Sunday, May 25, 2014

Outplacement Services - and What They Should Be


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. 
                                                               (DRUM ROLL)
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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