Regarding money, many out of work people face both financial and psychological problems. You may be reluctant to spend more money at a time when you are earning less and feel uncertain about your future prospects. In the long run, however, you may save a great deal of money by investing in yourself now. It makes more sense to liquidate some assets and borrow money than to prolong your job search by deciding, for ex ample, not to get coaching on your interviewing technique. If you brush up on interviewing the hard way by going through numerous unsuccessful interviews and learning from experience (which, by the way, often simply does not happen in the absence of feedback, no matter how many interviews you endure) you may spend an extra month or two unemployed. Even at a modest salary level that nets you $1,500 to $2,000 a month in take home pay, you may be forfeiting several thousand dollars in the near future to avoid spending a hundred dollars now.
If you carefully define the kind of help you need and have a clear sense of how it relates to your employment objective, you will probably find that you can figure out affordable ways to get it or ways to raise money to afford it. Your conviction will inspire the confidence of family and friends, which will make them more willing to lend you money, in part because they will be persuaded of your ability to pay them back.
The good news and the bad news about selecting appropriate sources of expert help is that there are lots of so called experts out there and lots of different approaches to providing help and lots of different notions about what is truly helpful. To help you find your way through the maze, the following section briefly describes the outplacement services you might want to consider during your job search.
Outplacement Services
Outplacement counseling is a relatively new profession, and the folks who provide it come from a wide variety of backgrounds. The term out placement counselor is not a protected professional title, which means there are no laws limiting its use anyone can call her or himself an outplacement counselor. In some respects, the absence of licensing or certification requirements in this field is fortunate. It has allowed the field to attract an eclectic group of individuals, many of whom bring to their work a wonderful mix of knowledge and experience.
Some counselors are former executives with a flair for coaching and a strong background in psychology. Some are graduates of programs in clinical or counseling psychology with strong backgrounds in the psychology of vocational choice and experience working in organizations. Some have gotten their training on the job by working for large outplacement firms; many are seasoned professionals from human resources departments of large organizations.
Almost all counselors offer help with devising a search strategy, revising resumes, creating cover letters, and enhancing interview skills. Most also provide some rudimentary help in self assessment and making vocational choices figuring out employment objectives. Such help may take the form of vocational testing and/or individual sessions during which you explore the reasons for your termination, your assets, and your preferences concerning type, size, and location of organization; income; career path; and working conditions. Many also offer research services, which as you know, I recommend refusing.
When organizations provide outplacement services to terminated employees, the level of service can vary widely, depending on your former position in the hierarchy. Top executives will get office space, secretarial support, access to fax machines, computers, high quality printers, and other office equipment, and much individual attention from counselors.
Middle managers and professionals may be offered workshops on job search skills and a few private counseling sessions. Lower level managers and office workers may be offered only workshops or nothing at all. When you are terminated, it pays to ask what might be available for you and to find out what the biggest wheels get. You might as well ask for the complete package you have nothing to lose. You might also try to get an allowance for expert help that you can spend as you see fit as long as you spend it on something reasonably related to making your vocational transition.
If you are looking for outplacement services on your own, ask for a consultation before making a choice. When approaching firms, rather than individual counselors, ask to meet with whoever will actually supply your counseling. Some smaller firms' contract out much of their work, and meeting with the head of the firm will tell you little about the person with whom you will be working primarily. Outplacement firms often supply a team of professionals; each member works with you on a different aspect of your search. This approach is excellent; it works best, I believe, when the client has a coordinating or primary counselor with whom to work closely throughout the process. This person should be a member of the team, serving as your project manager within it, as well as being your primary counselor outside it.
Ask prospective counselors to show you their resumes or professional biographies, and beware of anyone who cannot or will not provide a copy: at a minimum, a person offering help with an employment search should have an up to date version of his or her own credentials to share with clients. Look for evidence of (1) some formal training in counseling psychology, (2) work within organizations other than outplacement firms or in house outplacement departments, and (3) substantial experience helping people at your level find jobs.
