How do you fit 13 years of work into a tiny section of a resume? That’s what Elizabeth Ramirez wondered when she was laid off from her longtime marketing position at a multinational agricultural company.
“I’m not going to lie, I was a little scared,” Elizabeth said. “My resume was so dusty. It had not had any loving in a long time. And obviously, things had changed since my last interview. Back then, there was no LinkedIn!”
So, Elizabeth decided to get help from INTOO’s outplacement solution, the career transition service provided by her former employer as part of her severance package. Soon after she logged on to the virtual outplacement platform, she was connected with her personal career coach, Lisa. The two quickly got on a call.
“There was a true one-on-one connection,” Elizabeth said about her working relationship with Lisa. “And I truly felt she cared, that she really wanted me to get a job and was rooting for me. Her attitude was always so positive. She’d come prepared with ideas to help me, ways that I could network, or things like that. It was a real one-on-one coaching experience.”
One of the first things Elizabeth and Lisa worked on together was the resume revamp.
“Lisa was able to take my mind dump and turn it into a resume,” Elizabeth said. “I literally had pages and pages of big projects. Lisa helped me distill what would be transferable to another company, really hone it to the essence of my qualities and my experience, then make it flow. She was able to organize my experiences and highlight certain core competencies that I had, and gave me feedback on the best ways to customize my resume for the different jobs I was applying to. That really helped me.”
From there, Elizabeth and Lisa set up once-a-week phone meetings to keep the job search on track. The two often used the INTOO’s outplacement solution virtual platform to look at sample cover letters, take advantage of video interview practice, and get networking ideas. Lisa also coached Elizabeth on tailoring her cover letters and refining answers to interview questions.
“I would definitely recommend it 100%. Even if you’re somebody that maybe likes to change jobs often and feels like you’re well-versed, I think the application has a lot of great tools.”
Elizabeth Ramirez, INTOO outplacement solution candidate
“Lisa was someone that I could bounce ideas off of, someone with a certain subject matter expertise that I didn’t have, that could give me tips on just how to obviously make my resume and make my brand stand out,” Elizabeth said. “She kind of pushed me outside of my comfort zone to really make connections on LinkedIn and start to network, because I’d never done that before. I actually did connect with some individuals I hadn’t connected with in a long time and got some great advice.”
Just a month later, Elizabeth found herself fielding three tempting job offers.
“At that point, I asked Lisa, ‘Do you have tools to like help me decide how to pick?’ And she said, ‘Oh, we actually do!’”
In the end, Elizabeth chose a marketing position at SC Laboratories, a cannabis testing lab headquartered in Santa Cruz, Calif. “It’s a very hot industry right now, and it’s growing crazy. So as a marketer, it’s like an untapped resource. There’s so much to do, and it’s really, really exciting.”
According to Elizabeth, INTOO’s outplacement solution is an invaluable service, even for successful professionals who are go-getters used to doing things on their own.
“The layoff was just a part of business change…. The company’s including this outplacement service just reconfirmed that they care about their people. They care about your wellbeing, with them or without them.”
Elizabeth Ramirez, INTOO outplacement solution candidate
“It was a great experience. I would definitely recommend it 100%. Even if you’re somebody that maybe likes to change jobs often and feels like you’re well-versed, I think the application has a lot of great tools. It was a one stop shop. And just having a one-on-one coach, to have some feedback and bounce ideas off of—that was really beneficial to me.”
Although Elizabeth is happy to have started the next chapter of her career, she still looks back fondly on her time at her previous company, with no hard feelings about being laid off.
“It was such an amazing company, and they hold a very special place in my heart,” Elizabeth said. “The layoff was just a part of business change. Their needs changed. I got a very nice severance package because I’d been there for such a long time. The company’s including this outplacement service just reconfirmed that they care about their people. They care about your wellbeing, with them or without them. So I wasn’t really surprised that they offered as much resources as they did for the people that were affected by the layoffs. They’re still a company I would definitely recommend to anyone.”
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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. Experience our advanced outplacement program firsthand by requesting a demo, and learn how we can support your workforce’s unique needs.
