Career Brief: How to Get Help From People Like Me

Despite the shockingly low national unemployment numbers, I know way too many people aggressively on the job hunt. Every few weeks, I get another message on Linkedin either from someone I know — or don’t — asking for some help finding a new position or first job. It’s everyone. Recent grads. Former colleagues. Professionals in my peer set.

At every stage of my career, I’ve found people generous in making time for me, sharing advice, and connecting me to opportunities or other interesting people. So it’s always been clear that I would return the favor as much as I can.

While in college, I participated in a Cornell-sponsored externship program, shadowing an alum, a creative director in advertising at Saatchi & Saatchi for a day during the January break. It meant the world to me to see a job I thought I wanted up-close. Richard was in the middle of casting a TV spot for Cheerios and I was able to witness him make choices, take client meetings, banter with colleagues. This one day made such an impact on me, I try to participate in the same program every year hosting a student at my work either watching me work or organizing sit-downs with people closer to them in their career.

Later, during my early forties, I was unceremoniously kicked out of an executive creative leadership job at a global agency, and I was…