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Finding the next job - Employees being made redundant.

Making some employees redundant may be unavoidable but helping them look for a new start is not. We have designed a two day workshop for those who are to move on. For trainers and coaches and those in HR this workshop design is free and described in www.business-enlightenment.com

This is a description of a two day workshop supporting employees who are leaving their job, have been made redundant  or are under the threat of redundancy. It has been developed by one of Business Enlightenments co-founders Geoff Ribbens and is offered to trainers, consultants and Human Resource organisations

The two day workshop is based on the Teach Yourself book “Finding your next Job” by Peter Maskrey and Geoff Ribbens 2012 Published by Hodder and Stoughton in the UK and The McGraw-Hill Companies. Inc in the USA.

The book has 7 chapters and can be used as a hand out to course members.

Peter and Geoff wrote the book to go with redundancy workshops.

The two day workshop described below is highly participative. Trainers can clearly design their own programme so the ideas below are only suggestions. Trainers can expand or contract the time suggested for each section.

Suggestions

Session One (2 hours)

Feelings and emotions Chapter One

When people have been made redundant or are under the threat of redundancy they nearly always spend the first hour complaining about their situation and/or the company making them redundant.

Accept this situation and use it as part of the workshop –they can learn a lot from these feelings. Split the group into groups of two or three. Ask them jointly to write down words or phrases about how they feel. They are encouraged to be as open and honest as possible. Needless to say a lot of negative feelings will emerge but also tell them to add some positive feelings as well – if they have any. A new life and new opportunities and so on. This exercise should be about 30 minutes.

One person from each group feeds back. Point out that their feelings are normal. Bring in the three directions of frustration: 1. Problem solving behaviour. 2 Aggression directed at others (the company for example), 3. Aggression directed at themselves

 Discuss some of the words or phrases that might emerge and even include such feelings as Relief, Excitement and Stress.

Make a short input about stress. Ask them what they can do with their negative feelings – direct them into problem solving behaviour.

 

 

Session Two (1 hour)

Financial issues end of Ch 1

The next thing on the minds of the participants are worries about money. Describe what is meant by financial issues. As individuals get them to roughly fill in the budgeting questionnaire (or it is something they can do in the evening). Realistically how long, on average, will it take them to find their next job? If the job was advertised this week then the interviews or selection process will take two or three weeks. The quickest they can find a job is about a month.

 

Session Three. (3 hours)

Marketing yourself Ch 3

This is best covered before the CV/resume’ chapter, which is Chapter 2 because ideas emerge from this session that can be included in the CV/Resume’.

You may need to expand the time you spend during this session as it covers Social Networking internet sites and this is becoming more important in the modern world.

Small group exercise identify their work related strengths and weaknesses under the three main headings of 1. Professional and Technical, 2. System and procedural and 3. Intra-personal and Team. Tell them to start with their strengths, write them down as bullet points, tell them to brag and be arrogant as long as they list their strengths. Tell them to discuss their strengths with their colleagues (again groups of two or three) -30-45mins

It is these strengths that are going on the CV/Resume’, this is their “sales document”, they are selling themselves and their skills.

They also have to consider weaknesses as this will help them decide which jobs not to go for – but refer them to the two types of weakness discussed in the book.

Feedback and discussion total time about 1.5 hours

Small group exercise about the opportunities and threats confronting them – income flexibility, geographical flexibility and occupational flexibility. This exercise takes about 30 mins.

You can bring in psychometric tests here if you have some available. Belbin Team Role Inventory or Myers Briggs or Strengths Inventory. Results that support the information in the CV/Resume’ can be included in the CV/Resume’.

Describe the 4 types of efficiency and effectiveness 1. Maintenance and 2.Crisis Prevention (efficiency) and 3. Continuous Improvement 4. Management of Change (effectiveness)

Small group exercise, brain storm the ways they have been efficient and effective.

Session four (1 hour plus)

The CV/Resume’ Chapter 2

Describe the layout of the modern CV/Resume’. Page one has to have instant impact. The top of the page should be name and contact details but the rest of the page should be abilities, strengths and achievements –quantified if possible. The next pages are made up of the previous jobs and previous companies they have worked for. Also indicate why they moved on –promoted, head hunted, more money, more job interest etc.

In small groups (two or three) get them to bullet point their strengths/abilities to fit on one page. This is very first draft but it gets them to realise how talented they are and what experience they have had. Remind them that page one of the CV/resume’ is a sales document they are telling a prospective employer what they are going to get if they decide to employ this person.

Depending on the time available they can do this in small groups and develop a final copy back home.

 

DAY TWO

Session four continued. 1 hour

The CV/Resume’ ch2

Last evening and last night they may well have added to their strengths and relevant experiences. They can exchange the first page of bullet points with the person sitting next to them. How does it come across, what changes might be added? Are they being too modest, are there opportunities to quantify some of their achievements? The CV/Resume’ is the route to getting an interview so it is very important and worth spending time on. Generally speaking they feel good about their CV/Resume’ and they become optimistic. This exercise should be very participative. Dynamic sounding words are important. “I lead a dynamic innovative team” sounds better than “I managed XYZ team”.

Session five (I hour 15mins)

Job search techniques CH 4

Split them into small groups to explore all the job search techniques they can think of about 30 mins with 45 mins feedback. It is about 45 mins because you the trainer will have a checklist from CH 4 and they might have missed some out – the book might have missed some out as well, the internet for example is rapidly changing.

 

Session six about (45 mins- 1hr)

Applying for advertised posts Ch 5

You can expand and contract this session depending on the time you have.

Give them an example of a covering letter. In small groups they can design their own covering letter –bullet points only. They can then look at a prospecting letter approach – again bullet points. Small group exercise 30 mins with 15 mins feedback.

Discussion about application forms and give them some tips – read it all through before they fill it in.

 

Session seven (2-3 hours)

The selection interview CH 6

Input about motivation – employers are looking for motivated people so what is motivated person? Use Frederick Herzberg’s two factor theory. Some hints about what to do in the interview – body language, answering questions etc. (You can use the sister book “Body Language for Management” by Geoff Ribbens and Dr Richard Thompson. Another “Teach Yourself” book 2012 published by Hodder & Stoughton in the UK.)

Trainers input: point out that in an interview they will be asked about their Technical/Professional competencies and their Intra-personal and Team competencies. Suggest that they answer the technical and professional questions in such a way as to include their intra-personal and team competencies. The book also mentions how to deal with an interviewer who is not a highly skilled interviewer.

Presenting themselves, hints and discussion, discuss some typical interview questions and the best way to answer them. General discussion.

Exercise. Trial interviews each one takes between 30 and 45 mins

Small group exercise in teams of three. All participants have page one of their CV/Resume’ complete in bullet point form, however rough. Person A prepares to interview person B based on Bs CV/Resume’ Person C acts as an observer. Person A prepares 3 to 5 key questions. 20 minute interview and 10 mins (roughly) feedback from C as well as A about the interviewees performance.

Person B interviews person C, as above, with person A acting as an observer – feedback about Cs performance as an interviewee.

Person C then interviews person A with person B acting as an observer and giving feedback.

 

This exercise can take a whole afternoon with preparation included. It is very participative.

 

Session eight (30 mins)

Ch 7 setting up their own business

Some closing hints with regards to setting up their own business. This is optional as it depends on the nature of the group. If there are several employees taking this route it is probably best to run a separate half or full day about running your own business.

 

geoff.ribbens@business-enlightenment.com