outplacement

With the epic number of layoffs over the past year and a tough job market, many unemployed executives are faced with the challenge of reinventing themselves. TMI Executive Resources (http://www.TMIer.com), a firm providing outplacement and career consulting services to thousands of clients around the globe, share their insight on potential career changing pitfalls.

In an article in the Harvard Business Review, “Beware the Pitfalls of Global Marketing,” the author began this way: “Shortcomings in a campaign, like over-standardization and poor follow-up, can fell a good product.” These shortcomings, which in many cases also handicap the job campaign, are thoroughly addressed by TMI Executive Resources.

The company’s team of expert consultants outlines the top five pitfalls that handicap the job campaign:

1. Insufficient Research. Formal research is not alien to marketing decision making, yet many a job search program has been kicked off without the benefit of a reality test. Job seekers need to determine answers to a number of key questions such as: How viable are my options? Which are most appropriate? Short-cutting this early step is likely to be costly sooner or later in one’s career.

2. Rigid Implementation. When a job search is burdened with too many conventional methods, inventiveness is lost. Objectivity, innovation and an individualized program consisting of a strong communications strategy (writing, personal presentation, negotiating) is necessary to stay updated and responsive to changing market conditions.

3. Poor Follow-up. Impressive meetings and splashy presentations to company heads are important “attention-getters” at the start of a campaign. But the momentum will be lost if these are not followed up by concrete steps to monitor progress, debate issues and solve problems as they occur. These post-launch activities can determine whether or not your efforts will be productive.

4. Narrow Vision. Narrow vision is a serious problem. In most cases only a single (non-objective) perspective is presented during the launch and beyond. Without a forum for debating issues and alternatives, and for developing solutions, decisions will be narrow and insular. This will inevitably hamper your marketing process. A key contributor to the problem is a job searcher’s insistence on a home-brewed recipe for self-positioning and self-marketing in an already crowded and competitive job market.

5. Over-Standardization. A standardized, off-the-shelf marketing approach taken to a job search can be dramatically limiting due to the current economic environment. Since the job market is dynamic and changing, flexibility should be built into your program’s implementation. Absence of flexibility becomes an obstacle to competitive advantage.

“TMI Executive Resources has developed an approach to help people avoid these pitfalls and find the right career opportunities at the right income. As career management experts we can bring great knowledge, convenience and speed to most people’s efforts,” explained Rick Story, Executive Vice President.

About TMI

TMI Executive Resources is a worldwide organization that provides professional career consulting and career management services as well as entrepreneurship consulting to executives. Founded in 1986, TMI has provided services to over 4,000 clients around the world and has grown to six locations on the East Coast. TMI headquarters is located at 20 William Street, Suite 100 in Wellesley, MA. The company has offices in Boston and Springfield, MA; Hartford, New Haven and Stamford, CT and Washington DC. For more information, contact 877-864-3932 or visit their website at TMIer.com.

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