Many organisations offer an outplacement programme as a benefit to their employees when they are exiting their organisation. Unfortunately, not everyone who is offered these services takes them up. As outplacement experts, our mission is to empower as many people as possible during their career transition by completing their programmes.
Caroline Vernon, Practice Leader at INTOO USA, discusses the benefits of utilising an outplacement programme.
Why should job seekers use an outplacement programme?
Caroline says, ‘First of all, it’s free for you to use. Why wouldn’t you take advantage of coaching support that helps you organise an effective job search action plan?’
What are the other benefits of using an outplacement program provided to you?
Outplacement programmes are full of opportunities for job seekers as Caroline explains, ‘The main benefit is of course the coaching! Your coach will help you with your personal branding, resume or CV building and writing, tips on how to be visible to recruiters and hiring managers, and most importantly, how to avoid the more commonly made mistakes to navigate an effective and fruitful job search in less time than if you were to conduct a job search on your own.’
There are inevitably emotions involved when going through a redundancy, many negative, which can influence your job search. Caroline has seen the difference an outplacement coach can make to a job seeker’s success. ‘Your outplacement coach can help you incorporate optimism in your job search. Residual negatively can be very evident in networking. During an interview, an outplacement coach can share ways to effectively answer the questions regarding leaving your last organisation with a more positive tone that sheds light on your accomplishments rather than focuses on the layoff event.’
What are the other benefits?
‘Networking – an outplacement coach can help you grow, cultivate and leverage your network as 80% of job seekers land their next job through someone they know. Just as any task that takes time and practice, having an accountability partner like an outplacement coach helps keep you focused on the steps needed to reach your job search goals successfully.’
If you have recently been offered outplacement services and are wondering whether they might be of benefit, we strong advise you to evaluate what is on offer and how useful they might be in securing your next role.
If you are an HR professional looking for outplacement support for your employees, get in touch today to find out how we can help.