Southern California Job Market : Surviving in the 90’s : ‘Outplacing’ Helps Put Job Loss in Perspective : Specialized consultants help terminated workers learn the skills needed to get back in the work force as quickly as possible.
If you’re unlucky enough to get fired or laid off, hope that you’re lucky enough to be “outplaced.”
One of the buzzwords of the ‘80s is going to be just as common in the ‘90s--as more workers face layoffs, increasing numbers of employers will turn to outplacement consultants to help ease the transition to new jobs.
Outplacement is a program that many employers provide to terminated workers to help teach them to find work. The outplacement consultant will not actually find jobs for you, and only your employer can arrange for them to assist you. Outplacement is paid for by the employer and usually costs a percentage of your annual salary. And it’s not just for executives: Clerical and assembly-line workers make up a good number of those who are outplaced.
“It’s a systematic process by which we help an employee through the job search transition or the career transition.” said Bylle Snyder, senior vice president of Drake Beam Morin, a Los Angeles-based outplacement firm with 45 offices nationwide.
So if your company is undergoing a restructuring and has enlisted an outplacement firm to help, here’s what it may mean for you:
* You’ll get some information even before layoffs or firings are actually announced. Most outplacement firms insist on being involved from the very beginning.
* An outplacement consultant will be in on your actual firing. He or she will help explain your compensation package and severance pay. You will also be given information on the assistance being provided.
“The outplacement consultant tries to help the employee maintain dignity and, as much as possible, to keep him or her from taking it personally. Firing is seldom an issue of competence--it’s politics,” said Robert W. McCarthy, president of McCarthy Resource Associates in Century City.
Be aware that the outplacement consultant is present for another reason, too--to keep your soon-to-be-ex boss from saying anything he’ll regret later or from making any promises that he can’t keep.
* If you work in a security-sensitive industry such as aerospace or high technology, the outplacement consultant may accompany you to clean out your desk, turn in your keys, sign off on your computer. Try to be philosophical about what’s sure to feel humiliating: At least no one will be able to accuse you of having taken anything.
* You’ll probably be provided with someplace to go while you search for work, either at the outplacement consultant’s offices or in rooms your ex-employer has made available. In most instances, you’ll have access to a photocopier and fax and a receptionist will take messages for you.
* The outplacement firm will help you get organized and ready for a productive search. “After someone gets the word that he’s fired, the first thing we do is to assess his finances, health and relationship with his wife,” McCarthy said. “If those things are all OK, then we help him look for a job. If they’re not, then we structure a financial plan to help stretch three months’ severance pay into six, and we try to get his health in shape while he still has medical benefits.” The firm will refer you to counselors and other professionals you may need during the transition.
* Finally, down to the nitty-gritty: Helping you find new work. The first step is to analyze what your skills are and how your experience may fit into the job market; many firms do vocational and aptitude testing to help target positions. Then the outplacement consultant helps prepare a resume--or resumes--geared specifically for the jobs wanted.
Through networking and through more traditional avenues, the job-seeker will come up with a number of leads, some productive, some dead ends. The outplacement consultant assists in weeding through the leads and can coach on preparation of letters to prospective employers as well as follow-up procedures.
“In your letter offering your resume for consideration for an opening, try not to say, ‘I look forward to hearing from you,’ ” McCarthy said. “Instead, say ‘I will call you within the week to share some ideas and answer any questions you may have.’ This keeps you in control.”
Learning how to be interviewed is a key skill, according to outplacement experts. Most firms videotape you during a mock interview and then critique your responses. “How to handle the human resources interview versus the interview with the boss is key,” Snyder said.
Also important is fielding the inevitable question on salary requirement. McCarthy suggests responding to “What do you want to get paid?” with another question: “How do you negotiate compensation?” or with “I’m more concerned with the total package. I’m sure you have a fair range--what is it?” This keeps a job-seeker from stating a salary that is too high, or just as damaging, too low.
* Now you’ve got an offer. What next? The final stage of outplacing an employee is dealing with the inevitable job offers that will come in after an organized search. (Experts say most people do get new jobs, and they get them within six months, especially if they’re willing to relocate.)
“Don’t leap at the first offer,” McCarthy said. “Tell the employer that you’re honored, pleased and excited but that you need a couple of days to shut some other things down. Then run to leverage another job that may have been slower in jelling.”
McCarthy compares outplacement to learning to play golf on a driving range. “You can get pretty good on the range, but then you have to go to the course and deal with real life. It’s the same with practicing to find a job--in the end, it’s you out there, putting into practice everything you’ve learned.”
