There is however a less traumatic way to part with employees, especially if you are letting go only one person. One could provide career advice, assistance with writing the CV and a motivational letter, as well as prepare him or her for an interview. This is known as outplacement, which some human resources consultancies have started offering in Bulgaria.

Outplacement helps a firm maintain its positive image even in times of austerity, when it is forced to cut down on personnel. This service can possibly prevent potential lawsuits filed by disenchanted former workers, but also foster confidence amongst the remaining workforce towards the company, as well as its clients and investors.
Consulting and orientation

Outplacement can be done as individual or group consultation, offering practical and psychological assistance. The first phase usually entails a group consultation for all those made redundant, receiving thorough information on how to register themselves in the employment office, where and how to seek alternative employment, how to prepare for an interview.

The second phase emphasises individual assistance with a career consultant or a psychologist. "All employees go through an interview where their strong and weak aspects are being identified and analysed, then a psychological profile is drafted based on the research. Then they can be given information as to which sector they ought to concentrate their efforts on, which is particularly useful for people who have not changed jobs over the previous five or six years," Irena Zhoteva, managing assistant in Hill International, said.

The exact assistance a worker will receive depends on the position within the organisation, and their ability to find a job on his own. "People subjected to outplacement could be from all positions – production workers, middle and even top management," Zhoteva said.

Ivailo Slavov, executive director at consulting firm Adecco, said that the service was not common for top managers, but middle-level management.

Some companies offer different courses depending of the level of qualification of the personnel made redundant. People with fewer qualifications are usually assisted in identifying their assets and potential for a new job; they may be assisted writing a CV and an appropriate motivational letter.

Highly-qualified workers receive a different package of assistance altogether – personalised evaluation of their capabilities, access to online programmes through which they can seek a wider range of employment and consultation for their future career development, among others.

Even highly-qualified personnel need assistance in formulating their CV and a motivational letter, according to Elena Todorova from TigerOnSite, most likely because often it has been some time since the last time these employees found themselves in such a situation or they need help focusing their approach.

Additionally, physiological discomfort plays an important role, so individual coaching is sometimes needed to assist a person to see the reality of unemployment as an opportunity for future career development.