CASE STUDY 1: Career Counseling – Switching Careers Without Starting All Over
Our Client’s Problem
Our client had a college degree in politics but landed a job in education right out of school and followed that career path for two decades. In addition to teaching, she published a book on reading and writing theory. Despite this success, she felt ever more limited by her career path and wanted to move beyond education.
She had not needed to look for a job in years and didn’t know how to seek a new job successfully. She also lacked information and insight about her career options. Despite her substantial skills, she wasn’t sure how to pivot her career and leverage her experience and abilities in a new way.
She came to us in February, expecting to finish the school year in June, and tasked us with helping her start a new job in July.
Our Approach
After an intake interview, we administered a suite of career assessments and interpreted them with the client. She felt much more confident about her transferable skills, including leadership and project management, after seeing how her experience translated into objectively measured assessments.
By establishing this foundation, we were able to work together to define her career goals. We designed a competitive resume, a LinkedIn bio, and a career transition planning sheet that we used together to track progress towards specific goals for maximum efficiency.
Results That Matter
After eight weeks, our client landed a job as a Program Manager for a regional non-profit and seamlessly transitioned from one job to the next. There was no period of uncertainty, no flailing at the end of the school year, just a clean switchover to her new career, putting her leadership and management skills to better use.
CASE STUDY 2: Outplacement
Our Client’s Problem
This client was a network technology company forced to restructure in response to the pandemic. As a part of the restructuring, several dozen employees needed to be laid off.
The client wanted to be generous in supporting the exiting team members and to ensure that their remaining employees didn’t feel panicked by the lay-offs. They realized they needed help to manage the outplacement process to assist those laid off land on their feet.
Our Approach
Every employee was provided introductory information about the outplacement to ensure they understood the benefit and how to access it. A personal coach was assigned to each employee. Within 24 hours, each employee was contacted by their career coach to schedule an intake meeting.
Each employee had different needs, so our coaches all customized their delivery based on an initial assessment and check-ins during each call. One displaced employee was so distraught that they first needed help processing the change itself before even considering working on the job search. Others were ready to start the application process right away. We met beneficiaries where they were and provided the coaching and consulting they needed at the moment, sometimes addressing new goals in every session. For some, we even introduced the thought that this might be a time for a career change.
Our customized process included needs assessments, counseling and coaching, resume writing, job search planning, networking strategies, interview preparation, and negotiation tips.
Results That Matter
Of the 30 displaced employees, 16 landed new jobs within 10 weeks. Two embarked on new career paths. One chose to retire. The remaining 11 were all employed within 5 months, despite the challenges of the pandemic. We received feedback from all parties involved that our services were critical in reducing tension among all employees and effectively supporting those leaving the company.
CASE STUDY 3: Energizing the Team & Prioritizing Team Diversity
Before Coaching
Our clients were the owners of a medium size medical clinic that were having great success growing their patients and practice and yet struggling to hire enough employees to serve their growing customer base, especially because employees were regularly leaving the company.
To make things more challenging, they had a new, larger office ready to go that would accommodate and require more staff. Rather than trying to hire endlessly, our client recognized they needed to invest in team spirit and workplace culture with guidance from professionals. Their big goals were to improve communication, strengthen teamwork, and prevent excessive attrition.
Our Approach
We started out by announcing the project to the company’s staff, encouraging confidence and transparency in communication. Next, we administered the widely used Everything DiSC Assessment to the staff and the administrators, allowing us to get a great understanding of the different strengths, communication styles, and personalities at the company.
Two weeks later, we facilitated a 2-hour team building workshop at the client’s office. We debriefed after the workshop with a series of clear ideas for the next steps the client should take to continue facilitating teamwork and team member satisfaction.
Results
As it turns out, the workshop we ran was the first time many of the employees had conversations not directly related to their daily work routine. This basic human connection is really important for teams to care about each other and work well together. Laying this foundation allows employees to feel more invested in the work they’re doing and in their teammates’ success.
The employees learned about themselves and explored how others are motivated differently and respond better to different communication styles. Participants were able to practice and test customized strategies resulting in better team strategy and a great win for the company!
The owners left with ideas to continue team bonding, ideas for career pathways, and information that would guide hiring practices to meet goals of balance and diversity.
CASE STUDY 4: Getting Away From a Toxic Boss
Our Client’s Problem
Our client was a high-performing business development director who loved his work and cared deeply about the company’s people, culture, and professional development in addition to “doing a great job.”
His boss, however, did not advocate for him and was not professional, nor was her management style aligned with his ethics. The client started to feel really beaten down because he was not respected and appreciated.
He had already moved his family and did not want to relocate but was willing to travel extensively or to work remotely in order to work with a company more in line with his values. The client had several priorities to consider, including confidentiality, maintaining upward mobility, and stability for his family.
Our Approach
We helped our client really drill down on what was most important to him, and we made a list of “Must Haves” for his next role that better reflected his needs, personality, and values.
Together we explored the different options in the context of a small local geographical market and his willingness to work remotely to augment his search. We delivered a new, highly customized resume with several versions tailored to different types of opportunities. We also put together an interactive job planning worksheet to help the client prioritize, network, track and share applications throughout the process.
We guided our client every step of the way and used our network, and were on call for any question that arose. With our support, the client was able to follow a methodical approach, maintain resilience, and achieve his desired results. This meant about 2 coaching calls a month during the search.
Results That Matter
After 6 months of preparation and implementation, the client received three separate offers for good jobs he actually wanted within just a few weeks!
The job he accepted was primarily remote, with their corporate offices just 3 hours away and so within easy driving distance. The new role was even a step up from Director to Vice President for a thriving national non-profit organization. This fulfilled his need for meaningful work and career advancement without relocating his family.
Once placed with the new employer, our client was given additional responsibilities and a raise within the first 90 days, which shows just how important it is to be working with an employer aligned with your values, as it maximizes effectiveness as well as joy.