seems just perfect for you.  Maybe it’s tempting not to tell your friend who is looking for the same type of job until after the job closes, or at least after you’ve submitted your rockin’ resume.  Wait!  That’s not what friends do.  Friends help each other out, remember?

There’s nothing like a little competition to bring out the best in each other.  Tell your friend who’s searching for the same job as you are about every posting you find!  Share the link on facebook, twitter, and LinkedIn when you see it.  Does that sound crazy?  I don’t know.  Maybe it is, but it’s the right thing to do.  Then get together with those co-conspirators and critique each other’s resumes, correct grammar in cover letters, and give each other a morale boost!

The song says “I get by with a little help from my friends,” for a reason.  Helping makes you feel better.  Helping cements the personal bonds between people.  Helping makes the world a better place.  Do you see where I’m going here?

Share with your friends even if it means you have a little more competition in the already flooded job market.  Sometimes giving someone else a boosts clears the way for your own success down the road.  Enjoy a little friendly competition, and may the best man or woman win!