CPI/RW Caldwell
        We're A Little Different

Every unemployed career person who walks through our doors looking for a career transition firm asks (or surely wants to ask) the one most obvious question:

"How is Career Partners International/RW Caldwell different from other companies?"

Selecting a career transition firm can be a rather confusing and often frustrating experience, especially if you are not certain what you are looking for, let alone what you actually need.

We have put together a list of the unique distinctions that Career Partners International/RW Caldwell Associates (a long name – try CPI/RWCA) brings to your career transition process. Much of this list is made up of things that our candidates (that’s what we call people in our outplacement programs) have told us were important to them and that they found at CPI/RWCA.

While we think these many distinctions are impressive and speak for themselves, none of them truly captures what we feel is the uniqueness that sets us apart.

Our distinction lies in your sense of belonging while you are here. It is a feeling of being part of a family dedicated to one thing – your career success. It is a sense of being with people who have walked in your shoes and are willing to get inside your skin with you as we help you work your way through this most important career and life journey. It is a sense that you can trust these Caldwell people to guide you through this transition as much as we will trust you to actively participate in our process.

You will not feel the "Caldwell Connection" from the following list. However, you will get a good feeling for what we, and our candidates, know is important and different about us. For the "connection," you will have to trust your instincts and good judgment. Poke around as much as you like. Ask us every question on your mind. Visit with our candidates – past and present. Check our references. Validate our reputation. Talk with our staff.

Before coming to CPI/RWCA, we want you to be comfortable with your choice and decision. We welcome your scrutiny. We welcome your comparisons.

Most of all we hope to welcome you to our family. We invite you to join us and become one of the thousands of unique CPI/RWCA success stories for whom there are no comparisons.

Take great care of yourself – and your career.

The Necessary "Stuff"
-Classy, well equipped, and comfortable office space
-Convenient location
-Private and shared offices
-Full secretarial and administrative support
-High-speed (T-1) Internet in every office
-A Career Transition Workbook/reference manual
-Phone and visitor reception
-Phone, voice mail, fax, mail, and courier services
-Tech Room with access to the most productive job reporting web sites
-Options for entrepreneurs, starting a business or consultancy, changing careers
-Online Career Center technology

While we are very proud of the resources that we put into our career transition practice for you, we really do not consider the above list to be huge distinctions. Since the national chains and other independents seem to make a big deal about these things, we put them here for your welcomed comparisons. At CPI/RWCA, our value is not in our "stuff." We just assume that any great firm will provide Caldwell’s level of service and amenities. You should too!

Listed below are a few other issues you should consider. These are differentiators.

Private Counseling/Coaching:
At CPI/RWCA, we still believe in the power and importance of one-on-one counseling. All large firms have gone to a group delivery model or alternatively, an Internet-based "at-home" delivery model. Our success is directly related to your one-on-one interaction with your CPI/RWCA career counselors. You will find we are available to meet when you need us, no appointment necessary.

Counselor Choice:
While we match you to a career coach who we believe is most compatible with your needs, you may request to switch coaches if you feel more comfortable with someone else at the outset of your program. At RW Caldwell, we understand the importance of good "chemistry" in the process. In addition, you will interact with many of our career professionals who all take an active interest in your success.

Flexibility:
Sometimes we feel a bit like contortionists, we bend over backwards to accommodate your individual needs. We are not bound by the procedures and protocols of the outplacement chains. We do whatever we can to customize your program around the real world and your needs. This can mean putting your program on hold while you take a consulting assignment, working with you from a remote location, meeting off site, or working totally on-line together if that is your wish.

Longest Continuous Management, Most Experienced Staff:
CPI/RWCA has been providing career management services since 1986. With a local, full-time staff of professional career counselors, coaches, and trainers, we have more talent, depth, and experience than any firm in Western New York.

Outplacement Pioneer in Western New York:
Caldwell pioneered career transition in Western New York in 1986. We introduced the concept, "trained" the business community (when, quite literally, no one had heard of "outplacement"), and have grown a very successful business. We have been at this longer than anyone in the region has. As firms and their management have come and gone, we distinguish ourselves by our vision, stability, and enduring presence.

All the Necessary Locations: Through our worldwide CPI business system, you have access to any of our global partners’ offices. CPI offers you the best of two worlds. Seamless access to Caldwell-quality career transition anywhere your search takes you, and the absolute best service provided by each region’s most qualified provider of independent services. It is all backed by CPI’s common quality standards and RW Caldwell’s commitment to your satisfaction.

Firm of Choice by Over 200 Regional Companies:
Most companies know what distinguishes one career transition firm from another. Most of these companies assume the tough task of pre-selecting the best firm to meet the needs of their separating employees. More than two hundred organizations have pre-selected CPI/RWCA to do their career transition work. Organizations big and small from every sector have trusted RW Caldwell with their departing employees’ careers.

We Measure Outcomes Not Process:
CPI/RWCA broke ranks with the industry and set a new standard for measuring success. We judge success by how close you come to what you wanted from your career transition; not how fast you get your next job. Rest assured our "job search time" consistently meets or beats the national average and our candidates make more (on average) than in their previous jobs. But we say "so what?" What really counts is how close you come to the ideal job you define with your counselor in the early planning phases of your program. For some, a leisurely pace is appropriate. Another may be willing to trade some salary for a shot at a different career. Someone else might need a new job yesterday to pay his or her bills. We always measure this most important outcome.

Every Career Transition is Different:
RW Caldwell believes that a career transition in the Silicon Valley should look and be different from one in Boston or Buffalo or Brazil. Local cultures, customs, values, practices, and perceptions all come into play. This is why our CPI worldwide business system makes such sense. Through RW Caldwell you will always be dealing with a best practice, CPI certified, local provider (wherever you go in our system) who tailors your services to the nuances of success in any given market. National chains are forced to look and act alike regardless of local diversity. We deliver high quality programs, custom tailored to the markets in our hometowns. "Consistently high service quality," not "conformity," is our mantra.

We Put Our Time and Dollars Back Into This Community:
This community has done well by CPI/RWCA and our candidates. You will find our colleagues on boards and committees supporting our community. We give back and support Western New York with our time and our money. You will consistently see the CPI/RWCA name as contributors in the programs and announcements of civic organizations, associations, museums, youth initiative programs, schools, universities, churches, and hospitals.

Financially Sound and Profitable:
We are proud of the fact that we make money. We are astute business people who understand how to manage the business. This means that we do not have to scrimp on any of the services that we provide. The national chains have not been as fortunate. A bad year in New York or Vancouver for an international chain can mean angry stockholders and lean times everywhere in their system. Not so at RW Caldwell. We have minimal administration to support and no public stockholders.

Extended Hours and 24/7 Support:
At RW Caldwell, a job search is not a 9-5 proposition. For candidates who request expanded access to our facilities, extended hours will be arranged. Furthermore, 24/7 access to services is made possible through the Online Career Center.

Trust:
This might sound corny but it is important. Everyone who comes to RW Caldwell is given the unqualified assumption of our trust. There are no locks on our desks and no meters monitoring your usage of the amenities and resources. While you are here, our house is your house. We built our business on trust. Since 1986, our trust has been well founded.

We do Not Count:
We learned an important lesson years ago that our competitors seemed to have missed. Limiting and counting the resources provided for you is not in your best interest and will not affect our bottom line in the slightest. Therefore, there are no limits placed on phone calls, faxes, postage, resume reprints, paper used, copies made, nor time spent with your counselor.

Casual Business Atmosphere:
We may sound like the Olive Garden when we say, "When you are at CPI/RWCA you are family" but we mean it! There is enough stress in your life being unemployed. We maintain a casual dress code and a purposeful, yet relaxed, business atmosphere at our home.

Owners-Not Managers:
RW Caldwell Associates (and for that matter, any CPI firm in our worldwide system) is run by owners not branch managers. We have a deep stake in our business (Bob Caldwell’s name is on the door) and in our community. For us this is not just a job assignment while we look for a next career move. It is our career.

Business Orientation:
The difference between theory and practical application in career transition is huge. The industry is loaded with therapists, academics, professional trainers, HR staffers, assessment gurus, ex-clergy, and social workers. If they work at CPI/RWCA, they must bring something more than just their credentials. RW Caldwell insists on real world line experience from all of our professional staff. We have all run, owned, managed, or produced in the real world of work. At RW Caldwell, you get great training and counseling but you also get our expertise at dealing with a real world that does not always play by the rulebook. We are always supportive and very results oriented.

More Than Just Career Transition:
Unlike firms that know just outplacement, RW Caldwell understands from the inside of an organization what it takes to be hired. With our Effective Interview Training, run through our Search Services Division, we have our own assessment practice. We teach many of our customers how to hire the best people. It is all about how well a person fits in a job and in a company. We are behavioral experts who understand how to identify a person’s fit to a given job and how to make sure the right person is selected for any position. Few other firms have our depth of understanding of what the person on the other side of the interview is doing. That is because we train them how to do it!

New Position Assimilation and Career Coaching:
Your program does not stop when you "graduate." CPI/RWCA provides ongoing coaching and advice through the integration period in your new job. Typically, the first three months are the most difficult. We are available to support, advise, coach, and counsel.

Firm Most Chosen By "Shoppers":
That is what our industry calls people who are evaluating different career transition firms – "shoppers." Over 80% of the shoppers who look at CPI/RWCA decide to come here for their career transition. We are truly honored by that distinction.

We look forward to working with you. You will not be disappointed.