Outplacement consultancy services
As described by Eggert (1991), the outplacement process usually takes place along the
following lines:
● initial counselling – gaining biographical data and discussing immediate issues of
concern;
● achievement list – clients write up all the achievements they can think of to do
with their career;
● skills inventory – clients develop from the achievement list a personal portfolio of
saleable skills;
● personal statement – clients develop a personal statement in 20 to 30 words about
what is being presented to the job market;
● personal success inventory – those recent or appropriate successes that can be
quantified and which support the personal profile;
● three jobs – identification of three possible types of job that can be searched
for;
● psychological assessment – development of a personality profile with a
psychologist;
● development and agreement of a CV (see below);
● identify job market opportunities;
● practice interview;
● plan job search campaign.
CVs
CVs provide the basic information for job searching and an outplacement consul-
tant will guide individuals on how to write their CVs. The traditional CV uses
what Eggert (1991) calls the ‘tombstone’ approach because it reads like an obituary.
It sets out personal details and education and employment history in chrono-
logical order.
Outplacement consultants prefer what they call the ‘achievement CV’ which is
structured on the principle of a sales brochure, providing information in simple, posi-
tive statements sequenced for the reader’s convenience. The CV lists the most impor-
tant areas of experience in reverse chronological order and sets out for each position a
list of achievements beginning with such words as ‘set up’, ‘developed’, ‘introduced’,
‘increased’, ‘reduced’ and ‘established’. This is designed to generate the thought in
the reader’s mind that ‘if the individual can do it for them, he or she will be able to do
it for us’. The career achievement history is followed by details of professional quali-
fications and education, and personal information.
486 ❚ People resourcing