I’ve been wondering how hard life would be if I was fired right now. Being fired is at the top of my “worse fears” list because I can’t see how I could possibly survive something like that. But obviously it isn’t the end of the world for most people who find themselves in this situation, because they eventually find jobs.
When you’ve been fired, what do you tell prospective employers? I’m not talking about being laid off/downsized. I’m talking about you fucking up at the job and being fired. Do you leave this job off of your resume? What do you say when people ask you about it? Should you change your career choices?
There’s another reason why I’m asking this question: I recently found out that my boss is going to fire a coworker in a few weeks. This coworker isn’t my friend (she’s not my enemy either. She’s just a coworker who I sometimes eat lunch with) but I care about her as a person and I don’t want this to kill her. I want to know that she’s going to be alright.
I was fired from my job as a legal assistant. Up until that point, it was the strongest item available for my resume, so I put it on there. When asked (which only happened a couple times, it came up far less than I had feared) I simply told the truth: the attorney felt that I wasn’t living up to his expectations. No apologies, no excuses, no fudging the truth. I don’t think I ever had to answer beyond that - and I got offered all 3 jobs that I interviewed for in that time frame. I t only really applies to the first job you get after the termination anyway; I don’t think I’ve ever been asked in any of the subsequent job searches I did.
Emotionally, I was devastated at first. It was a huge financial blow for us, as well as a big strike against my sense of accomplishment. I had been so proud when I got the job, my first real, “grown up” job. But it does pass. It’s not an easy thing to deal with by any means, and can definitely shake your confidence in the beginning, but if you resolve yourself to learning from the experience, and any mistakes that you might have made, I think some benefit can come from it. And you do get past it; time heals most wounds, after all.
That is one benefit I’ve found since becoming a contractor - I have an easy answer to “Why did you leave your last job?” I can just say “The contract ended!”
I’m sure your coworker will be fine in the long run. When the attorney fired me, I was completely blindsided - I had absolutely no idea it was coming. I think that was the hardest part. But I did survive. And eventually, I’m better for it 
I’ve been fired so many times its like water off a duck’s back now. If the job sucked, I wouldn’t put it on a resume, but if it was a “legitamate” position that would look good, put it on there. The only thing a prospective employeer will ever hear from the place that canned you is dates of employment and rehire status. No details would be given.
If anybody asks, tell em you were laid off. Its not like they can check. 
Or, just make up a phony company and put on the application that it went out of business after the owner went toes up. Always a good line.
My advice: If you get fired, start drinking. Heavily.
I got fired from my first job after college. My boss admitted that I gave it my best shot, but just didn’t have the skill set he needed. That’s what I said on the job interviews.
I’ve been fired once and laid off twice. Your co-worker will survive.