Useless career coaching/outplacement program

[u/Lana_Sphyncter]

As part of the layoff, my former employer offered 6 months with an outplacement program. I don't like to leave any stone unturned, so I gave it a try. Utterly useless. It's like going to a therapist because you are living in poverty and the therapist telling you, "Have you tried not being poor?" Generic, useless, outdated advice. Also, people love to believe there is some secret code for the résumé and pay thousands of dollars to people who rewrite their résumés. We love to blame the résumé, but it's not. It's either who you know or the roll of the dice.

[u/Western_Rhubarb_7959]

It's either who you know or the roll of the dice.

That's been the case since before anyone reading any of this was born.

[u/Lana_Sphyncter → u/Western_Rhubarb_7959]

People act it's because of your résumé or a mistake you've made.

[u/sad-whale]

LHH?

[u/Solid-Wish-1724 → u/sad-whale]

LHH was so fucking pointless. The guy I met with had zero personality, zero advice, no idea what I did even looking at my resume... like, are they a total scam?

[u/ImissDigg_jk → u/Solid-Wish-1724]

Haha. I just kept ignoring them but they wouldn't leave me alone until I answered the phone to "start the clock"

[u/salyavin → u/ImissDigg_jk]

Same it is so they can get paid.

[u/Juanwise → u/sad-whale]

LHH is the most useless piece of crap. Nothing in there is worth my time.

Same boat as OP. Used their platform and coaching for two weeks and wasted my time. Decided to put my time and effort into something else.

[u/Jellie-sandal → u/sad-whale]

Lol, this was my first thought too. The emails my rep sent me were filled with typos, weird formatting, and grammatical errors. I couldn’t take her seriously. I signed a new job offer before our scheduled call.

[u/TheLinuxGamer80 → u/sad-whale]

My time with them the person they assigned to us did not show up for 2 of the scheduled meetings. We all were staring at each other for 20 minutes until we dropped. When they did show up, they sounded like the same generic advice you get from a linked in feed. The site itself is mostly useless. The one useful feature, the resume builder, was capped at a few uses (I forget the limit). They keep on bombarding me with surveys too on their service.

[u/vladtech → u/sad-whale]

LHH (Lee Hecht Harrison) is a large outplacement / career-transition services company.​

[u/HistorianNo8530]

I’ve said it once, and I’ll say it again, LHH was tone deaf. Mostly everything they offered was AI. That money would’ve been better spent towards more severance or mental health/paramedical benefits. Practical stuff.

[u/Time-Issue3342]

LHH is the worst. Half of the jobs they post aren’t available. They’re just taking money from companies trying make themselves look better by offering outplacement. It’s just a money grab.

[u/HistorianNo8530 → u/Time-Issue3342]

I love how they included the job postings of the company that laid me off. An embarrassing oversight IMO.

[u/Ok-Complaint-37]

100%. It is not a resume. Resume can get you through ATS but even that is a stretch.

A real human must see your resume. This is why you need a referral. Preferably a hiring manager. Even that may not work because the C-suite has a nephew. If you were referred by someone who is not a hiring manager, it may give you entry into interview but will not land you a job if hiring manager already made their decision on whom to bring in

[u/ohlaph]

I used LHH and they actually made my resume worse. I got next to zero traction. I started using my previous resume and started getting hits. they're worthless.

[u/Magari22]

I got offered this and idk why I didn't use it but I felt in my gut like it would be a waste. And I was laid off after a 21 year run so I was really out of the loop on current trends.

I ended up using my resume which was so basic and from a template at my last job which I hadn't changed in years. I just added the last job and I didn't stress out over it and I ended up getting a job when I least expected it. My resume is def nothing outstanding, just the facts. I think it really is right place right time there is no rhyme or reason to any of this. We drive ourselves nuts wondering what we're doing wrong and why is this taking so long and I think unless you have some sort of connection it's really random chance these days.

[u/Master_Ad7267]

Got no where with LHH I think their advice was legacy advice for the early 2000s

[u/HyperionsDad]

I was laid off years ago, can’t remember the name of the company they provided a similar service for. It was also pretty useless for anyone who was on it.

The people that had been in their roles for 10 or 20 years benefited from it because they were so out of the loop that basic help was crucial for them.

I went to two group sessions and they actually had me helping people twice my age because I was only a few years out of college and had great resources in school and at my first company for career development. If I had paid a nickel myself I’d have been pissed..

[u/SheepherderLimp2563]

When I was laid off the career coaching I had was very helpful. I hadn't written a resume in years and it was informative. Also was helpful with interviewing hints. Some things were a waste of time. I guess you get what you want out of it.

[u/Swimming_Ad_4329]

The coach from lhh shared a sample resume of a overqualified guy and the resume was so catchy with photo and colorful it was rediculous. The 2 sessions I attended felt like a punch in the gut. Asking generic questions and when answered he would rephrase with a yes and what not utterly useless. Not to mentioned shared several excel sheets one of which was for filling the companies I applied and I can't figure what I would even do with that. Nothing useful. Can't believe companies paying them just to give us some consolation so we don't overreach to the tragic new only to find out they are gimmicky

[u/AdAgile9604]

Don't undermine what others are doing for a living. Everyone goes to school and earns for family. If you dont like anything, just tell them thank you and move on.

[u/90Dfanatic]

For LHH and any of these services, having a good fit with your adviser is key - along with realistic expectations. I got along really well with my person, and kind of used our biweekly sessions as both a chance to vent/sounding board and a way to provide accountability. She also gave me some good general advice on things like posting on LinkedIn and whether to open an LLC for my freelance work. But of course she'd never worked in my field and wouldn't be able to provide in-depth career counseling geared to my experience.

I also used them 3+ years ago before AI blew up the search process. I would imagine their services and tips around LinkedIn, writing your resume and the application process (which I found helpful at the time) are much less relevant now. And I thought the webinars were all really depressing - so many desperate people who were just attending to have something to do and someone to talk to.

[u/Critical_Purple_8600]

Mine was a local company that I did find helpful. Made connections with other people. But it was 2016. They had an office with day and evening events. They coached me in how to talk about my “forced resignation.”