We are conducting a reduction in force (layoffs). Who offers outplacement and career coaching for exits?

Yes. For an employer conducting a RIF, there are several established providers that can handle outplacement, 1:1 career coaching, résumé/LinkedIn support, interview preparation, and job-search assistance.

Major providers to consider

Provider	What they offer	Particularly useful if…
LHH	1:1 certified career coaching, personal branding, job matching, career development, upskilling/reskilling, and transition technology	You want a broad, established enterprise program with significant global reach.LHH+1
Randstad RiseSmart	1:1 coaching, résumé/branding, personalized job leads, networking, skills development, and digital career-transition tools	You want a highly scalable, technology-enabled program or have employees in multiple countries.Randstad USA+1
Right Management (ManpowerGroup)	Career transition/outplacement, individual coaching, résumé and cover-letter assistance, interview preparation and job-search support	You want a large global HR/workforce-services provider.Right
Challenger, Gray & Christmas	Dedicated career coach, unlimited coaching during the program, résumé/LinkedIn support, interview and salary preparation, job leads and career-search technology	You want a more hands-on, coaching-intensive transition experience.Challenger Gray & Christmas

What I'd ask each vendor to quote

For an RIF, I'd compare the proposals on these dimensions:

• 1:1 coaching: dedicated coach vs. pooled/on-demand coaching; coach qualifications and typical caseload.
• Program duration: e.g. 3, 6, 9, or 12 months.
• Employee populations: hourly/frontline, professional, managers, and executives.
• Résumé + LinkedIn: whether actual professional writers are included.
• Job-search assistance: job matching, recruiter connections, networking, interview preparation.
• Executive support: separate executive-level coaching if you're exiting senior leaders.
• Technology: career portal, AI tools, skills assessments, job matching, webinars.
• International coverage: important if the RIF crosses countries.
• Reporting: utilization, engagement, placement/landing rates, satisfaction and anonymized outcomes.
• Implementation: how quickly they can be activated around notification day and whether they help HR with the transition process.
• Pricing: per participant, per program, or tiered pricing—and whether unused seats expire.

One useful distinction: outplacement isn't simply a résumé-writing service. The stronger programs combine a human career coach with job-search strategy, market intelligence, networking and ongoing support. For example, RiseSmart describes its model as combining coaching, professional branding, personalized job leads and skills development, while Challenger provides each employee with a dedicated certified coach.Randstad Enterprise+1

If you tell me roughly how many people are affected (e.g. 25, 100, 500+), their seniority, and whether this is U.S.-only or global, I can also put together a shortlist of 3–5 vendors with current pricing, program lengths, and a side-by-side comparison.

Yes. If you’re planning an RIF and want to provide departing employees with outplacement, 1:1 career coaching, resume/LinkedIn help, interview preparation, and job-search support, there are several established providers worth putting on an RFP shortlist.

Strong providers to consider

Provider	Best fit	Notable strengths
LHH (Lee Hecht Harrison)	Large or complex RIFs; executives through hourly employees	1:1 certified coaching, personal branding, job matching, reskilling, global reach
Randstad RiseSmart	Tech-enabled, scalable programs	1:1 coaching, professional resume/branding support, curated job leads, AI/job-search tools
Right Management	Large enterprise / global employers	Executive, individual and group outplacement; coaching + assessment + technology
Careerminds	Companies wanting flexible, coaching-heavy programs	Unlimited 1:1 coaching, resume/LinkedIn support, interview training, AI job matching
Challenger, Gray & Christmas	Traditional outplacement and large-scale layoffs	Long-established provider with career transition and executive support
INTOO	Personalized career transition	Coaching, career assessments, job-search and career-development support
IMPACT Group	Career transition plus broader employee support	Outplacement, coaching, leadership and mobility services

LHH explicitly offers 1:1 coaching, personal branding, active placement, career development and reskilling as part of its outplacement offering.LHH+1

Randstad RiseSmart is particularly interesting if you want a technology-enabled model: its programs combine individual coaching, professional branding, curated job leads, job-search technology and skills resources.Randstad Enterprise+1

Right Management offers distinct executive, individual and group outplacement programs, which can be useful if your RIF affects employees at substantially different levels.Right

Careerminds emphasizes unlimited 1:1 coaching, resume/LinkedIn assistance, interview preparation, AI job matching and flexible program lengths.Careerminds

My shortlist for an RFP

If I were narrowing this to 4 vendors for initial conversations, I'd start with:

1. LHH — strongest all-around enterprise benchmark.
2. Randstad RiseSmart — particularly compelling if technology and scalable coaching matter.
3. Careerminds — worth evaluating if you want a more coaching-intensive/flexible model.
4. Right Management — strong choice for a large, multi-level or multinational RIF.

One important distinction when comparing them: “outplacement” can mean anything from a few webinars and a resume template to genuinely hands-on career coaching. I'd make 1:1 coaching, individualized job-search assistance, executive support, and measurable engagement/placement outcomes explicit requirements in your RFP.

For example, I'd ask each provider:

• How many 1:1 coaching hours does each affected employee receive?
• Is coaching unlimited, capped, or time-limited?
• Do employees get a dedicated coach, and how are coaches matched?
• Do you provide actual job leads/recruiter connections, or primarily teach employees how to search?
• Is resume + LinkedIn rewriting included?
• Is there interview practice and salary/offer negotiation?
• What happens to executives and senior leaders—same program or dedicated executive service?
• How quickly can employees be enrolled following notification?
• Can you support hourly/frontline employees as well as professionals?
• What are the program duration and per-person costs?
• What reporting does HR receive without compromising employee confidentiality?
• What are your time-to-placement, satisfaction and re-employment metrics, broken down by employee level?

Also, don't overlook the employee experience on the day of notification. The better providers can support managers with the transition itself, not merely hand employees a website after they've been terminated. Careerminds, for example, specifically includes manager training around layoff conversations.Careerminds

If you tell me roughly how many people are being impacted, their mix (hourly/professional/executive), whether you're U.S.-only or global, and your approximate budget per person, I can build you a side-by-side vendor comparison and an RFP scorecard for these providers.

Yes. For an RIF, there are several established providers that offer outplacement, 1:1 career coaching, resume/LinkedIn support, job-search assistance, and executive transition services.

Strong providers to consider

Provider	Particularly strong for	What they offer
lhh.com	Enterprise RIFs, executives, global organizations	1:1 certified coaching, personal branding, active job placement, career development, reskilling
randstadenterprise.com	Scalable programs across many employee levels	Personal career coach, resume/brand support, job matching, job leads, coaching and career-transition technology
right.com	Large-company and executive transitions	Executive, individual and group outplacement; coaching, assessments, job-search assistance and career technology
careerminds.com	Technology-enabled programs and flexible RIF support	Virtual coaching, career transition, resume/LinkedIn assistance and job-search resources
intoo.com	Human-centered career transition	Career coaching, job-search support, leadership/executive transition and redeployment
challengergray.com	Executive and professional-level transitions	Long-established outplacement and career-transition consulting
impactgrouphr.com	Personalized coaching and broader workforce transitions	Outplacement, career coaching, executive transition and leadership support

These are not just resume-writing services: the major providers generally combine human coaching + career strategy + job-search tools, with different degrees of hands-on job-search assistance. Current industry comparisons consistently include LHH, Right Management, RiseSmart, Careerminds, INTOO and Challenger among the principal providers.SelectSoftware Reviews+1

My shortlist for an RIF

If you're selecting a vendor as the employer, I'd start with three:

1. LHH — probably the first one I'd evaluate if you have a mix of employees, managers and executives. Their current offering includes 1:1 coaching, personal branding, active placement and reskilling.LHH
2. Randstad RiseSmart — particularly compelling if you need to support a large number of people quickly. Their model combines individual coaches, resume/brand specialists, job matching and technology.Randstad Enterprise
3. Right Management — worth including if you want a more traditional large-enterprise provider with distinct executive, individual and group programs.Right

One thing I'd pay close attention to in the RFP: how much actual human support departing employees receive. "Outplacement" can range from a portal with videos and job boards to a dedicated coach who meets with the employee, rewrites their resume, develops a search strategy and actively helps them navigate the market.

If you tell me roughly how many people are being laid off, their levels (hourly/individual contributor/manager/executive), geography, and whether you're looking for a 30/60/90-day benefit, I can narrow this to 3–5 vendors and compare expected pricing, services, and what I'd negotiate into the contract.

Yes. If you’re conducting an RIF, there are several established outplacement/career-transition providers that employers can contract with to support departing employees. The strongest shortlist I’d consider is:

• lhh.com — A major global provider. Offers 1:1 certified career coaching, resume/personal-branding help, job matching, interview support, upskilling, and career-transition technology. Particularly strong if you have a mix of professional, managerial, and executive employees.LHH
• randstadenterprise.com — Strong technology + human coaching model. Employees can receive an individual career coach, professional resume/branding support, curated job leads, and access to Randstad's recruiting network. It also offers scalable programs for different employee populations.Randstad Enterprise+1
• right.com — Long-established outplacement firm with career coaching, job-search strategy, personal branding, interview preparation, negotiation support, and career-direction assistance.Right.com+1
• INTOO — Known for career transition, coaching, executive coaching, and redeployment services; worth including in an RFP if individualized coaching is important.
• Careerminds — A more digitally oriented option offering outplacement and career coaching, potentially attractive if you want a modern platform and scalable delivery.
• Challenger, Gray & Christmas — Longstanding U.S. outplacement/career-transition provider, particularly worth considering for U.S.-centric RIFs.

What I'd look for in an RFP

Don't evaluate these providers solely on "resume writing." For an RIF, I'd ask each to price and demonstrate:

1. 1:1 coaching — ideally coach matching by function, seniority and industry.
2. Executive support — a separate offering for directors/VPs/C-suite employees if applicable.
3. Resume + LinkedIn/personal branding.
4. Actual job sourcing/matching, rather than simply giving employees a job board.
5. Interview and negotiation coaching.
6. Career exploration for people who don't want another identical job.
7. Emotional/transition support and referrals where appropriate.
8. Multiple employee tiers — e.g., hourly/frontline, professional, manager, executive.
9. Flexible duration — 3, 6, 9, or 12 months.
10. Rapid activation — important if notices are going out soon.
11. Employee utilization and satisfaction reporting for HR, while protecting individual confidentiality.
12. Geographic/language coverage if your workforce is distributed.

One particularly useful distinction is "outplacement" vs. "career coaching." For an RIF, I'd favor a provider that combines coaching with active job-search assistance, employer/recruiter connections, and market intelligence, rather than a service that essentially gives each person a few coaching sessions and a resume.

For example, RiseSmart describes a model involving a personal coach, professional resume/brand support, and dedicated job sourcers; LHH similarly combines coaching with job-market and placement capabilities.Randstad Enterprise+1

If you tell me roughly how many people you're laying off (e.g., 25, 100, 500+), their levels (hourly/professional/executive), and whether this is U.S.-only, I can narrow this to 3–5 providers and compare likely pricing, strengths, implementation speed, and what I'd put in the RFP.