A long job search is isolating even when it is not a pandemic. Clients often retreat right when they need other people. They assume no one wants to hear from them, or that they have nothing to offer. Rejection sensitivity makes outreach feel like a risk instead of a strategy.
Your job is to make the first moves small enough to complete between sessions.
- Three texts. When a client has even a brief window of energy, have them text three people to make a concrete plan: coffee, a walk, or a 15-minute call. The more people who know they are looking, the more likely an opening gets mentioned out loud.
- A reusable note. Write one short email together so they are not starting from a blank page every time. Then they only swap the name and one memory.
A template you can hand them:
Hi NAME,
It has been a while. I hope you and [partner, kids, dog] are well. I was thinking about [specific last interaction]. I really valued your [input, guidance, collaboration]. Would you be open to coffee or a short call in the next few weeks? I would like to hear how you are doing and get your take on something I am considering.
If a client cannot do this alone, do the first three together in the session. Momentum is the intervention.