Outplacement Alternatives – Boutique Outplacement Firms
Aside from the Big Three outplacement firms, there are hundreds of small outplacement firms throughout the world. I’ve come across a number of them in my travels… from Silicon Valley to New Jersey – I won’t tell you about the worst I’ve come across but I’ll share the best one I’ve met.
I was in New Jersey a year or so ago and did a presentation at A.J. O’Connor Associates. I was so impressed they’ve stuck out as the most impressive I’ve seen. The meeting was small (only about 10 candidates) but their staff was there – they have a very talented staff.
It seems that most boutique firms offer services based on geography (traditionally they would market in only a certain region (which might include multiple states) or a specific industry. If a large, multi-national firm is looking for one service provider to help across multiple borders (and possible languages, cultures, etc.), the boutique firm is hard-pressed to compete with the Big Three.
If you are looking for a boutique shop you can find plenty with a simple google search.
When a company asks me my opinion on outplacement service providers I have no problem recommending a boutique firm – they are a good alternative.
In the next post I’ll share one more alternative … it’s kind of a mix between boutique and Big Three.
Outplacement Alternatives – The Big Three
In my journey to understand outplacement alternatives I quickly found out who the Big Three were. Every industry has leaders, or those who own a fair amount of the market – outplacement is no different. Here are the three (check their websites to see if the facts are still accurate):
Right Management – owned by Manpower, I think Right is the largest in the world. I’ve been to a number of Right offices and have been extremely impressed with what I’ve seen. The offices are always very nice and the staff has been competent and a delight to work with.
Lee Hecht Harrison (aka LHH) – I have very little experience with Lee Hecht (as it is commonly referred to), but hear about them regularly. I’d like to have more contact with them but they don’t make it too easy
DBM (aka Drake Beam Morin (I think Morin is right) – I’ve been to one DBM field office for a presentation and it went… okay. There were a lot of candidates there (over 40 in the room) but I didn’t hear back from anyone at the office, with one exception.
These guys have a significant market share but they aren’t the only players… next post I’ll share another aspect of traditional outplacement.
Affordable Outplacement
I was in the D.C. area at a conference last week – I flew in early to speak. Luckily I found eight speaking opportunities while I was in town, and met some amazing people.
One conversation stood out… I was talking to someone about outplacement and said something about outplacement services at the $3,000 level. This person, who is quite familiar with outplacement, said:
$3,000??? Try $20,000!
Of course, not all outplacement costs $20,000 – but some can.
We’re not out to compete with the $20,000 crowd for sure… but we do have an offering for the audience that is looking to keep outplacement costs below a certain amount.
A Recruiters Entrance to Social Media
Two years ago I met Jason Alba when my previous employer had brought him in to train our company on the benefits of using LinkedIn. As he went around the room and began discussing the different tools and resources, it became very clear that I was one of the few people in the room that not only had embraced social media and LinkedIn as a recruiting tool, but was on my way to building my online brand.
After that initial seminar, with some help from Jason, and countless hours searching the Internet for new user groups and social media platforms, I was able to utilize this entire corner of the Internet that was not the same people that I saw on the same 5 job boards that my company had access too. What I found, is that I had a lot of company in these areas. So many companies and recruiters are now utilizing these tools to find talent.
This is why I am so excited to be involved in Affordable Outplacement. The training videos are a comprehensive education on the world of social media and LinkedIn for job search. We want you to go where the recruiters are going. Build your online brand, utilize the techniques of networking in its new digital form.
Affordable Outplacement in conjunction with your Jibberjobber.com account will ensure you are organized, well prepared and, to coin Jason’s phrase, give you all the tools you need to get the job of finding a job done.
Craig
From humble beginnings to outplacement offerings
Over three years ago I found myself in a tough transition. I wasn’t humble at first but a poorly conducted job search got me humble really quick.
Within a few weeks I realized there was something significant missing from a job seeker’s toolkit. I had been using a homemade spreadsheet to organize my job search, but that really was not good enough. I knew there were more appropriate solutions, but nothing was offered to job seekers.
Long story short, I formulated a website that would replace the job search spreadsheet, and finally realized there was a business opportunity for me. The decision to move forward with my own business was encouraged by my failing job search. I went where the attention and action was, instead of continuing my job search.
Growth has been slow and fast. Slow because I thought it would be a lot faster, fast because I look at other sites like JibberJobber and realize I’ve been fortunate to get the number of signups and traffic that I’ve gotten.
Fast forward 3+ years and here we are, launching a new service to employers.
I have been studying the outplacement space since the beginning and have always been intrigued by it. I knew my past company would not have thought of paying for outplacement – they were figuring out how to get rid of hefty salaries… why would they want to take on tens of thousands of dollars in additional expense (I was let go with about 15 others)?
I learned that every outplacement company I’ve come across has offerings that start at around $1,500 to $2,000 per person … and they go up from there.
And I realized an opportunity – what if we could provide value-add services and information at a price where no outplacement firm wants to go?
What if we could provide services that were helpful to displaced employees for less than $1,000?
I’m sure some outplacement firms will consider us “competition,” but I think it’s fair to say we are offering services at a price point they are not interested in.
It will be an interesting ride… stay tuned to this blog to keep up with our journey!
Hi th...