How Outplacement Services in Hong Kong can Accelerate your Job Search Journey

Losing your job is in the top ten list of the most stressful life events, right behind divorce and death of a close family member.

But it doesn’t have to be that way.

It is also an opportunity. And it can be an adventure.

When I lost my job in 2016, my career coach helped me to get unstuck, prioritize my goals and take small steps toward achieving them. After 4 months, I had applied to business school and drafted plans to start my own business. Without her and the much needed coaching support, I would not have moved forward.

That experience inspired me to become a Career Transition Consultant with LHH. I wanted to help others who were going through such a confusing, uncertain but ultimately exhilarating experience.

So how can a Career Transition Consultant help you to gain clarity and find your path?

Provide a safe space to be heard

It can be hard to talk about a job loss. You might be embarrassed, ashamed, angry or in disbelief. Or you might feel like others just won’t understand or will judge you.

As a Career Transition Consultant, a big part of my job is to listen. And to listen without judgement. Being made redundant has nothing to do with your performance. The company has changed strategy or encountered financial challenges that has forced them to make redundancies. The sooner you realize the redundancy is not about YOU, but about the POSITION, the more quickly you can move forward.

In my first session with Alice*, she fought back tears as she recounted the complete shock she felt when she went on a holiday and was made redundant the very morning that she returned to the office. Her emotions were raw. She was very upset about how the company she had worked with for 7 years had treated her.

We sat in a small, quiet conference room in the LHH office with the door closed. I listened to her recount her experience without interrupting her. I asked questions about her priorities, her timeline and what she thought her options were. By the end of our session together, she was calmer and we started to put together an action plan for her next steps, which is the true value of outplacement support.

Impartial expertise

As your Career Transition Consultant, my focus is on you and enabling your success. I will not push you toward a particular career path or job. You know you best. You know your situation best. I am simply here to be a sounding board and a thought partner, provide you with the tools to explore all of your options and then help you move forward on the path that you’ve chosen.

When I started working with Brian*, he was made redundant from a successful career in a prestigious investment bank. He knew he wanted to make a career change, but he wasn’t sure exactly which path to take. In our first few outplacement support sessions, we explored his strengths, discussed which strengths he could bring to the three different career paths he was considering, and then how he could close any gaps in his skill set. After drafting a marketing plan and pushing forward with networking, in just 5 months, Brian pivoted into a different functional role in a different industry.

Along the way, Brian did all of the hard work. I listened, supported and encouraged him to explore his options and have as many conversations as possible. Even though I come from an investment banking background, my role was not to push him to return to that industry. Instead, I used my knowledge of the industry to help him identify transferable skills and potential options to help him upskill to prepare for his target path. In the end, he chose his own path based on what was best for him, his family and his career.

An accountability partner

It is often said that looking for a new job is like a full-time job. Indeed, the job search can feel like it is never-ending. It is easy to get discouraged and to lose momentum.

This is where I come in: as your Career Transition Consultant, I am your partner in your job search. You are not alone.

I help to hold you accountable to your job search goals, either by meeting with you regularly, recommending specific LHH workshops and online content or giving you “homework” between sessions.  Each person’s journey is unique and I have a range of tools in my toolkit to help you.

Victor had spent his 20-year career with the same investment bank, relocating around the world as he took on more senior positions. As a result, when he was made redundant in 2020, he had not been active in the job market for decades. Through our 6 months of working together, Victor updated his resume, refreshed his LinkedIn profile, crafted a compelling elevator pitch, practiced storytelling techniques for his interviews, wrote a targeted marketing plan and started networking to help him transition into a different role.

He achieved so much between each of our monthly outplacement support meetings. In each session, we recapped what had happened in the previous month and set some goals for the coming month. As a result, he finished our engagement with a full set of tools for his toolkit and felt prepared and excited for the path ahead.

Industry connections

It’s important to note that I am not a Recruiter. Instead, as a Career Transition Consultant, I act as a bridge between the job you have left and whatever comes next.

When I can, I introduce you to relevant industry contacts who can help you on your path.  Due to my professional background, my network in financial services is strong. After years of working with candidates across industries – apparel, consulting, technology, consumer goods and pharmaceutical – my network has expanded even more and I proactively utilize it to support my candidates.

For example, after Victor interviewed for a role at a virtual bank, I reached out to my contact there to get the insider scoop on the feedback and next steps.

I connected Brian with leaders in his target function (Finance & Accounting).

I introduced Alice to reputable headhunters who specialized in her functional area.

Although these contacts didn’t necessarily lead to a job offer, they helped each candidate move further along their career search journey.

Up-to-date market expertise

If it’s been a decade or more since you looked for a new job, you may find that the job search process has changed dramatically. For example, familiarity with the applicant tracking system (ATS) and effective networking techniques can fast-track your job search timeline.

That was the case with Curtis, who had spent 30 years working for the same large financial services organization. He had never needed to write a resume or network outside of the company. We focused a lot of our time together on how to position himself for the job search process today – not just on writing his resume, but on how to optimize his personal brand on LinkedIn, how to make the amazing projects he worked on relatable to another company and how to demonstrate confidence during interviews. Building his external network became a key priority for Curtis and we brainstormed a long list of potential contacts by using a mind map. We then prioritized the contacts and created a short list for Curtis to tackle with his new personal brand in hand.

Although losing your job can feel confusing or scary, it can also be a transformational journey. By utilizing outplacement support, it is an opportunity to reflect and search for a new path.

Partnering with your LHH Career Transition Consultant can help you accelerate your journey and get you started walking (or running!) on the right path.

*Names and details have been changed to protect candidate privacy.