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Editor in Chief:
Joan Caruso
Writer:
Catherine Carlozzi
Designer:
Loan Tran
If you have questions or comments on this month's issue, send your feedback to loan.tran@ayers.com
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Wrap-Up Seminars Put It All Together
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| Damon Montal |
| Consultant |
| Tel: 212.889.6689 | damon.montal@ayers.com
Fewer jobs and longer searches mean an increasing number of candidates face the unnerving prospect of “going it alone” after the formal support structure of an outplacement program is gone. The Ayers Wrap-Up Seminar is designed to provide the tools and confidence that enable candidates to carry on their job searches independently.
Ayers Consultant Damon Montal, who conducts Wrap-Up Seminars in the firm’s New York offices, uses the workshops to provide a methodology that enables the candidates to continue the search process on their own.
“During outplacement, candidates learn all the different pieces—research, networking, interviewing, salary negotiation, etc.—under the direction of an individual counselor,” he says. ”Once they understand that a job search is not haphazard but is a defined process with a beginning, middle, and end, it’s much easier for them to work within the process. But while the search process begins under the direction of a counselor, it’s our responsibility to make sure candidates can direct it on their own if need be, aided by continued access to our on-line research tools and some phone support from their counselors. We want to make the transition to a self-directed search much easier.”
He describes the sessions as two solid hours of strategy. “They aren’t pep rallies. That surprises some people. A job searcher has three roles: product, sales person, and sales manager. The seminar addresses the latter. It looks at how to create and work a marketing plan, infiltrate the right companies, and analyze the effectiveness of the search.”
Montal tailors a portion of each Wrap-Up to the specific issues and concerns participants raise, which means no two workshops are the same. “I had one that centered on career direction. Candidates were asking: How do I know I’m on the right path? My industry isn’t what it used to be. Should I be considering a career change?”
The workshops also provide direction on finding resources—libraries, colleges, government agencies—and support in the community. “It’s not good for people who are depressed, upset, or anxious about their situations to be alone. So we talk about networking as a means of both furthering the search and countering isolation. We all belong to different communities—religious, social, and political groups; professional or industry associations; and alumni organizations, to name just a few—that can provide valuable networking opportunities and support structures.”
Damon is responsible for taking this important component of our outplacement programs to a new level,” says Terry Ebert, Managing Director of Career Transition Services. Originally developed in Ayers’ Princeton office, the seminars are now offered monthly in each office to all candidates as they near the end of their formal residential program. “We truly care about our candidates, both when they’re here and after they leave us,” says Montal.
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Organizational Effectiveness Consulting
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