Tips for Choosing a Good Outplacement Services Firm

During the recent recession, layoffs spiked as the economy sank. To help workers handle the transition, many employers used outplacement services.
These are services that help employees who have been laid off search for another job. The employer hires an outplacement firm to help the workers make a quicker transition to other employment. The services provided generally involve career counseling and advice, along with training in how to go about a job search. Outplacement companies will help people with their resumes and cover letters, help people apply for jobs, help develop job leads and do follow up counseling with a person after he or she has found another job.
But what makes an outplacement program a good one, a successful one? A good outplacement program helps people in several different ways, including emotional, financial and practical concerns, along with providing good job search advice, according to John Challenger, a business consultant.
A good outplacement firm will get involved even before the layoffs occur, helping with the planning of the layoffs, how the message will be communicated to employees, and working with those who will give the message to make sure it is done with compassion and concern.
A good outplacement service will give people the tools to perform a good job search but, more than that, also will give them support and guidance until they have found employment, Challenger says.  A good outplacement program has experienced counselors who are good at listening and motivating. It operates a program that has been tested and been shown to work in the real world, and not something that is merely theoretical. And a good outplacement service has people who are knowledgeable about the operations in a variety of industries.
If your company is considering setting up an outplacement service in-house, however, you may want to reconsider, Challenger says. Doing it this way is not helpful to the person who has been laid off. It is at best very awkward for the company that has just let a person go to be giving him advice on how to find another job. Losing a job is, needless to say, a very emotional experience, and having to deal with a former employer during the transition only exacerbates the anxiety and trauma. Using an outside firm allows the counseling to be honest and objective, without any of the emotional baggage.
If you need employees for short- or long-term temporary assignments for your Anchorage, Seattle, Portland, Lake Oswego, Tacoma, or Chicago company, contact a recruiter at the Opti Staffing Group. We look forward to learning how we may be of service!

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