Outplacement Needs Replacement?

According to the Wall Street Journal, outplacement firms are disappointing employers and laid-off employees more than usual. Their performance has always been a bit sketchy, but they’re trying to do too much for too many, or they simply need a major overhaul in the way they do things. There is a bit of good news — for the outplacement firms. With the current recession, they’re raking in record profits.

Outplacement firms may be a plus in helping employers help their laid-off employees, but employers should make sure what they and their employees are getting. It shouldn’t be assumed that any outplacement firm is good for any kind of employee. It may be better to give an employee the cash equivalent of outplacement services, and let the employee choose her own outplacement service or use the money in some other way.

Common complaints today are that some outplacement firms use canned resumes, cover letters that have the same typos, identical coaching regardless of person or job, and an assembly line approach. It’s being increasingly discovered that one size does not fit all.

Here’s some outplacement advice that some job-seekers have found unhelpful, even weird. If you’re engaged in conversation with a potential employer representative during lunch and the employer rep excuses himself to go to the bathroom, follow him so you can continue the conversation. Don’t order diet soda during an interview, as it’s a sign of immaturity. Don’t order cranberry juice either, since it could be interpreted as a sign of a urinary-tract infection.

If an employer is going to provide terminated employees outplacement services, the employer should make sure the services are worthwhile. There’s no need wasting money and frustrating an employee who’s already quite frustrated.