save the assistants

Being unemployed has many upsides - free money from the government, sleeping late, People’s Court reruns - but it has major downsides as well. When you’re broke and hitting a brick wall with your job search, the last thing you want to do is rehash all the humiliation. However, you are most likely not an island. Your friends love you. So here’s a guide for talking to them about your unemployment:

• If someone offers to help, let them. Your friends are your friends because they like you. And when someone says they want to help, they usually mean it. However, they may have no idea how to help. So if there’s something specific they can do - proofreading your resume, giving you some contact info for that job recruiter they worked with last summer, just being there when you need to vent - say what it is, and let them do it.
• Be straightforward about your finances. If you’re too broke to keep going out to fancy restaurants, you need to be upfront about it. Don’t sound like you’re blaming your friend, though - instead of simply declining invites or waiting until the bill comes to fight over whose half comes out to more, maybe suggest cheaper alternatives or recommend another activity that you would both enjoy but costs less, such as a free day at a museum or cooking dinner at your place while you watch American Idol.

• If you have to, come up with a prepared statement. It may sound like you’re moonlighting as your own publicist, but if you really don’t want to talk about what’s going on you’re going to have to figure out something to say when you inevitably get asked. Plus, if you’re expecting what you’re going to say it’s way less likely you’ll have a shocked or unhappy facial expression. Keep it short but simple: “I’m actively applying for marketing jobs.”
• Leverage social networking. Don’t turn your Facebook wall into a giant resume, but you can use your social networking sites to your advantage. You never know what will elicit responses from people. If you mention on Twitter that you’re thinking about going to a job fair, it may turn out that someone you know has a friend who works for the company organizing the fair and can get you in without having to pay the entrance fee. It may seem small, but it could end up working in your favor.