How To Prepare For An Outplacement Meeting

If you have just found out that you’re going to be made redundant then you’ll be feeling a real mix of emotions. Chances are it’s taken you by surprise and you will be anxious, confused, worried, maybe even angry.

Outplacement is provided by your employer with the object of helping smooth the transition into a new job or another role be that self-employment, starting your own business, or perhaps even retirement. If you are offered 1:1 sessions with an outplacement consultant then it’s really important to make the most of these, after all, it’s been provided by your employer for free. Remember, everything you say in that room is in confidence and your outplacement consultant will be independent, impartial, and unbiased. They are there to help you.

Here’s how to prepare for your first meeting.

The consultant is there to help you make the next move so they’ll need to find out about you as an individual and also what your career goals are. Working some of this out ahead of the meeting will make it more productive.

• Write down a list of words that encompass how you’re feeling – one of the first questions the consultant will ask you is how you feel about the news
• Try and identify what you would like from your next career role
• Are there any qualifications that you think would help you?
• Is a change of direction or a completely new career on the cards?
• Are you considering self-employment or starting your own business?
• Do you view the redundancy as a negative or a golden opportunity?
• Take a look at your CV and LinkedIn profile and be ready to discuss these with your outplacement consultant
• Try and identify areas where you need more information or help, this could be signposting to a new industry or personal skills like building up your confidence or working on interview technique
• Take a look at the outplacement provider’s online resources and see just what’s available. There’s no point wasting precious time in a 1:1 meeting discussing information which is readily available online

Before you go to the meeting, understand just what is being offered by the outplacement service provider as this might impact how many times you will meet this consultant and what level of detail you can explore. If your employer is only offering one single session, then highlight two or three things that you really need help with and just focus on those. Some employers prefer to offer outplacement services in group workshops where consultants explore common themes; this can be economical and reach a greater number of staff more quickly.

We provide a comprehensive range of outplacement services to suit all levels of employees with experience in a range of industries and sectors, helping employees move forward happily to their next career challenge. We can provide tailored packages for small numbers of staff or large on-site group sessions at scale for volume numbers. We also offer dedicated redeployment, change, resilience, and pre-retirement services.

Speak to one of our outplacement experts today and find out how we can help your company or organisation.