THE construction sector has always relied upon teams and the comradeship which comes with that, so it is no surprise that such spirit runs through in times of hardship.

However, during the last recession, keeping in touch with former colleagues involved having an address book the size of a house, especially if you had been made redundant by a large employer.

If you heard of an opportunity that might suit someone you had worked with in the past, you either had to call them at home or write them a letter.

Moving into 2011, that spirit continues, but the tools available to us mean a relationship can be locked into place at the click of a mouse, and an opportunity can be passed on just as easily. I was one of those who was shocked when Rok went into administration in November, but am one of the lucky ones, having found myself a new role with a leading employer.

There were around 3,800 of us at Rok and my experience as national operations director tells me that these were generally great people, with a range of customer service skills, who would slot into any number of roles at companies around the country.

Now, using social media such as LinkedIn and Facebook, we find it easier to keep in touch with former colleagues.

A link to a job advert can be posted online, or emailed to somebody’s smart phone in seconds, and many of the numbers we need are now stored in our mobiles, rather than the old books.

The reason I mention all of this is because in times like this, we should look out for one another. While each individual’s priority must, in tough times, be to his or her own family, our former colleagues are often also our friends.

If we can help, we should and the technology of today allows our teams to keep in touch, even if we do not see each other every working day.

There are people out there who, through no fault of their own, are unable to put their skills to work. It is simply a case of matching the right person to the vacancy. Now, more than ever, an opportunity need not go begging and a job should not be left empty.