Chapter 11

     In Chapter 11, Facilitating the Global Search, Brown (2012) discussed the importance of job placement services.  Job placement services offer guidance and support to individuals that are in need of a job.  Brown (2012) stated that many colleges, universities and public institutions offer these services to the public.  What I found the most interesting was outplacement services. I had never heard of this term before and am now curious to see the movie Up in the Air to get a better understanding of this service.  In the text, Brown (2012) suggested that businesses hire outplacement firms to assist the people that they have to lay off with future job planning.  My thought was…how could a business afford to pay for these outplacement services when they just had to lay off a number of people due to financial struggles?  Do these funds come from the government or does this money come for the business that is struggling financially?  According to Brown (2012), corporations pay millions of dollars to outplacement services to assist these people with new careers.  I think this is a great idea, but how is this financially feasible for the employer?

     In the text, Brown (2012) discussed that outplacement service are a $4 billion industry…$4 billion.  It also appeared that these services were geared toward salaried employees.  Brown (2012) stated that these services could be offered to hourly workers but is more likely to be offered to salaried employees.  It seems as if this service is catered to individuals who have more education or have a higher paid position in their company.  It does not seem to include the front line workers or lower paid individuals that may suffer the most from the loss of a job.  I wonder if these services are only offered in larger more profitable companies that can afford outplacement.  Brown (2012) stated that the cost of outplacement per person could cost anywhere from $1,472-7,518.  The cost of this service is outrageous to me.

     After reading Chapter 16, I wonder what the outcomes are for using outplacement services.   Little was discussed in the text about the evaluation of this program for individuals, (success rates of finding another job, skill enhancement, etc.) This section has sparked my interest and I am curious about how many jobs were found due to the implementation of this service.

Brown, D. (2012). Career information, career counseling, and career development. (10th edition). New York: Pearson, Inc.