On Being Outsourced

Yesterday I met with a new client. Her department of 31 years has been outsourced to another country. There is a possibility that the company will transfer her to a different domestic location but since that’s all up in the air, she decided to proactively take control of her future. The company offered outplacement assistance in resume preparation and severance package discussions. When I took a look at her resume I was disappointed because it read like job description. She told me that each outsourced employee was given a 30 minute meeting with a resume writer and since all the team members perform a similar job, they all have the same resume. Well, for employees who have worked for the same company since they graduated from high school or college and have never had another reason to look for another job, I guess that this new resume is better than nothing at all.

My client found me from a Job Search for the Older Job Seeker training class that I gave last spring. When she initially contacted me for help she asked for everything; resume and cover letter help, interviewing assistance and coaching, creating a LinkedIn account and networking. She also asked for help with basic computer skills such as using a thumb drive, formatting a resume using plain test, and applying for a job online.

Should you ever find yourself looking at the possibility of being outsourced (even if there is no reason in the world for you to be outsourced); you’ll need to do a couple of things to prepare.
1. Visit your local library and schedule some computer software classes. Ask the librarian for help. You’ll need Word but also the basics of job search engines or Google.
2. Set up a LinkedIn Profile, start gathering contacts and join groups. Not sure of what your LinkedIn profile should look like? Type your position in the search area and click “People” and take a look at other similar profiles. These may give you some ideas. Another idea is to Google your title followed by the words job description.
3. Write out your accomplishments. It helps to gather up any of your old performance appraisals, emails where you were acknowledged for doing something above and beyond the call, etc.
4. Google your name and see what’s out there. Clean up your Facebook, Twitter or other sites and clean up your comments and pictures.
5. Start a list of possible networking contacts and send them a note or email. Let them know what’s going on and ask if they might know of any positions, other contacts or if they would consider writing you a reference for LinkedIn and/or allow you to use them as a general reference.

Taking these steps and being proactive by readying yourself for this next phase in your career can somewhat ease the stress of the unknown. Also, take advantage of the services your company may offer you. It might not be great (as in the cookie cutter resumes of my client’s team) but it is better than nothing.