In the past month I have worked with several outplacement candidates who have been made redundant from long-held positions of 7+ years. Although all of these candidates were aware that their business was going through changes, the announcement that their role had been made redundant still came as quite a shock.
Redundancy affects people in different ways. For many it is a downright kick in the face, particularly after they have put everything into a job for many years. For others, it is a delightful opportunity. A nice payout to save them from a mundane job that they were ready to quit anyhow.
Whatever the situation, outplacement support can be just what you need to assist you with your career transition and get you back on track.
How can Outplacement Support Help with Career Transition?
Outplacement support will give you clarity about your career direction, a more focused job search strategy, sharpen up your marketing material, master your interview skills, improve your networking skills and consequently give you the confidence “to get back out there”.
A typical outplacement program will incorporate many aspects which can aid your career transition including; career counselling, job search strategies, resume and cover letter review, LinkedIn profile writing and review, personal branding, networking tips and interview coaching.
How an Outplacement Client benefitted from our Outplacement Program
At the end of three sessions, a recent client of mine confessed that he was very skeptical about how outplacement could help him. He was happy with his current resume and felt he had always been able to “wing” interviews in the past. Despite his skepticism he was open to coaching and was astonished when I gave him an example of what a quality resume looks like these days. The format and content couldn’t have been more different from his own version. Likewise, when we completed our interview coaching session focused on using the “STAR method” to answer behavioural questions, he admitted that he “really had some homework to do”. But the biggest impact on this client was seeing the benefits of using LinkedIn not just for job search, but also as a research tool to tap into the hidden job market. Consequently, this client accepted the feedback and advice and spent a significant amount of time over the next few weeks getting his ducks in a row. He sent me this testimonial shortly after he was offered a job:
“I was sceptical that I would gain anything by seeing a career counsellor after I was made redundant, especially in just three sessions.
But Leah gently drew out of me what was holding me back and quickly tapped into what I needed. We got straight into some challenging work that shook me out of my preconceived ideas.
Leah’s professional background meant she knew what recruiters are looking for, not just in their candidates but also in the changes I needed to make to my CV but also my interview skills, which really needed some work!
Leah switched me onto the value and uses of LinkedIn too. She made some suggestions about how I could manage my professional social media better, and although I was initially sceptical, I was surprised by the attention my profile attracted, and the opportunities that came from it. I soon saw that LinkedIn became one of the ways recruiters found me, but also one of the ways employers checked me out even before deciding to interview.
Thanks to Leah’s input and my hard work I landed a great job, and a real step up in my career that I don’t think would have been possible without Leah.” Policy Advisor, Melbourne
If you too are skeptical about Outplacement, I would encourage you to give it a go. You may be surprised and find it really does add value and prepare you for the new world of recruitment.
Relaunch Me provides affordable and tailored outplacement support services either face-to-face or via Skype/Phone. Face-to-face sessions are in Malvern/Armadale, Melbourne VIC or by arrangement in the Melbourne CBD or inner south-eastern suburbs.
