Mr. Noel is now chief operating officer for Christie's, a worldwide auction house based in New York. Counselors also can give you a reality check on the current market. Outplacement counselors need to help clients realize that the only factors that matter during a search are their skills and initiative, he says. Some candidates are so unrealistic that they expect to land better jobs after being laid off, says Mr. Challenger. For instance, controllers might expect to jump to a CEO post, forgetting that they're competing with current CEOs for such roles.
Counselors also can help with problem situations.
Joan W. Schwartz was general counsel for American Waterworks in Marlton, N.J., before the company closed its regional offices. She received outplacement from Right Consultants in Philadelphia, where her counselor guided her through a complicated salary negotiation. The consultants were very knowledgeable about the marketplace. They were a wonderful resource. Ms. Schwartz is now assistant general counsel of Teleflex Inc., a diversified industrial products firm in Limerick, Pa.