CRASH!
The deafening explosion shattered the stillness of my home office, jolting me upright. The
violence of it, so sudden and unexpected, left me momentarily stunned. My heart pounded as I
sprang from my chair, adrenaline surging through my veins. Racing to the front door, I barely
noticed that I was only in shorts and a T-shirt—no socks, no shoes—just raw instinct driving me
forward.
I flung the door open and was met with a scene straight out of a nightmare. Our peaceful,
one-block street had transformed into the site of a horrific accident—a car overturned, its metal
frame twisted and mangled, shards of glass scattered across the pavement like jagged ice.
And then I saw it—the sight that made my breath catch in my throat. A baby, suspended upside
down in a car seat, dangling helplessly within the wreckage. The urgency hit me like a freight
train. I had to act.
“Call 911!” I shouted to my wife as I sprinted toward the car, my bare feet slapping against the
pavement. I was only a few steps in when I realized the sharp pieces of glass and debris were
starting to cut through my unprotected feet. But there was no time to think about that. The real
danger was ahead of me, not underfoot.
As I reached the driver’s door, the man inside was struggling to pull himself through the
shattered window. The baby’s cries pierced the air, a sound that paradoxically reassured
me—they were both alive. But we had to get the baby out, and fast. She was hanging upside
down, secured only by the car seat harness.
A fleeting moment of panic gripped me as scenes from action movies flashed through my
mind— a car crashes, it flips, and then it explodes! I could smell gasoline, but there was nothing
to ignite it, at least not yet. Still, no choice needed to be made. A child needed help.
Through the shattered front and back windows, the father and I worked together. He unclipped
the seatbelt while I supported the baby, carefully freeing her from the harness and making sure
to avoid any glass as I navigated her through the broken window. With the child safely in my
arms, I handed her to her father, who clutched her tightly, relief washing over his face. As I
looked around, I noticed neighbors slowly approaching, and I wondered, what took them so
long? Then it struck me—the entire ordeal had lasted only a few minutes.
This story has a happy ending. Everyone was okay, and now it’s a story I can tell at cocktail
parties. But rather than portraying myself as a superhero, I believe that in a crisis, most of us
would instinctively jump into action.
But what if the situation is less dire, and far less dramatic than that accident? Under what
circumstances do I act? What if the event is a person falling, cutting themselves and bleeding in
a park? Do I run to their aid? What if there are other people around? What if I have an
important business deadline that day? What if the person bleeding is someone I don’t like?
What if I’m wearing a new expensive outfit and am certain to get blood on me? What if the
person who fell is one of my kids?
It’s a question worth pondering “When do I help someone in need?”
I bring this up on behalf of candidates who have lost their jobs, resigned due to personal or
professional reasons, or are seeking their next opportunity—in short, anyone actively searching
for a lifeline in their employment journey.
Let me set the table here – a job search for many is humbling, scary, frustrating, exhausting,
stressful, disheartening, overwhelming, challenging, unpredictable and time-consuming. Stated
more simply, job searches are difficult. This is the proverbial person falling in the park – are
vulnerable, may desperately need time and help from others, and will be so grateful for any
assistance they receive. The person in the park is not expecting you to be a doctor. We all
know that any contribution in a time of one’s need is valuable.
With next week being National Help A Candidate week (I literally just created that), I encourage
you to reach out to someone who you know is in need of job search help. You don’t need to find
them a job, you don’t need to own the process of rewriting their resume, and you don’t need to
make introductions or open your network if that causes you discomfort.
Share with the individual that you know they are going through a challenging time and ask
where they need help. An hour of your time may not only help them with their search, they will
greatly appreciate someone caring about their needs.
Here are some basic ways you can offer to help the job seeker; offer to provide feedback and
suggestions on their resume and/or Linkedin profile, offer to write them an endorsement, provide
1 or 2 useful contacts in your network, offer to conduct a mock interview with them, offer your
perspective on the market, provide emotional support, or help them brainstorm on ideas on
companies and roles to target.
There is no action that you need to take here as we each need to consider when we help
someone in need. I’m simply raising the point that those who are active in a job search, most
likely are open to support of any kind.
Hire Thought Being out of work is a humbling experience, and many in that position are hesitant to ask for
help. With National Help a Candidate Week approaching, I urge you to reach out to someone
who could use your support. You don’t need to find them a job, but your involvement and care
might be exactly what they need to keep moving forward.
