Graduation is right around the corner and the stress of finding a job is hitting its peak. I know that in my last weeks of college, I was ready to drop everything and just take a one-way ticket anywhere, so I wouldn’t have to deal with being an adult. Navigating the world of employment can be tough, especially at the beginning. This is why you need a company that provides outplacement services. I’ve learned it the hard way, so you don’t have to.
1. Secure jobs aren't secure at all
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We approach desk jobs with the idea that they are “safe.” You get into a routine of gym-work-dinner that occupies most of the day and you pretty much roll on autopilot. I thought this was how my first years of employment were going to go like. Boy, was I wrong.
My first job out of college was at an outsourced sales company. What no one told me was that sales companies like that tend to literally pack up and go whenever a better opportunity arises. My boss got offered a more lucrative deal in Michigan than the one he had in Massachusetts, so it was either move to the frozen hell that’s basically Canada or lose my job.
I liked the company but not enough to leave my friends and family behind and relocate to one of the arguably most uneventful states. So I found myself unemployed. Picture that: 22-years-old, fresh out of college with a student loan to pay, bound to an expensive lease in Boston and with no job. I started applying like crazy, but finding another gig with so little experience wasn’t easy. This is where outplacement comes in.
2. Outplacement is the difference between an easy job transition and being totally broke
What is outplacement? Outplacement is the magical safety net that helps you find a new job quickly instead of wasting hours at a time on job boards until you can’t see straight anymore.
Outplacement is great for both companies and employees. On the one hand, the company saves money because the sooner you find work, the sooner they can stop paying you a severance package. On the other hand, you’ll get another job much quicker and feel like a valuable member of society again. According to State Street Global Advisors, 60% of millennials have changed jobs between one and four times in the last five years. Firings happen to everyone, so you need to be prepared.
3. You'll recover your self-esteem and head into the right direction
No one talks about the hit your self-esteem takes when you lose your source of income, but it’s very real. I moped around for two weeks feeling totally incompetent because I had let myself fall into this situation. When your company offers outplacement, you’ll have a trained professional explain to you that it’s not the end of the world and help you pick another job you like or change your field entirely.
I used to be in and out the Trinity career services center, because I got lots of rejections. Every time I felt like I wasn’t good enough, until my counselor sat me down and helped me realized that it wasn’t me at all - I was just applying to the wrong industry. Having this kind of guidance is invaluable at any stage of your career path, so unless you’re starting your own business and work for yourself, you need a company that provides outplacement.
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4. A company that provides outplacement services really cares about you
Outplacement doesn’t come cheap because it’s a quality service. If your employer is willing to spend extra money to provide this resource for you, you can be sure that they care. After all, if you can’t trust that the place you spend a third of your life at has your interest in mind, why work there at all?
5. You won't have to deal with lawyers
When I left the sales company, I didn’t get paid for my last month of work. That money legally belonged to me, yet I wasn’t sure how to go about requesting it. I had e-mailed and called my boss a few dozen times, but received nothing. It was incredibly frustrating. Eventually, I did get the paycheck but it was three months later and he made it seem like he was paying me just out of courtesy.
Make your life easier and pick a company that provides outplacement services. You’ll get everything cleared up legally as soon as you leave and won’t have to deal with the unnecessary stress of the complicated legal world.
So there you have it, the most important lesson I learned in the first years of my career. Pick your company wisely and know that there are great resources out there to help you.
