Alex McCord really knows the meaning of recession -- the star of The Real Housewives of New York City has lost her real-life job.

Alex, who worked in visual merchandising for Victoria's Secret, tells Life & Style exclusively about how she is handling the shocking news.

"It was definitely a very big surprise. My own immediate supervisor didn't even know it was happening," says Alex, who lost her job when the company cut 10 percent of its home-office workforce recently.

Though her last day of work was Feb. 27, Alex isn't wasting any time trying to find a job. "It's really interesting to see where to go from here. I've been making calls, updating my résumé, and sitting down with people and chatting. I'm exploring all of my options."

Alex, who is a Brooklyn-based mother of two young boys, says her family has been "incredibly supportive." Her husband, Simon, still works as the general manager for Hotel Chandler, and Alex hasn't collected unemployment. But, she adds, "if I'm not able to replace my income by the time my severance runs out, discretionary expenses and our nanny are where we'd have to cut back."

In the meantime, she'll continue to be a part of the reality show and says her castmates "have been overwhelmingly supportive."

Photo Credit: Courtesy of Bravo