career services

career management | outplacement | career transition

Outplacement

CTDS’s philosophy

Outplacement is a well-established business practice which allows the employer organisation to restructure its workforce - usually in order to reduce costs – whilst providing career transition support for departing employees.

The reality in today’s workplace environment is that restructures are a management tool used to remove the under-performing individuals within the company. These people can be negative and destructive to an organisation’s performance, and the ability to use a restructure to remove them is becoming common practice. These individuals, because of their attitude, constitute a substantial management challenge. CTDS has extensive experience and knowledge in managing these restructures and outplacements, and we understand that sensitivity is the key issue.

In general terms, outplacement programs are individual or group training, coaching and counselling programs for employees whose roles have become redundant as a result of a company restructure.

CTDS’s programs are underpinned by our values of Care … Learn … Motivate, and focus on assisting people who are about to depart the organisation. We encourage and assist them to adjust quickly to their changed circumstances, and to move as rapidly as possible into an effective job search “mindset”.

CTDS also offers supplementary support processes associated with outplacement, including training managers in how to most effectively handle the termination advice; ensuring that the redundancies are handled properly and sensitively; and the delivery of “survivor” programs for remaining staff to ensure that ongoing productivity is not affected.

What are the benefits of outplacement?

For the departing employee

CTDS’s outplacement programs help to motivate the affected employees to redefine their career goals as quickly as possible and immediately commence the transition towards their “new beginnings”. Our programs provide advice, guidance and assistance to departing employees to ensure they:

• Quickly come to terms with their situation.
• Immediately look at the positives and start moving forward.
• Understand their marketable skills and identify realistic career options.
• Conduct an appropriately targeted job search.
• Use effective application and interview strategies.
• Negotiate appropriate salary and other employment conditions.

Our past experience proves that with the benefits of CTDS’s structured assistance during this difficult period are two-fold: Employees are much more likely to take personal responsibility for their career management, and are less likely to harbour negative attitudes towards the organisation they are exiting.

For the employer organisation

Using CTDS’s outplacement services offers a public message – to staff, shareholders, customers and unions – that the company is managing its human resources in a caring, considered and responsible manner. This engenders a positive public image.

When management knows that departing employees will be professionally supported by CTDS, they can more quickly get on with the job of rebuilding the company after the restructure.

CTDS also offers support programs for management which provide advice and guidance to assist in:

• Dealing with their own concerns about the restructuring process.
• Planning and implementing an appropriate termination process for positions which are being made redundant.
• Minimising the impact of the restructure on the remaining workforce and the customer base.

For the remaining employees

Any restructure divides the workforce in two - those who still have a job and those who do not. The use of CTDS’s outplacement programs reassures remaining employees that the decision to terminate the employment of their colleagues was not taken lightly. “Survivors” will see that their friends have the most professional support and guidance available throughout the process of transitioning into their next careers.

Knowing that their departing workmates are being assisted by CTDS’s outplacement programs helps remaining employees by:

• Exemplifying the fact that the company does care about and values the contributions of the departing employees.
• Reassuring them that their continued loyalty is integral to the on-going success of the organisation.

With this knowledge, employees can more quickly get back to full productivity. CTDS can also speed this process by providing individual or group programs for remaining staff during and after restructuring.

What is included in an outplacement program

CTDS’s outplacement programs are individually tailored and structured to meet each participant's specific needs. Programs vary in their duration and in the components offered, depending on the requirements of the individual. In each case the programs are conducted via regular meetings for their pre-determined duration and are provided by an experienced and qualified career counsellor.

Our outplacement programs may incorporate some or all of the following components:

• Accept change and recognise positive perspectives.
• Develop an inventory of interests to determine patterns of satisfaction.
• Define marketable assets: knowledge, skills and talents and determine how they can be transferred to other industries and workplaces.
• Compile a list of current job-related skills and abilities and define how they are transferable to other workplaces.
• Identify skills to be developed for future employment prospects.
• Identify preferred work environments.
• Translate values, interests, skills and personal traits into achievement statements.
• Use achievement statements to build a resume and as the basis for addressing selection criteria.
• Prepare and refine the resume.
• Write job applications or cover letters incorporating specific selection criteria.
• Research industries and jobs and understand the current job market.
• Learn how to tap into the “hidden job market”.
• Develop and maintain personal networks.
• Design a Job Search Action Plan.
• Learn the most effective use of the phone and email during job search.
• Write self-marketing letters which will be noticed by potential employer organisations.
• Source recruiters and employment agencies.
• Identify appropriate learning options/professional development programs and research various educational courses and institutions.
• Prepare for an interview, including competency-based coaching and role plays.
• Interview follow-up.
• Negotiating terms of employment, including salary.
• If required, we can arrange a 1-to-1 meeting with an independent financial planner who will prepare a basic financial plan.

CTDS’s outplacement services are highly regarded by our clients for their effectiveness and professionalism, as well as the positive, “can-do” attitude encouraged in participants. We provide individually tailored and flexible programs that consistently achieve excellent career development outcomes.

Tools and assessments

CTDS has developed a very comprehensive Career Development Manual which is designed to be self-paced and includes modules on all the components listed above. Depending on the needs of the individual, we also use such tools as the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator®, Self-Directed Search® and the suite of Saville & Holdsworth psychometric assessments.

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