From researchers that produce medical breakthroughs to teachers that support vital education initiatives, grants pay for a lot of important work Americans benefit from every day. Unfortunately, most grants have an end date—and when that date comes, people working on these grant-funded projects often have to look for new jobs.
That’s what happened to Baby Djojonegoro.
“I’m an epidemiologist, so I study all the factors that are connected with diseases—causes, risk factors, and all that,” Baby said. “I was at a major research university for about 12 years. Then, the grant that had been supporting me ended in September 2019.”
At that time, Baby turned to Intoo’s outplacement solution—a career transition service she’d been given by her former employer as part of her severance package. Soon afterwards, Baby was matched with Intoo career coach Natalie. The two started regular phone sessions to quickly get Baby’s job search underway.
“I really liked having Natalie as a coach because she was very calming,” Baby said. “Her coaching not only offered resources, but also helped to make sure that my anxiety wasn’t off the charts.”
Baby found Natalie very accessible. “At first, when we were working on my resume, we met once a week or even more often than that,” Baby said. “After the resume was finished, we met every other week. But usually, each phone session was preceded by email, and in between, we corresponded via email too. I found that helpful.”
The combination of online tools and the individual career coaching is what Baby found especially effective in her job search.
“Usually, when you’re by yourself, you don’t have access to things like video interview practice,” Baby said. “It’s useful to have that, first of all to serve as a reminder of the things that you can do, and also to help you get better. I had resources at my disposal I could consult—for example, different types of sample resumes and cover letters. And the pep talks with Natalie were helpful, because, honestly, the job search process can get lonely.”
Natalie coached Baby through her entire job search journey—including her job interviews.
“I had an interview scheduled, which was really a series of interviews with different people. That was a new experience for me, and I kind of panicked. And, of course, I also happened to be recovering from the flu at the time. So, I emailed Natalie saying I really would like a coaching session soon, and she was there for me. I appreciate that Natalie was able to find time for me when I was freaking out a little bit. She calmed me down and made me realize this was actually a good thing.”
Baby found the virtual coaching process met her needs perfectly.
“The emails and phone calls—that was a good combo,” Baby said. “I’m most comfortable with that kind of contact. Email is very convenient because you can respond to it as you have the time. And then the phone call, of course, is useful for a coaching session, to have that human interaction. I didn’t feel so alone, and I had that structure. I had someone I could consult or refer to when I need reminders or when I needed more help. “
Four months after her layoff, Baby accepted a new exciting job as the monitoring and evaluation program manager for San Francisco Health Plan. She was excited to start this new step in her career—and has no hard feelings about her layoff.
“I still think the university is a very good employer,” Baby said. “It was just one of those things where things just didn’t work out. And I think it’s very useful, when that happens, to have outplacement, that support, because looking for a new job alone is just hard. Having Natalie as a coach to help me was really great.”
By offering personalized, comprehensive, and convenient career transition services, Intoo’s outplacement solution helps companies retain positive relationships with departing employees and protect employer brand during a layoff or workforce change. Request a demo today and learn how we can support your workforce’s unique needs.
