An Alarming Trend in the Outplacement Industry!

An Alarming Trend in the Outplacement Industry!

Bulletin to Our Friends and Clients:
Pricing that seems too good to be true, might be… understand the services you are getting.
In recent years the outplacement industry has matured and, as often happens, conglomerates from outside this industry have bought established firms to broaden their product portfolios. Because of shareholder demands, these mega-companies enter the outplacement industry with significant pressure to increase both market share and profit margins. It is obvious that they are lowering their prices in an attempt to increase market share. But what they are trying hard to disguise is that they have also decreased the services that they provide in order to maintain or increase profits. Although reducing prices may meet the need of the corporate clients who have tighter budgets, it comes at the expense of the individual who most needs the service!
Gateway International Group has always tried to meet the needs of both the corporations who pay our fees and individuals that we help. We understand the reality of tighter corporate budgets and are successful at being price sensitive and competitive. But we have accomplished this without compromising the services which we provide to the individuals going through our programs: a true win/win scenario.
What are most firms selling as STANDARD in the industry?
As we talk to our clients and individuals who are using the services of some of the these conglomerates, the following has become apparent as to what they are calling "Individual or One on One" outplacement:
Career counseling with a counselor…….. means group sessions instead of personalized counseling with a counselor who works with you exclusively.
One on one counseling…….. means "The Counselor of the Day", someone who provides general advice but may not know the individual and likely changes frequently.
Access to a counselor…….. means when a counselor has an opening on his or her schedule and individuals may get 30 minutes once every several weeks.
Professional advice……. means someone to listen to you and offer their solutions whether or not they have experience in finding a job, changing careers, or starting a business.
Access to our technology…….. means the individual gets a password to a web-site so they can teach themselves the job hunting process.
An outplacement program…… means a standard process which everyone goes through regardless of an individual's level or unique circumstances.
Gateway International Group has always believed that "One on One or Individual Outplacement" means exactly what it says: personalized coaching that is customized to each individual, their level and needs.
What should corporate Human Resources look for and demand in outplacement services?
Make sure when comparing firms, programs and pricing that you are comparing apples to apples and are getting your monies worth.
Specifically:
Ask if your people will receive only individual coaching or will it be done in groups.
Ask what is the counselor/candidate ratio.
Secure bio's on the counselors to understand their background and experience.
When a candidate is having a hard time getting on track, ask the firm exactly how they respond.
Tell the firm that you will do periodic checks with the individuals going through outplacement to ensure that the services sold are being delivered.
Ask for a guarantee on the service. If the individual is not happy, a refund should be issued so that the person can go to another firm.
Gateway International Group believes that you should get what you have contracted for and to accept any less hurts the individual, your reputation and the outplacement industry as a whole!

Staff Review by:
Joseph (Joe) Kran,
Lawrence (Larry) Maglin,
Walter Sonyi, Jr. and Rick Spann

For More Information:
www.gatewayinternationalgroup.com
www.larrymaglin.com
www.lawrencemaglin.com
www.joekran.com
www.josephkran.com