You have two outplacement quotes in front of you. One lists five coaching sessions. Another offers several months of support. Before comparing the numbers, ask the most important question: who will actually be coaching your employee, and what experience will they bring?
The quality and experience of the individual coach should be your first consideration when comparing outplacement quotes. Session numbers, resources and price all matter, but you also need to understand the expertise behind the guidance your employee will receive at a difficult point in their working life.
Here is a practical way to compare providers, starting with the person delivering the support.
1. Start with the quality of the coach
Ask to see the biography of the coach who would work with your employee. A provider’s reputation and description of its team are useful starting points, but look closely at the experience of the individual delivering the sessions.
Look for substantial experience relevant to career transition: time spent helping people make career decisions, appropriate professional qualifications, and practical knowledge of recruitment and how employers assess candidates. Different coaches bring different combinations of these strengths. The question is how that background equips them to help your employee.
A supportive manner matters, particularly after redundancy. Alongside that personal connection, look for the experience to assess career options realistically, identify transferable skills, strengthen applications and prepare someone for the questions employers are likely to ask.
Useful questions include:
- Who is likely to coach this employee, and can we read their biography?
- What relevant career counselling, coaching or recruitment experience do they bring?
- What qualifications and professional training support their work?
- Have they supported people facing similar career decisions or working at a similar level?
- How will you match the coach to the employee, and will they work together throughout the program?
At Let’s Talk Career, the experience of our coaches is central to the support we provide. Our team brings together backgrounds in career counselling and coaching, recruitment, human resources and leadership development. That experience connects career guidance with the practical realities of applying for roles and working within organisations.
Ask us about the coach who would work with your employee and the experience relevant to their needs. Make the same enquiry of every provider you are considering before deciding which quote offers the right support.
2. Compare actual coaching time
A session count is useful only if you know the session length and format. Ask how much one-to-one time is included, whether the employee works with a dedicated coach, and what happens between appointments.
Keep individual coaching, group workshops and self-directed resources on separate lines in your comparison. Each may be useful, but they are not interchangeable. Access to a resource library does not tell you how much personal coaching the employee will receive.
Compare the amount of personal coaching alongside the experience of the person delivering it. A lower cost per hour does not, on its own, tell you whether the guidance will meet your employee’s needs.
3. Separate the usage period from the amount of support
“Twelve months” can describe how long someone has to use their sessions. It does not necessarily mean twelve months of unlimited appointments.
Ask when the clock starts, when unused sessions expire and whether resource access has a different end date. Put the answers in writing before explaining the offer to your employee, so they know what support is available and when they can use it.
For Let’s Talk Career’s current outplacement packages, all coaching sessions must be completed within 12 months of the invoice date. That is the session usage period, not a promise of unlimited coaching.
4. Check what the employee can work on
People do not all need the same next step. One person may be ready to refine their resume and prepare for interviews. Another may first need to clarify the kind of work they want to pursue.
Ask how the coaching can respond to the individual rather than assuming that every package follows the same fixed sequence. Also clarify whether documents are written for the participant, developed together or reviewed by the coach. Similar-sounding inclusions can involve different levels of support.
Ask how the proposed coach’s experience relates to those needs, whether the employee is exploring a new direction or preparing for their next role.
5. Ask for the complete cost
Start with the price per person, the number of people and whether GST is included. Then check any additional charges, delivery requirements and terms that could affect the amount you approve.
Let’s Talk Career sessions are available online or by phone, with in-person meetings by agreement. If in-person appointments matter, confirm the location, availability and any associated cost rather than assuming they are included.
For a group, compare the total budget as well as the individual package. Do not assume a group minimum, discount or the same package for every participant. If only one person is leaving, say so at the start. An employer can purchase a Let’s Talk Career package for one departing employee.
6. Use the same comparison questions for every provider
For each quote, record:
- The proposed coach’s identity, biography, relevant experience and qualifications.
- How the coach is matched to the employee and whether they will work together throughout the program.
- Price per person, GST treatment and any additional charges.
- Number, length and format of coaching sessions.
- What resume, interview and career-planning support includes.
- Resource access and any separate expiry dates.
- When sessions can begin, subject to confirmed availability.
- Cancellation, rescheduling and unused-session terms.
- What information the employer receives and what remains confidential.
Write “to confirm” where an answer is missing. That makes the next conversation with the provider more useful than trying to interpret marketing language.
Choose the coach and support that fit your employee
Start with confidence in the person who will provide the guidance. Then compare the coaching time, inclusions, terms and total cost. A clear understanding of both the coach’s expertise and the package will help you choose support suited to your employee’s needs and your budget.
Review our current outplacement packages and inclusions, or contact us to discuss the right coach and support for your departing employee or team.
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