It may have been entertaining when Donald Trump used to declare, “You’re fired!”
Job loss is more than just the loss of income.
Our self-esteem, identity, and socialization skills are closely tied to our careers.
Being the family member or friend of someone who has just lost a job isn’t easy, either.
Being let go is a demoralizing experience, no matter the circumstances.
Plus, your friend may be in a financial bind without a regular salary to depend on.
Asking, “Did you see thesigns you were going to be fired?”
may make your pal feel clueless.
(Not everyone is cut out to be an entrepreneur.)
Experts tellHuffPostthat talking to trusted people can help an unemployed person feel less alone.
They suggest opening the conversation by saying, “I’m so sorry.
How are you feeling?”
Then empathize with those emotions, and share your own experiences if you’ve been through something similar.
Depending on the situation, your friend may actually be happy or relieved to be leaving their job.
Don’t flood your friend with questions about how it happened or what their plans are.
They may need some time to process the situation and figure out their next steps.
In the meantime,Chronrecommends being proactive and finding concrete ways to help.
If money is tight for your friend, you could give them a supermarket gift card.
Spend a day going over online job boards or updating their resume.
If you happen to have contacts in your friend’s industry, reach out to them.
Or plan to get together regularly so that your friend won’t feel isolated.
Your support can help your friend gain the confidence they need to move on from a job loss.
