The downturn in the economy has forced employers who truly care about their workers to decide whether or not they should reduce the size of their workforce, who they should keep on board and who they should let go. Those are not easy decisions for any employer.

Outplacement services have been talked about on a more regular basis due to the shift in the economy the last couple of years.  Outplacement services have proven to help soften the blow to those employees affected by layoffs and have been a crucial act for many companies.  Eventually, however, the economy will recover. Companies will be in a position to make new hires or rehire previously laid-off workers. Does that mean employers should stop using outplacement services for their workers?

The obvious answer to that question is no. While it may seem like you only need to use an outplacement firm when times are rough and you’re in danger of having to make unwanted layoffs, any company will easily be able to see how using outplacement services, regardless of the economy, can be a great benefit.  What I mean by this is considering using outplacement services for employees within your organization who just are not a good fit.  I recently had an opportunity to speak with an HR Professional and current President of the Staffing Management Association of Phoenix. Julie Armstrong.  Julie’s previous organization utilized outplacement services for that reason. I asked Julie why they chose to provide outplacement services?

“We selected outplacement services as a way to assist employees that may not have been a match in our environment but had  skills and abilities for a successful career.  We as  a corporation did not want to leave people with no options and no where to turn, we wanted to do the right thing for transitioning employees.  Through the outplacement process we actually retained 3       employees in other areas/departments of the company where their skill set was found to be more valuable and a better fit.  The  overall process enabled us to transition employees and ensure they were able to retain new employment opportunities. In most cases the transitioning employees found better opportunities that aligned with their overall career goals.  We were able to learn  from the outplacement process, improving our recruiting practices and retention tools and at the end of the day it helped with our overall image.”

Just as every successful company regards its interviewing process, hiring process and culture as part of its employment brand, outplacement can easily fit into that overall picture. For instance, just as companies don’t only use an HR team when interviewing and hiring, you shouldn‘t only use an outplacement firm when layoffs are inevitable.

There are many instances throughout a normal year when having a good relationship with an outplacement company can be extremely beneficial.   Fortunately, many companies have the ability to more easily intertwine  outplacement services with their  employment brand. Outplacing.com, for instance, is able to offer an array of services to job seekers through their relationship with Jobing.com.

Luckily, many outplacement firms have realized this, and as a result include online personal branding services as part of their overall available package. Outplacing.com, for instance, works with displaced employees to ensure they are using online social networking tools in their job search. The company also will review an employee’s online “fingerprint” to make sure they are representing themselves in the best way possible.

Social networking sites have the stigma of solely being for young people, but that is no longer the case, proving that more professionals are taking advantage of the medium. A recent study from the Pew Research Center’s Internet & American Life Project found that the median age of LinkedIn users is 39, the median age of Facebook users is 33 and the median age of Twitter users is 31.

So why is this important? For starters, many companies have realized the power of social media and created representative pages that list information, contacts and job openings, all of which can help a displaced employee find potential career leads.

Aside from taking advantage of company pages, social media sites are a great way to network with other professionals. Job seekers can often connect with various people in their industry to learn about openings at various companies and ask for recommendations or positive reviews.

In addition, many studies have found that as the popularity of social networking sites increases, so does the number of employers who use those sites to check up on potential employees. Whether or not that is a moral move is still under debate, but that does not prevent employers from taking advantage of it.

It’s not only important to use social media to your advantage during the job search process, but also to maintain a positive image of yourself and what you want to represent on social networking sites. Luckily, outplacement firms such as Outplacing.com can help with that.

Whether you call the current state of the economy a recession or a depression, or whether you think the economy is finally beginning to improve, one simple fact remains the same: laid off workers need help finding jobs.

Currently, more employers are being forced to make layoffs instead of choosing to do so, therefore it is not uncommon for an employer to layoff several employees that he or she values in order to keep the company alive.

Tight budgets and even tighter consumer spending have forced the majority of companies to at one point or another ask themselves what may be considered the hardest question for any employer: What employees must I keep and who can I afford to let go?

As a result of that situation, employers and their respective employees often leave each other on good terms, as opposed to layoff situations that were the result of an employee’s poor performance or a bad employer-employee relationship. Employers in particular can do their part to make the separation a little bit easier.

Because of the hardship that the current state of the economy is causing everyone, employers who truly care about their former employees – those who view their employees as assets and want to help them succeed in their future endeavors – are choosing more and more to use outplacement services.

Amid the current employment marketplace, it’s a lot harder for anyone to step out and get a job. Before the recession, skilled workers capable of filling in-demand jobs could easily negotiate aspects of their employment. Today, however, those skilled workers are facing tough competition from other skilled workers who would normally be unavailable but have been laid off, not to mention under-skilled workers who are willing to work for less.

Luckily, outplacement firms are capable of offering laid off workers at any skill level the help they need to embark on a new career. Outplacement services can include everything from employee counseling and career guidance to resume writing and job placement help to job fair access and private open houses.

Opting in favor of outplacement services will ultimately benefit your employees and your company. Your employees will benefit by getting the help they need to find a new job. Your company will benefit by maintaining a good reputation as an organization that truly cares about its employees.

Where was the last place I put my resume? How should I update my resume? How have things changed since the last time I looked for a job? How do I look for a job today? Why do I have to apply online? Should I write a cover letter? How do I interview? Where do I begin?

Every HR person knows a mistake made in the job search process can mean we won’t be extending a job offer. We know this because we see it with those who have applied in the past to our organizations. Do we ever stop to think those mistakes could be extending the period of time that job seeker might collect unemployment? Why would we, they aren’t collecting it from our unemployment accounts. Now think about the mistakes we see made by job seekers except now that job seeker is your employee whom you have had to let go. Making a mistake in the job search process could mean your former employee does not get back to work as quickly as they could and extends the period of time they are collecting on your unemployment account.

One way to help that employee is to provide outplacement services. Outplacement services are designed to meet the specific needs of the transitioning job seeker searching for a job in today’s market. Many companies today provide these services to their exiting employees because it is a win-win for both the employee and the organization. It gives the employee better job search skills and the confidence they need to get hired faster which will save the organization money in the long run.

A person who has lost their job can be faced with many complicated emotions. Even if the reason is downsizing they can feel like a failure, have issues with self-esteem, and can generally take longer to bounce back. I think that is normal for anyone who is faced with a life challenge. An outplacement program can go a long way to help build the skills they need to search for a new position effectively. Outplacement services also help with the company’s employment brand and the morale of those employees who remain with the organization.

Letting an employee go is never easy regardless of the reason. In fact it can be as hard for the employer as the employees involved. Choosing to use outplacement services can make this process easier. With these types of services, a company can offer career transition benefits to employees that are being displaced.

Outplacement services can range from employee counseling and career guidance to resume writing, job placement help, job fair events and more. Programs like these are designed to help make the career transition easier for employees as well as help the employer to do the right thing for their displaced employees.

Organizations specializing in outplacement services offer some great benefits  for both the employer and employee. These services help people get back to work faster, which help lower unemployment costs and help increase employee satisfaction for both the displaced employee and those still with the organization. Using outplacement services can turn a difficult situation into a smoother and easier process. They are wonderful services for organizations that want to take care of their employees, even during layoffs.

I myself focused on something totally un-related to what I am doing today when I was first starting out and thought that I would have a great career as Broadway Star! That dream quickly faded away when I became a Wife and Mother. I sort of fell into something to make ends meet for a few years but when I found myself single and supporting two growing boys I quickly realized I had to decide what I wanted to be because now, I was grown up!

I stuck with what I knew and fortunately it lead me to where I am today. I love my job and had no idea just how much I loved to help connect people to resources and tools to help them be the most successful in their job search and careers. That’s what I have told people for the last two years since I had the opportunity to come work for Jobing.com and guess what? THAT WAS A BIG LIE and I didn’t even know it!

I was driving home from another busy day, work, pick up kids from school, run errands and grab dinner with family. I stopped to check my email before heading home knowing that I had 100 more errands to do once I got home and email would not be one of them. I received a message through Facebook from a High School Friend that recently found me on there. Here is what the message said from a man that I have not seen in at least 15 years:

“Hello Holly so nice to find you. I don’t know if you know this but you are the one of the reasons I got into makeup. You suggested it when we were at the JC. Thank you. I have been in LA for the past 13 years working as a professional makeup artist for movies, tv shows, commercials you name it. I hope you are well”

So the big lie I was telling is that I had no idea I was good at something that according to my friend Tyson helped him launch into a pretty cool career! All I thought I was doing was looking at something that seemed like a hobby to him and connect him to a class I had recently taken in our theater department at college. Needless to say I was so taken with his message and it felt so wonderful that he would include in his life path and success.

I guess the point that I am trying to make is that often times we struggle with finding out who we are or what we are good at and it just might be right there in front of us. Maybe if you are struggling with what to do you should stop and reflect on your life, connect with some old friends who knew you when and see if that doesn’t help spark some ideas. Others often see in us what we can’t see in ourselves.

Kerry received a great comment, well question really about giving an example of what this might look like.   Well here is what I think…I think the point of Kerry’s blog is that the Master Resume is all the work you have ever done and is available for you to select the relevant information needed for the specific positions you are applying for.  Kerry suggests putting everything down for each position.  Create statements and paragraphs describing your role and include accomplishments as well as bullet points of your skills needed for the position.  You don’t have to worry about space because this won’t be a resume you actually submit to a posting, rather a place you will go to gather the appropriate data needed to create a resume specific to the job posting.

Here’s an example of what I think Kerry is suggesting:

ABC COMPANY, Phoenix, AZ                                                  June 2000 – January 2009
Human Resource Specialist
Responsible for recruiting, interviewing and hiring all positions for customer service operations.  (Roughly 850 employee’s total).  Develop recruiting sources though various communities based organizations, job fairs and advertising. Work directly with Senior HR Manager, HR Manager, HR Staff and operations management on special projects including PR & Marketing (Radio, TV and Print), Employee Relations, Benefit Eligibility Tracking, New Hire Orientation and perception of HR department “Customer Service”.    With current marketing strategy that was implemented in 2008 we have successfully increased applicant traffic and interviewed over 1400 potential applicants.   We were able to hire and train 40% of the applicants since April. Other special projects include Onsite Job Fair Coordination, assisted in Employee Benefit Fair coordination, Employee Appreciation Events and Company Sponsored Charity Events including Team Captain for annual American Cancer Society fundraiser, Making Strides Against Breast Cancer Walk.

o    ADP Software
o    Benefit Administration
o    Advertising
o    Contract Negotiation
o    Training
o    Training/Development
o    Detail Oriented
o    Auditing Employee Files
o    Labor Relations
o    SHRM Member

Technology has changed the way you apply for positions and with technology also comes the idea that the rules we once knew 10 years ago when creating a resume no longer exist.  Let’s face it, there are no rules to resumes and if you ask 5 HR people what they like you will get five different answers!

Today the most important thing you can do is 1. Understand there are no hard rules with regards to resumes and 2. Know your work history and adapt your resume and information to reflect the position you are applying for.

As you can see from the example I gave above you might not put all of that information in your resume but having it all down on paper in one place, you can pull the information needed to create a resume for the position you are applying for.

Here are some ideas I think are good to consider when creating a resume from your “Master Resume”:

• If a job posting has lots of bullet points then maybe the person writing the job description is looking for direct and to the point resumes.  Consider using bullet points in your resume.
• If job posting is built around paragraphs then its possible your resume might be better suited in a paragraph format.

Another thing to consider when applying for a position is consider looking at the way you apply to the position as you how you would act or function in the position itself.  If you are an admin applying to a position that is looking for someone who is detail oriented you will for sure want to have read ALL of the instructions in the job posting and follow them as wells as make sure you are not applying with a resume that has typos.  Along the same lines if you are applying to a Sales position and you never follow up with the company or you don’t send a thank you note after your interview, what does that say about your sales skills?  Is the employer going to think you will treat their customers the same way?