Lean on Me... When You're Unemployed

I talked to a friend last week who shared with me that he was being let go by his company after more than fifteen years of service. I appreciated his honesty around struggles around bitterness, the challenge of communicating the news to his family and the difficulty of emotionally settling down to the point of being able to determine next steps. My heart really goes out to my friend, and I did my best just to listen to him share and sympathize, not forcing unsolicited advice or hackneyed answers.

I remember coming across blog post which leaked the presentation that Yahoo! managers were given to guide them in layoff conversations a few months ago. I found it a little chilling, in part because it was completely spot-on in terms of what I would expect - the controlled script, the vanilla language, the thinly-veiled legalese. I've been fortunate not to have been on either side of the desk around this conversation up to this point, though I don't assume for a second that I never came close nor do I assume I'll never be on the receiving end of one.

A few days ago, the New York Times posted an article written by a layoff victim detailing some practical advice around how to best support friends who are in the midst of a job search. Given the state of the job market, it makes a lot of sense to keep these in mind - either as a potential giver or recipient.