Job Search & Interview Skills Workshops As Alternative To Individual Outplacement

Outplacement programs are a very useful way for organisations to support outgoing employees who are impacted by redundancy, providing tailored support to assist employees as they embark on their job search. However, individual outplacement programs are not always a financially feasible option for all organisations. For organisations who still wish to support their employees through redundancy, but for whom individual outplacement is not an option, job search and interview skills workshops present a viable solution.

What do these workshops involve?

These workshops are designed to provide participants with practical assistance with skills employees need to successfully apply for their next role. Workshops cover the following topics (or a combination of these):

Resumé Writing /Application Skills

Assisting employees to understand resumés, prepare a draft document, and understand job search processes, including:

• What is the purpose of a resumé?
• Current market formats and trends (including templates to use – operational, professional and managerial).
• Tailoring resumés for position requirements and ensure content is meaningful.
• Addressing job ads – content and achievements.
• Format and style for cover letters for online applications.

Job Search Skills

Tapping into the employment market and answering questions such as: 

• How do I look for my next job – online portals and Applicant Tracking Systems etc.
• What job search skills do I need to know?
• Online portals and LinkedIn?
• Recruitment agents – who to contact?
• Practical job search tools and strategies.
• Networking and how to access the ‘hidden’ job market.

Interview Skills

The practical application and practice of interview skills, including:

• Preparing for the interview (research and presentation).
• Do’s and don’ts of interviews.
• Competency and behavioural-based interviews.
• Case study preparation (STAR).
• Communication skills and persuasive answers.

Benefits of running workshops

Job search workshops provide the following benefits:

• Cost effective 
• In built social support as participants work together to build their skills and prepare to apply for their next roles
• Can be delivered virtually or in person, to accommodate remote geographic locations
• Can be conducted before participants leave the organisation, to facilitate a smooth transition and provide support pre-exit

Maximising effectiveness

We always recommend running these sessions with smaller groups to ensure everyone receives assistance and feedback from the facilitator and maximise the benefit to each attendee. Ideally, allowing 2-3 hours for each workshop session enables sufficient time for both learning and practice. We have also found it best to run these sessions before employees exit the organisation, to maximise engagement and provide the greatest benefit to participants. 

Case study

This aged care facility had undergone a restructure due to legislative changes, resulting in a significant number of redundancies pending at all levels, including a number of long-term employees. While they were able to offer individual outplacement to employees in management positions, they didn’t have the budget to offer the same to all staff, yet still wanted to provide some support to frontline personnel. Given the number of personnel involved, HR made the decision to run workshops for impacted employees. 

We conducted two 3-hour workshops, with ten participants in each. The first workshop covered resumé writing and job application skills, and all participants drafted a resumé against a relevant job advert during the session. In the second workshop, we focused on interview skills and preparation and conducted mock interviews to give participants plenty of practice delivering their responses. 

Participants left the workshop more confident in their level of preparation and feeling more ready to go to market and find their next job.