In the context of outplacement, company representatives often ask me for statistics on the length of time it takes my coachees to find a new job. Is the length of time an appropriate measure for assessing my skills as an outplacement consultant? I am always amazed at the uncritical view of such quantitative measures.
I could start my reflection with the well-known remark that I don’t trust any statistics that I haven’t my-self…. Instead, I assume that all consulting firms publish real figures. But are quantitative figures suitable for measuring the success of consultancy?
I remember my early days as an outplacement consultant and the pressure I felt that my coachees had to start a new job as soon as possible. As a former personnel consultant, I know that the fastest job search results are achieved by those who apply for the previous job with a new employer. For the outplacement counsellor who is successful in the statistics, it is therefore of interest to coach easily-placeable coachees. But hand on heart – they will find a new job even without consulting.
But the question is: Does it make sense to start the next job as soon as possible after losing a job?
The coachee is in the foreground
Employers often want their employees who have been made redundant to find a new job as quickly as possible too. Unemployment insurance wants to see their clients in a new job very soon anyway. However, what is best for the people concerned is often forgotten. Many of my clients use the period of unemployment to make a personal and professional assessment in order to set a new course in their careers. They want to make a sustainable decision for their professional future. Some even deregister from the RAV to avoid the pressure to accept a job in a hurry. As a career coach, I can only support the goal of a sustainable solution. However, this can prolong the job search.
Quality is paramount
Every coachee who proceeds in this way damages my success statistics in a purely quantitative view. And if I then look after clients for whom the job search is time-consuming because of their background, advanced age or the difficult situation in their labour market segment, then my statistics are completely ruined. And finally, it is precisely these people who need outplacement consulting most urgently.
If counselling is geared towards helping those affected find a sustainable solution for themselves, only a qualitative measurement of success comes into question. Neither the sponsor of the outplacement nor I as a consultant determine what a successful outplacement is, but the coachees themselves. As the sponsor, therefore, talk to your employees about whether they found the counselling helpful.
Every employee deserves to be more than a number in a questionable success statistic.