Let me start off this week’s post by saying that if you are unemployed right now…I’m sorry.

I feel your pain. I was long-term unemployed myself in the past and those days were very dark. The grueling job applications…the frightening interviews…the rejection emails…I’ve been there. Please remember that you are not worthless or a loser.

If you have a friend or family member who is unemployed, it is tempting to say certain things to try to encourage them (“try” being the operative word). I would like to ask you to please refrain from telling them the following:

“How’s the job search going?” (Painfully, I am sure. And they probably don’t want to talk about it.)

“How did that interview go?” (If they really want you to know, they will tell you.)

“Have you heard from that job yet?” (If they had, they would have told you by now.)

“You should try looking on [insert name of job search engine here].” (Chances are that they already have looked.)

“When one door closes, another opens.” (This is the oldest cliché in the book.)

“Maybe God doesn’t want you to have a job right now. Maybe He wants you to be a missionary.” (Yes, someone actually said this to me once.)

“You should try applying at [insert name of low-paying entity here]. I hear they pay good money.” (Stop. Just stop.)

“Maybe people think you’re overqualified.” (It’s not like they can do anything about it.)

“Have you ever thought about going back to school?” (With whose money? Now more than ever, they need it to put food on their table.)

“You can’t buy a new pair of shoes. You don’t have a job.” (Yes, someone actually said this to me once as well. If you don’t have enough manners to not say this, you probably should not be a member of society.)

If you spent time unemployed, what atrocities did you hear?