This is a service which helps an organization plan and accomplish individual terminations or group layoffs. The corporation is the client of the out-placement firm, not the employee. Payment usually is required before any services are provided and is not contingent upon job search success. They are usually employed by a social service agency, university or federal program. To be sure, sound career advice is a valuable commodity, especially in today's highly competitive job market.
Some states have laws that regulate the fee structure and services by retail firms.
Stuart Alan Rado, a consumer rights advocate in Miami Beach, says many displaced job hunters are afraid to complain. If they're still employed, they don't want the boss to know they're looking, while others are embarrassed to admit they've been conned out of money. Joseph Strickland, graduate assistant at the Illinois Alumni Career Center, and Shabeena Kahn '93, staffing manager at AccounTemps, contributed to this article.