Special Challenges in Career Management

Book excerpt: As the practice of outplacement counseling continues to evolve, outplacement professionals are increasingly called upon to respond effectively to a rapidly changing set of counseling and business developments. One of the major trends is that the skills and expertise of outplacement practitioners are of value to individuals still employed within corporate organizations as well as to those who have already lost their jobs. Practitioners are designing programs and delivering services in the areas of executive coaching, organization development, internal career management, and more. Another trend is that career management professionals are challenged to provide effective services to an increasingly diverse group of candidates to ensure that they are maintaining the highest professional standards in their service delivery. And more attention is being given to innovative applications of technology to career management services. As a result of these evolving trends, the need has never been greater for career management professionals to think clearly about the services they deliver, to enhance their own professional development on an ongoing basis, and to respond effectively to changes in the labor market. One of the best ways to accomplish this growth is to fully tap the knowledge and experience of authorities in the field. The contributors to this volume are established industry leaders with demonstrated expertise in their areas of special interest. This volume is a valuable resource to all those interested in the fields of outplacement and career management-- especially current and "would-be" practitioners. Its contents will benefit candidates receiving career management services and human resources professionals whose organizations provide such services. It is also of interest to those from a variety of academic backgrounds including counseling psychology, organization development, and industrial/organizational psychology. For all of these audiences, this volume assembles practical, state-of-the-art information about important career development topics from a broad range of distinguished practitioners.