“Hey Friend, could you spend fifteen helping me with my job search?” Don’t be afraid to ask.

The United States Department of Labor describes Labor Day’s founding as “a yearly national tribute to the contributions workers have made to the strength, prosperity, and well-being of our country.” However for millions of us, there isn’t labor to celebrate. 

You are not alone out there. How volunteers can help:

  1. Facilitate Introductions. 
    ERE.net, the recruiting intelligence community, reports that referrals are the number one source of hires. Volunteers will give email, LinkedIn, phone, or in person introductions between job seeking candidates and employees of companies where the candidate may want to work.
  2. Improve a Candidate’s Online Presence. 
    Mashable reports that 69% of employers have rejected a candidate because of what they found about the candidate on a social networking site, and 68% of employers have hired a candidate because of what they found on a social networking site. Volunteers will review a candidate’s LinkedIn, Twitter, Facebook, or blog, and give constructive criticism to make the candidate more appealing to employers.
  3. Give Resume, Cover Letter, and Interview Counseling. Volunteers will serve as a traditional career counselor, reviewing resumes, editing cover letters, and conducting mock interviews.

You’d be surprised how much people want to help, if you just ask.

“Last year I spent a few hours talking to job seekers within my network,” said Jerome Ternynck, CEO at SmartRecruiters, the free recruiting software. “I made an intro that ended up landing my friend a job, and personally, I found the experience very rewarding.”

If you are feeling shy and don’t want to ask a friend for help, you can also connect with volunteers online, by posting to Facebook.com/GiveLabor or tweeting with the Twitter hashtag #GiveLabor.

Give Labor Day will continue each year to make job assistance a social responsibility of Labor Day as community service is a social responsibility of Martin Luther King Day.

And if you are in the San Francisco Area, The SmartRecruiters team itself will be opening its SOMA office to all job seekers, volunteering hiring expertise from 2 to 5 pm at 56 Tehama Street, to help locals find satisfying work. So come on by!

We’re here to help you achieve the celebration of labor. Give Labor Day.

David Smooke is the Director of Social Media for SmartRecruiters, the free hiring software.