Your client experiences a sudden career setback. How can you provide them with effective support?

Organize periodic self-reflection sessionsHR can schedule periodic self-reflection sessions, for example every six months. In these sessions, employees are encouraged to reflect on their achievements, challenges, and development plans.

I was personally fired and I knew at the time that I was out of alignment in my career. I have worked with many people who have also been fired, and they acknowledge deep down that they were out of alignment too. Having a setback hurts our egos, and it isn't fun to experience. However, some time reflecting on why it might have happened can be powerful. Often it's life's way of making you move so you find something else that is more suitable for you. Life is always happening for you, not to you.

I'd first "balance the playing field" for him or her mentally, showing him/her what they have achieved first. Then I link success to failure showing him/her that its part of the process and the game and that it's those that actually continue through the "valley of despair" that see gains on the other side.

When one has setbacks (which don't necessarily need to be negative in nature), they need to be very well assessed, mainly to understand that setbacks are pointing the appropriate way from a professional perspective. Once the client goes through this process interpersonally, better quality goals arise. Goals that are in alignment with their professional and personal priorities.

When you have a career setback it's actually the perfect time to reassess goals. Were you even on the path that you truly wanted? Often in our careers, we end up choosing a path we think we "should" choose, but not one that really lights us up. We also change throughout our lives. Perhaps the career you chose at the age of 20, may not be the one that lights you up at the age of 50. Our life circumstances change, and our careers need to reflect and support those changes if we want to be happy and fulfilled.

Monitoring and Evaluation: Actively monitor progress and conduct periodic evaluations to assess the effectiveness of the plan and make adjustments where necessary.

Training and Development Programs: HR can design training programs that suit the needs of employees and the company to improve technical and interpersonal skills.

One of the items that the candidate needs to stress in networking, is to make it genuine, non-transactional, and "industrious" or business-acumen-based conversations, meaning that the conversations they engage in have value for the audience. When networking for a job, is always advisable to instead of asking for favors, to really genuinely get to understand the culture of the company and see if there's a fit or not, being also open for that to be the case.

Utilize Professional Social Media: Encourage employees to be active on platforms like LinkedIn to make connections with professionals in their industry.

Build open communication: Instilling an attitude of openness will provide space for employees to express problems and find solutions together. HR can facilitate sharing sessions between employees or invite external consultants for an objective perspective.