Outplacement Services

Introduction

Taft Career Group (TCG) provides a variety of corporate-sponsored Outplacement Services to assist employees being separated from organizations with advice and support in planning, developing and implementing effective career transition campaigns to new employment opportunities. After assisting management with the effective planning of an individual termination or a reduction in force involving a number of employees, TCG then provides a variety of outplacement programs to meet the needs of the departing employees.

Employee Separation Planning

TCG is retained by organizations to assist in planning and implementing effective employee separations where the needs of all stakeholders are met. After meeting with management to discuss logistics and communications issues, TCG develops a specific plan to ensure the smooth transition for the company, its departing employees and the remaining workforce. Customized outplacement programs are developed that provide career planning and job search support to the transitioning employees.

Individual Outplacement Services

TCG provides a variety of customized Outplacement Services to individuals to support their career needs. The Executive, Professional and Career Quick-Start Programs offer comprehensive service packages customized to meet the specific needs of the individual. In a series of private, one to one consulting sessions, the client receives advice and information to support the development and implementation a job search campaign. Topics include:

The Executive Program provides consulting and support over a 6 month period.
The Professional Program provides consulting and support over a 3 month period.
The Career Quick-Start Program provides consulting and support over a 1 month period.

All programs include the development of up to two versions of the resume, cover letter, and LinkedIn Profile Optimization.

Group Outplacement Services

Career Transition Workshops are provided for groups of departing employees. Facilitators present the latest information on a number of topics and issues relevant to planning and implementing an effective campaign to transition to a new career opportunity. The importance of developing a strategic career plan including specific action steps to successfully navigate the job market and locate a career opportunity that matches one’s talents and interests will be emphasized.

Supporting materials include personal branding exercises, sample resumes and cover letters, interview preparation guides and information on sources of job leads.

The Career Transition Workshop Series can be delivered in a one-day or two-day format and include the following content:

1) Setting Your Sights and Developing Your Brand: A Strategic Approach to Launching a Job Search Campaign

This session will present methodology for focusing on a new career objective and how to communicate that goal in the job marketplace. Participants will be presented with a methodology to match their skills, knowledge and experience with career opportunities that meet their interests.

They will then develop a personal branding statement to clarify their career objectives and communicate their talents to networking contacts, referral sources, recruiters and prospective employers. The format will include role-playing to practice introductions.

Materials: Handouts include Defining the Ideal Position, a career objective exercise, and a Personal Branding Statement exercise with sample branding statements.

2) Communicating Your Candidacy: That Old Resume Doesn’t Cut It Anymore

This session will cover all aspects of written communication including the creation of effective resumes, cover letters, biographies and introductory statements for online applications. It will present the strategy that the resume is a sales tool and must present a job seeker’s skills, knowledge and experience in a concise, results-oriented message that allows prospective employers to quickly match up the applicant’s talents with the requirements of the job. How to develop and optimize a LinkedIn Profile will be discussed.

Different resume formats will be presented along with examples of accomplishment statements to stress the value and contribution of one’s experience to previous employers.

Materials: Handouts include sample resumes, cover letters, accomplishment statements, and LinkedIn Profiles.

3) Interviewing Techniques and Strategies

This session will assist job seekers in preparing for interviews by emphasizing the importance of conducting research to learn as much as possible about the job, the person doing the interview, the company, and its industry in order to develop a strategy for matching one’s talents to the needs of the prospective employer.

Behavior interviewing techniques will be discussed including preparing statements that demonstrate one’s talents and achievements that contributed positive results in previous jobs. How to respond to difficult interview questions and the basics of negotiating compensation will also be covered.

Materials: Handouts include an Interview Preparation Checklist, Questions asked by Interviewers, Questions job seekers should ask Interviewers and sample follow-up letters.

4) How to Find the Best Sources of Job Leads

This session will present methods and strategies for effectively utilizing all sources of job leads. Special emphasis will be placed on using the Internet to not only identify job leads but to research organizations and industries, to identify decision-makers in employer organizations, learn about their backgrounds and connect with them through individuals found through social networking sites including LinkedIn and Facebook.

Traditional methods of job leads will also be covered including how to identify and work effectively with employment agencies and recruiters, preparing for a job fair, and identifying other sources of job leads including publications’ employment sections and direct contact with organizations.

Materials: Handouts include information on effectively using the Internet for research, identifying individuals, organizing the job search and keeping track of data. Also, links to job and career websites for identifying job leads, job fairs, recruiters and other items of interest to job seekers will be provided.

Follow-up One-on-One Sessions (Optional)

One-on-one sessions will be offered for an additional fee to provide additional support.

Customization of Outplacement Services

All individual and group outplacement services are customized to meet the specific needs of the departing employees. Brad Taft, Chief Career Strategist at Taft Career Group, looks forward to developing programs that meet your organization’s specific needs. Contact him at btbiz1@cox.net, 480-315-0372.