Ricardo Barriga

“After I was made redundant, I was left lost and unsure of my future. By working through the outplacement program with Ricardo, I now have a clear understanding of my career future. Ricardo assisted me to discover and overcome my self-limiting beliefs, aiding me to execute a plan to achieve my goals.”–        Program Participant

The loss of a job doesn’t just account for a loss of income but also deflated confidence, anxiety, depression, or worse. Whether the separation was due to a foreseeable redundancy or a layoff that came as a complete shock, the process that proceeds is challenging and often costly. The result of improper handling of such circumstances by either the former company or employee can ruin reputations and lives.

There is a program, however, that helps to minimise the negative impacts and costs associated with this type of loss. Outplacement programs provide assistance and demonstrate a company’s concern for their employees despite tough business decisions. It preserves company reputations by caring for their displaced workers. Typically, for those fortunate enough to have this option, an outplacement program will provide people with some crucial job search tools, such as a resume and cover letter, and professional advice on successfully handling interviews and network development.

Success can be ensured by securing an organisation that will provide the best personalised attention each participant needs during this time.  I have been running successful outplacement programs for many years. Today I’m writing about one such participant who was made redundant two months ago, and, since then, under my guidance, is moving towards a brighter future.

The program is broken down into various sessions with key objectives. Continuous communication, feedback and assistance are provided beyond those meetings to ensure ultimate success during the program. The key to successful outplacement was personalised attention for the participant. People who are highly affected by job loss often struggle with difficult emotions, which is why it is important that they seek career counselling advice to assess their current situation as early as possible.

Not only is the program a stepping stone towards a new job, but it is also a time to overcome self-limiting beliefs and conceptualise what one wants out of a new career. One session that we did together was about digging down to understand one’s core values. Once these are discovered, I task him with creating a career blueprint based on his newly found core values.

The next session involves completing an online Emotional Intelligence assessment. At the completion of the assessment, which aimed to identify strengths and weaknesses, I could better determine what role he could perform successfully; leading to the start of a career transitional program.

Reviewing resumes and interview preparation techniques are crucial for any job seeker to gain success in obtaining a new role. Without proper assistance, participants will struggle to secure their sought-after role. I taught him how to utilise his five core values to ask specific questions in the interview to ensure the position and company were right for him.

What deems an outplacement program successful?

Not only does a participant create an action plan to find a new position or secure one, but they also see the return of confidence and a complete understanding of where they currently stand in the job market.

At the completion of the outplacement program, the participant overcame his self-limiting beliefs that were identified. Aiding participants in understanding further what career they wish to transition to, as well as creating and executing a plan to achieve their goals, leads to smarter, more informed choices for participants searching for new employment.