In today’s fast-paced business environment, traditional outplacement services often fall short in meeting the real needs of employees during transitions. Rather than focusing solely on managing exits, forward-thinking organizations are adopting proactive reemployment support—a strategy that offers more meaningful assistance to departing employees and creates lasting benefits for the organization.

Personalized Coaching: Empowering Growth in Times of Change

What distinguishes proactive coaching is the personalized guidance it provides throughout the job search journey. This approach helps individuals build the emotional resilience needed to manage the challenges of job loss, ensuring they feel supported through every step of the transition. Beyond emotional support, it also equips employees with market-relevant skills and practical strategies, increasing their employability in today’s dynamic job landscape.

More importantly, proactive coaching fosters confidence and clarity, transforming what could have been a difficult, stressful period into an opportunity for personal and professional growth. With the right tools and support, employees are empowered to approach their next chapter with purpose and optimism.

A Partnership Committed to Success

As a valued customer of NextJob, we want to assure you that we prioritize the needs of each job seeker we work with, delivering personalized support to help them achieve the best possible outcomes. Our proactive coaching model ensures that every individual receives tailored guidance and encouragement at each stage of their job search journey. From building resilience to mastering job market strategies, we stand beside them every step of the way, empowering them to succeed in their next career move.

The Organizational Advantage of Proactive Outplacement

A proactive approach to outplacement isn’t just beneficial for employees—it’s a strategic advantage for businesses. By investing in this level of support, your organization:

• Boosts morale: Demonstrates care for departing employees, fostering goodwill and maintaining positive relationships during transitions.
• Strengthens your employer brand: Showcases your commitment to employee well-being, making your organization more appealing to future talent.
• Minimizes risks: Reduces the chance of legal or reputational issues that can arise from layoffs.
• Builds loyalty and trust: Positions your organization as one that values people, even in times of change.

A Win-Win for People and Business

By prioritizing individualized coaching and proactive support, your organization sends a powerful message: employees matter—whether they are staying or moving on. This investment ensures that departing staff have the tools to succeed in their next roles, while your company strengthens its position as a compassionate, forward-looking employer.

In the long run, proactive outplacement isn’t just a temporary solution—it’s a strategy that reinforces your organization’s resilience, reputation, and ability to attract top talent. In times of transition, being proactive makes all the difference, turning challenges into opportunities for growth—for your employees and your business.

Do you have questions? For further discussion on this topic, please don't hesitate to reach out or schedule some time with us! Let's continue working together towards a more resilient and thriving future.

Do you know someone who’s stuck as one of the four million long-term unemployed Americans? A family member, a recent graduate, a neighbor, a friend? With long-term unemployment at 42.1% and Labor Force Participation at only 61.6%, most of us know someone. But what can we do?

At NextJob we’ve coached many people struggling to get back in the job market and we’ve learned some important lessons as the Great Recession produced record numbers of long-term unemployed.

What We’ve Learned

First, it appears that getting stuck can happen to just about anyone, regardless of work experience or education.  Job loss is ranked as one of life’s top stressors, alongside divorce and death of a loved one.  It can be hard to recover quickly and can lead to a downward spiral.

Second, reemployment rates drop the longer someone is out of work.  Employers begin to have more questions about employment gaps and job seekers tend to lose their confidence, sapping motivation and the proactive approach that an effective job search demands.

Last, most people can get back to work, but they often need someone in their corner, someone they can trust and talk with weekly about how it’s going.  This accountability factor is critical:  It’s why the job search industry has long agreed that job clubs - regular meetings of job seekers to discuss progress - are one of the most fruitful activities.

Schools, Government & Employers

More than anything, though, we’ve learned that the best strategy is preventing long spells of unemployment through preparation.  Job seekers rate their job search skills at a D+ - not failing, but definitely depressing.  And a sampling of newly-graduated college students rated themselves at an F+ (though the plus seems moot once you’re in the F range).  As a society, we need to be more focused on teaching job search skills in high school and college.  Government benefit programs can also promote proactivity with smarter work search requirements.  And as employers, we can leverage next generation outplacement that can now more than pay for itself in saved unemployment taxes alone.

Three Ways Friends Can Help

Friends and family can also make a big difference using three strategies:

1. Encouragement - Set a time to meet weekly and be a good listener and encourager. Help your friend think through their natural talents, the positive parts of their background and the paid or unpaid accomplishments they’ve had in the past and make sure they have those highlighted in their resume and can speak effectively about them. If they’re depressed, consider discussing professional help.

2. Accountability - Ask your friend what their weekly goals are, and, once they’ve set them, help them stick to the plan each week. Help celebrate every win they have – a new target employer, an updated resume, a network connection, an interview, etc.

3. Connections - Half of all hires are made through a hiring manager’s network. You or someone you know may be the network connection or the encouragement they need: a) to target companies—regardless of whether they have currently posted positions—and b) to start using Facebook, LinkedIn or old fashioned networking to find others who can help get them connected. Proactivity in a job search can increase the likelihood of landing a job by over 60%. If we all work together – schools, government, employers and friends – imagine how many of our unemployed neighbors we can help land on their feet again and reap the benefits and the dignity of a new job.

Free NextJob Services

To support your efforts, for a limited time, we are offering your family and friends access to our online job search training system for free.  They can simply go to www.nextjobtraining.com and use the access code “NextJobCovid19” to access resources that will help them set goals, create a resume that gets noticed, target employers, prepare to interview well and much more. As part of our close network this gift is free from NextJob for your family and friends.

For more insights, visit us at  www.nextjob.com.

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Haventree Bank, a Canadian mortgage originator is working to change out mortgages work. "Our goal is to become Canada's alternative mortgage lender of choice." (Source: Haventree Bank). And how are they doing it? "We truly believe our current and future success is based on one factor – our people."

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The Canadian Mortgage Professional recognized Haventree Bank as best in class for Canadian Mortgage products.

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Haventree Bank: Thank you to our Mortgage Broker Community for recognizing our #NextJob Program in the ⭐5-Star Mortgage Products for 2021⭐
Visit 💻 https://lnkd.in/et6Kp2Nu to learn more about our program.

At NextJob, we invented a new idea: that banks can help delinquent borrowers land jobs for a win-win. When homeowners are delinquent on their mortgage payments, it's often due to unemployment or underemployment. And that unemployment may have become long-term unemployment. Many unemployed individuals have found that the longer they are unemployed, the harder it is to find a new job.  

"While there is never a good time to be out of work, you have a definite advantage because you have a mortgage with Haventree Bank. That means you have something no other mortgage lender offers; financial professionals who genuinely care about you, your family and your home. . . .The NextJob program helps eligible homeowners who may be struggling with their mortgage payments due to unexpected job loss." (Source: Haventree Bank)

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For more information on Haventree bank, please visit https://www.haventreebank.com

For more information on NextJob, please visit https://www.nextjob.com

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To stay up-to-date on the newest job postings and follow up on job applications, you don't have to sit at your computer all day. Using a smart phone in your job search allows you to keep your job search current and active while you’re on the go.

Here are three ways to use your phone in your job search:

Learn new job search techniques on NextJobtraining.com –  Log into your account right from your phone and learn how to approach employers while you're waiting in line at the grocery, brainstorm your resume keywords while you're on the treadmill or write your 60-second elevator pitch while you're in the elevator. Your phone isn't just for collecting friends any more.  If you don't have access, send us a note for a free access code.

Expand connections on LinkedIn Jobs – Install the LinkedIn Jobs app on your phone to search for open positions, apply for jobs, learn more about the company and see if you have any connections in your network that can introduce you to the employer. Be sure to update your profile and preferences in LinkedIn, because the mobile site will also recommend jobs based on your profile and past search criteria.

Apply for jobs on Indeed Job Search – The Indeed Job Search app on your phone will let you quickly search for jobs based on your industry, job title and location so you are the first to know about new job postings. You can also attach your resume to your account so you can apply for jobs through the app and set up email alerts to let you know when matching new job has been posted.

To find more simple tools and time-saving tricks to stay active in your job search, log in to your NextJob account.

P.S. Job search sites report that 50-70% of job search traffic now comes from mobile devices. Don't get left behind. Stay ahead of your competition by frequently checking for new job postings and be prepared to respond on the go. Log in to your NextJob account to learn more.

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Changing jobs can be one of the more stressful events in life, and combined with the COVID-19 outbreak, your stress level may be high. This is a time to take extra care of yourself. Everyone has different strategies.  We have a few suggestions below that may help you.  

While you may feel like putting your job search on hold, it’s important that you don’t. Many industries are hiring right now and it’s best to be prepared.

To manage your stress and build resilience, try these tips from the experts:

• Exercise - Go for a walk or take time to exercise. Experts recommend at least 2.5 hours each week of moderate physical activity which releases “endorphins” that naturally make you feel better, feel less stressed and can help you sleep. Remember to check with your doctor before starting any new exercise program.
• Practice relaxation techniques - Try deep breathing, meditation or stretching. These can help activate what’s called your “parasympathetic” nervous system which relaxes your body and calms your mind.
• Get enough sleep - Sleep re-energizes the body's cells, clears waste from the brain and supports learning and memory. Are you getting enough sleep?
• Focus on the positive - Take a break from negative news and instead think about what you’re thankful for. According to research, this can reduce the stress hormone cortisol by 23% and improve your energy and mood and lower cortisol levels.
• Stick to a routine - Create a daily routine which may include getting up at the same time daily, eating healthy meals, spending regular time on your job search, getting the right exercise and getting good sleep.

Hop over to NextJob Training and log in to your account to learn more.

(If you need access let us know!)

The COVID-19 outbreak has been . . . . challenging.  As a part of NextJob'sCareer Development work, we’d like to do what we can to help. We asked two of our experts to put together a 20-min webinar, now a recording that you can watch any time, on best practices for managing stress as well as staying productive and connected while working remotely. ‍

The video is designed for managers and employees and summarizes evidence-based research as well as trending best practices.Leading the webinar are two of our subject matter experts:

• Joan Runnheim Olson, Brain Success Coach and NextJob Career Coach - Joan has 22 years of experience coaching and leverages brain science with her coaching clients to address subjects such as managing stress. She has a certificate in Applied Neuroscience and Brain Health from The Neuroscience Academy.
• Dixie Bullock, NextJob Coach Team Manager - Dixie brings a decade of experience as a virtual coach as well as her deep experience managing and optimizing the productivity and culture of a fully virtual team across seven states.

You can watch the full video (20 minutes) here:

[vimeo 403884086 w=640 h=360]

Or if you aren't working remotely and would still like to help your team manage stress, check out the shorter (9 minutes) version:[vimeo 403773032 w=425 h=250]

Or listen to the podcast version here.

The jobs landscape has changed significantly since January.  At the end of 2019 some states reported unemployment rates lower than 3.5%.   The BLS has seemingly unlimited resources on this topic.  During this time unemployment was so low that there were more jobs than there were people to fill them.  It was a job seekers' market -- job seekers frequently had multiple offers in front of them and they got to choose which position to take.  Prior to these (ultra) low unemployment rates hiring managers frequently had large pools of applicants.  This wasn't the case.  That is until businesses and schools started temporarily closing due to COVID-19.

As the virus became a pandemic, the layoffs began.  Many of those vacant positions, that didn't have enough viable candidates, disappeared.  Some of those jobs are now remote.  Employers that could shift to a remote workplace have.  But according to the US Census as of December 2019, only about 5% of employees work remotely.

There are two issues here.

1. We have a vastly non-remote workforce who do not have the skillset required to work from their couch and still operate effectively.
2. Many jobs are now advertised as remote, and with the growing pool of laid off job seekers, it becomes incredibly difficult to stand out in a crowd of otherwise fantastic candidates.  What used to be a local job may now be nationwide with remote work as a possibility.

A solution to bridging remote worker ability gap, and ensuring that you shine among the many other applicants?

‍Job coaches.  Check out our Coaching flyer.‍

Job coaches help build strategies to find employment.  Job coaches understand the intricacies of the job market.  Many job postings, as many as 60% are referred to as hidden.  They either aren't posted publicly, or aren't posted in places where the average job seeker can view them.  Coaches help develop the abilities to: apply for jobs, build effective resumes,  answer tough interview questions, stand out in a crowded field and ultimately be the best worker.

A job coach is your personal resource while you’re looking for your next job. NextJob coaches are job search experts who are also certified in coaching. They specialize in encouraging, motivating and acting as a sounding board for your thoughts and ideas while helping you develop your resume and prepare for interviews. NextJob coaches work at your pace and schedule to create the support that works best for your goals.NextJob coaches can help you develop strategies for applying remotely, interviewing remotely, and then working remotely.

“I was in a pool of over 300 applicants and was able to make it through all the interviews and finally got the job. I believe my job coach was hugely responsible for that."
- Everett, A no-longer job seeker who used NextJob.

“It's like having a personal tutor that helps bring out the best in me and realizes I have a lot to offer in the work force.”

- Kathy, A no-longer job seeker who used NextJob.

Losing your job is tough.  It's even tougher when you have a mortgage and you have no savings or other support system.  You may even risk losing your house.  With Haventree Bank, things are different:

According to The Globe and Mail* (Link Below), it doesn't have to be that way.

"Haventree has launched a first-of-its-kind program in Canada called NextJob. Essentially, it is designed to help people who have lost their job find new work.

"Why would a bank pay for a borrower's job seeker program?

• This program creates positive word of mouth, good reviews, and referral business.
• Customers helped by a business tend to stick around. “The average tenure of that customer increases when they go through NextJob,” Wilfred Pande, vice-president of mortgage servicing at Haventree That generates higher mortgage-renewal revenue.
• It’s also a good way for Haventree to keep expenses down. “It helps us [economically] by having the customer stay in their homes.” That’s because of the many administrative costs of taking someone’s home, some of which are not recoverable.
• There can be other financial benefits for a lender. A mortgage forbearance agreement, in which a lender agrees not to foreclose if the borrower meets the lender’s terms, could mean that the mortgage doesn’t show up in the lender’s bad loan statistics.
• Plus, it's the right thing to do!

Homeowner reemployment helps banks retain customers, build new relationships, and ultimately keep people in their homes.

How does it work?  Coaching, software, and webinars.

A Personal Trainer for Your Career

A job coach is like a personal trainer for your career. Your coach calls will help you:

• Craft and fine tune a resume, 30 sec. commercial, social media profile, etc.
• Choose a career direction to best tap their talents and background
• Stay focused, accomplish goals and interview with confidence

All You Need to Know in One Spot, Online

Tools and exercises to help be prepared, including a resume builderIt takes a lot.   Job boards, social media sites, resumes . . . Our system gives you:

• Today’s networking tricks to tap the 50% of jobs that are “hidden”
• Guidance to the top job boards and how to use them

Downloadable Weekly Expert Webinars

Each week tune in to our JobTalk webinars for a deep dive in a key topic:

• Hear experts discuss best practices and leading trends you need to know
• Participate in group learning, share and hear from others
• Download recordings to listen to on demand

*https://www.theglobeandmail.com/investing/personal-finance/household-finances/article-haventree-bank-launches-nextjob-program-for-homeowners-who-have-lost/

Interviews can be stressful – but if you prepare well, they can be enjoyable. And when you prepare thoroughly for an interview, you'll show the hiring manager that you'll go the extra mile if you're hired for the job.

Use these three tips to make the best impression at your next job interview:

‍Research the employer – Learn why the company may be a good fit for you before the interview. Use the employer's website and internet searches to learn about the company, its history, locations, products and services. Look for recent company press releases and news articles.‍

Research your interviewer – Interviewers are more likely to hire someone who has something in common with them. Learn everything you can about the interviewer including their background, interests and mutual connections you may have. Use the power of LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter and other networks to ask people in your network if they have any connections to the interviewer.

‍Practice your opening and close – People tend to remember the beginning and the end of a conversation. Practice what you’ll say at the start and end of your interview – in the mirror, with a friend or with a job coach – so those parts will go smoothly.

Employers make half of their hires through their network. The top networking site is LinkedIn, with over 400 million users. It allows job seekers and employers to quickly research each other and find common network connections who can speak in depth about a job seeker’s character - something a resume can’t do.  Fortunately, most of LinkedIn’s key features are free.

Follow these important steps on LinkedIn to open the door to jobs already in your network.

Optimize your profile – To get, on average, 21 times more profile views, detail your experience with keywords, skills and accomplishments that highlight your capabilities; write a sharp, short headline to reflect your brand and upload a professional-looking photo.

‍Activate your current network– Upload your email or other contact list to quickly expand your network with friends who are already on LinkedIn.

‍Find jobs and target employers– Search for openings in your area in the “Jobs” feature and find connections who can give you a warm introduction or go directly to the company LinkedIn profile and enter the target employer’s name in the search bar.‍

Following up with hiring managers– Stay connected on LinkedIn once you have had an interview or contacted someone to network for a job. Consider inviting the hiring manager to connect and/or comment on one of their LinkedIn postings. It will show your interest and keep your name in front of them without being annoying.