In my past, I’ve had experiences that have had me thinking. My experiences have been mostly in the South Asian Indian Sub-Continent, so may not be fair to generalize it.
Help with finding a job: I’ve learnt many times, that when people reach out asking for help, say, for helping them with finding a job; it isn’t about you making a recommendation/referral for them. It, instead, implies that you are indirectly being asked to find and arrange them a job.
Gifts for people: My impression of offering a gift to someone is usually presenting them with something I’ve found useful and dear to me. This is irrespective of whether the gift is a brand new unpacked item or a used (immaculate) one. On the contrary, many people define a gift as an item which is unpacked and one that comes with its sealed original packaging.