Outplacement Firms Struggle to Do Job

When PepsiCo laid off administrative assistant Sonia Service in Feb 2008, she thought she'd have a leg up on her next job. Pepsi referred Ms. Service to an "outplacement" firm that specializes in helping laid-off employees get new work. Damian Birkel, a former outplacement counselor, teaches at Professionals in Transition, nonprofit self-help group he founded for the unemployed. 18 months later, Service says outplacement was a waste of time. She says the job-search training was rushed. During a practice lunch interview, a coach chided her for ordering cranberry juice, saying it can be interpreted as a sign of a urinary-tract infection, she recalls. Her r