Outplacement services,
generally speaking, are services provided to those who are outward bound, for
whatever reason, from a company or organization. These services are meant to
soften the transition and help those affected to find new jobs and move ahead
with their lives.
Stereotypically, it
encompasses some pep talks with the primary component of resume-writing
assistance; perhaps a job fair where you can meet and shake hands with company
representatives, get some business cards and a few brochures and perhaps even
be added to a database and then – you are on your own, good luck! Sorry, but if the goal is to help people to make a
transition then I am not shy about suggesting what people are being provided
with is a bad joke. I know what it
takes to get the job, I know the ritual well. Job fairs? You can find them on
your own and mingle with the crowds. Resume assistance – really? So what are
people getting that they can really use to help themselves? Truth is, not much.
For some managers, executives and bureaucrats, that may be enough to enable
them to sleep guilt-free at night, because they’ve convinced themselves and
anyone who will listen to their protestations, that they offered to help and
after all good intentions count for
something, don’t they? In fact, there are a great many decision makers in
management who do seek to provide legitimate transition assistance, and they
are increasingly dissatisfied with the majority of outplacement services
available.
As a headhunter for
many years and, considering the manner by which I conduct my work, I am an expert in the hiring / interview process
and I possess a unique perspective. Those who know me recognize I don’t hold
back and I shoot straight and when I grab hold of something I latch on like a
bulldog. When it comes to the substandard services available to most people I
am not only complaining, I have an answer, and my own view of what these kinds
of services should be providing to people. But to do so requires a skill set
and experience that is vanishing in today’s market; you can’t just wing it if
you only talk the talk but can’t walk the walk.
For many years I
regularly provided advice to people who later said it was insightful and
helpful. To make it more available I wrote a handbook the year before last to
more widely help job seekers to help themselves. Next, I went further and
started this blog in October 2012.
From today, I am going
even further with the aim of demonstrating ways that people can learn, or
re-learn, how to affect their own chances in the jobs market – and also – to
demonstrate what an outplacement program and content should resemble. I’ve taken the contents of a recent 5 (five) hour
lecture (well actually, it was 6 hours but I don't count the breaks), I sliced, diced and condensed it into twenty-five 8 – 10 minute segments
which are now posted on YouTube for anyone to watch and from, thereby, to
benefit. And I am also taking this occasion to urge anyone who knows someone
who is having difficulty finding a good job to view this information. Attached,
hereto, is a short intro followed by the (better quality) first of 25 segments;
material clearly meant to equip the job
seeker to go out and compete against the masses of others who don’t have
the info I am sharing with those willing dig a little deeper to give themselves
a fighting chance; check it out and
pass it around.
And oh yeah, one more thing -- there’s a
self-respect component here because when you are less dependent on others it is
empowering -- and isn’t this a good
thing? So what are you waiting for,
invest a little time and improve your chances in the jobs market - become a
more formidable you.
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