Selection of the Consulting Firm
Some employers choose to provide funding for career transition services but leave it to the terminated employee to "shop" for and choose a consulting firm. CPI/RWCA strongly advises against this practice because it carries serious disadvantages.

Much of the value of career transition services is in the planning and training that occurs prior to a termination, and especially in the post-termination meeting with the candidate (see below). These advantages are lost when the pre- and post-termination process is delayed, and lost again when the candidate and consultant later meet initially as buyer and seller. Most important, the recently terminated candidate usually lacks the ability and objectivity to make a reasoned selection, and thus risks exposure to high-pressure sales techniques and excessive promises.

Evaluate career transition firms early and select one that meets the needs of your organization and, more importantly, the needs of the individual(s) who will use the service.

Pre-Termination Planning
Pre-Termination planning will ease the stressful task that the terminating manager must perform. CPI/RWCA will meet with your managers to teach them ways to successfully communicate the termination message while preserving employee dignity and self-esteem. Issues such as severance pay, exposure to legal liability, what to tell other employees, how to introduce the career transition service, and dealing with later reference checks are also addressed.

For larger projects, pre-termination planning may include special training for many managers charged with informing employees of their termination. For most managers, the task of informing employees is one of the most stressful and least familiar roles they will ever perform. CPI/RWCA will teach them how to carry out this difficult task while preserving employee self-esteem and corporate integrity.

CPI/RWCA has developed a booklet entitled "Conducting Effective Terminations©" that is available singly or in bulk to assist organizations in planning for the termination of individuals. It is available for review and order by clicking above. There is no cost to CPI/RWCA clients for this booklet.

Post-Termination Meeting With The Candidate
The career transition process begins with a post-termination meeting with the candidate immediately following termination. This is the first step in every assignment and helps the employee deal with emotions, learn about the career transition process, and begin the bridge to a positive future. It is a fundamental and necessary beginning to every successful career transition program. The message conveyed is one of "hope and help;" hope for the future - and help to get there.

Organizational Renewal
Sometimes referred to as "survivors training," organizational renewal addresses the stress felt by employees NOT affected by a reduction in force. These employees are concerned about their colleagues who have been notified of separation; they wonder how the work will be done with fewer employees; they question whether additional layoffs are planned; and they worry about "am I next." Answering these questions, allaying fears, and laying the groundwork for the post-downsized organization are the objectives of Organizational Renewal. Beyond that, such meetings often can be of inestimable value to the company in achieving the goals of a reduction in force by bringing other concerns to the fore that may have nothing to do with the layoffs of their colleagues.

Progress Reports/Candidate Tracking
CPI launched CandTrak™ in June 2003. CandTrak™ is a state-of-the-art system for monitoring the progress of candidates across the entire 170-office CPI network. Using CandTrak, CPI/RWCA will send monthly reports to corporate sponsors regarding the up-to-the-minute status of their candidates. These reports are sent the last working day of each month unless the corporate sponsor requests a different arrangement. If the project involves multiple CPI offices, CandTrak enables the reporting process to be seamlessly identical.

All reporting is performed within the bounds of candidate confidentiality. See our Standards of Consulting Practice for further details on this sensitive, but important, issue.

Staffing/Talent Availability
For many years, corporate clients of CPI/RWCA have contacted us regularly for the referral of information on outplacement candidates to fill temporary or permanent personnel vacancies. We will continue to forward the resumes of candidates appropriate to the requesting organization’s needs and then allow the organization to decide the next step. However, the Resumes section of this website contains the full resumes of all the candidates presently in our programs. The résumés contained there are updated daily and flagged (as "new") for two weeks to facilitate the reviewing process.

Best of all, there is NO FEE should you decide to hire one or more of our outplacement candidates.