The company
Von Rohr & Associates SA is an independent outplacement company founded in 1993 by Eva von Rohr.
What is Outplacement? Outplacement is a service first developed in the USA in the 70’s, for private corporations and public organizations to accompany professionals, executives and managers in their career transition.
How does Von Rohr & Associates accompany individuals in career Transition? Von Rohr & Associates provides tailor made services, across sectors and functions to enable individuals to identify the potential of their profiles, to define a clear career objective and next professional move. It does not necessarily have to be as an employee, but can also be for setting up their own businesses, developing new skills or to completely change career orientation.
Some selected dates
1993 / Eva Von Rohr sets up Von Rohr & Associates and was a founding member of European Career Partners (ECP), an international partnership of companies active in career transition.
1999 / Von Rohr’s first website; first outplacement company to develop and own an on-line career portal dedicated to individuals in transition, including a market intelligence platform with on-line information, links to specialized websites and a networking tool.
2000 / Von Rohr & Associates is a founding member of Arbora, a global network of leading providers of outplacement and career management services, present in 29 countries around the world.
2001 / Opens an office in Lausanne
2010 / Eva von Rohr becomes President of Arbora Global Career Partners. The company’s capital is opened to the team and since then, has welcomed 3 new Partners.
The Vision/Mission
A career transition can be turned into a new professional opportunity. Von Rohr’s willingness to add value to Outplacement and professional mobility has driven the development of a structured tailor-made and flexible approach.
The individual is at the core of their model. They place their expertise and tools as well as their knowledge of the market at the service of professionals, managers and executives in transition.
Their mission is to partner with individuals and companies as they experience and evolve through the different cycles of a professional career from recruitment, through promotion and evolution to reorganization and redundancy.
Portrait of Danielle Bernath, Deputy Director, Partner, Senior Consultant
Fabienne Verrey-Kalaidjian: You joined Von Rohr in 1998. In February 2011, you decided to become a partner. What motivated this choice?
Danielle Bernath: Two things motivated this choice. First of all I had been working for Von Rohr & Associates for a long time and especially with Eva. Actually, I have lived through and been involved in numerous changes, innovations, and the evolution and growth of the company. I have held several functions, from Information Officer, to my role today, and I really feel part of this company. The second reason is that I took this as a unique opportunity, as it is rare that one can buy shares in your company, and since I’m quite at ease with everything we’ve accomplished so far, I felt privileged to become a partner.
FVK: How would you describe your function and in your opinion what are the qualities required to do this job?
DB: That’s a tricky, interesting question and typically one which I normally work on with my candidates in their preparation before an interview! To answer the first part of your question, what is my function? My job is a role with multiple tasks and responsibilities; one of the functions is to counsel and coach candidates in transition during face to face meetings. Another aspect is more client related as I manage some key accounts in different sectors, meeting with Human Resources Managers, making sure that we are aware and up to date with their needs, presenting our latest developments or innovations and of course explaining the different products we offer.
In addition to these responsibilities, I also manage the operational aspects of the programs and supervise the administration team. The operational side includes the newsletter we produce twice a year, part of the content on the website, the workshops, the logistics of events we organize and our infrastructure as well as a new product we have recently introduced, called Reflect®. Reflect is an on-line self-development coaching tool exclusive to Von Rohr & Associates in Switzerland. I am developing and presenting this new tool to clients with Anne-Laure Heritier and Eva von Rohr.
To respond to the second part of the question, what are the qualities required for this job? I would say various kinds of qualities. There are those which I would classify the technical ones, such as knowledge of the market – its trends – as well as a network, know-how in career transition in general – profile positioning, CVs, interviews, web 2.0 technologies, etc… Then there are the soft skills aspects, which are listening skills, empathy, emotional intelligence, a good capacity to analyze/synthesize and enthusiasm.
FVK: You work w
ith companies which are situated in Switzerland. What about the rest of Europe?
DB: All our partners within Arbora, representing 29 countries around the world, are independent leaders in their own markets. So, Von Rohr & Associates operates for Arbora under its own name in Switzerland, and for example in France our partner is called Nexmove; it is Pangloss International SA in Belgium; and in the United States, Lincolnshire International. All of them are led by an independent team, in line with their market and structured specificities, but with the same global drive for quality and innovative approach across the partnership.
To give you an example of how this partnership works, let’s say we are working with a multinational company based in Switzerland, and the Human Resources Manager expects support or services for example, in Russia or Spain for some employees. We will liaise with our Partner in these countries, who will then deliver the service. A smooth service for the HR Manager! Of course, it can also happen that our partners are already working with the same client as us. Another real added value of this partnership is the sharing of information and best practices amongst ourselves.
FVK: The current professional environment is totally insecure! How would you measure the impact on your business?
DB: You can see it from two different angles. On the business side, like in 2012 for instance, we followed more candidates than the previous year. This also means we have been more creative to help people really find their way in the market because if companies are hiring less, we cannot create these jobs. Networking is then one of the major elements that will make the difference. We always explain to candidates that the employment market is like an iceberg. 25% of the market is visible via recruiters, headhunters, websites, newspapers etc… while 75% is hidden. In a tough market like we have today, this 75% is even more vital, as this is almost the only way to find a job.
FVK: In 2012, which professions were most affected by the crisis?
DB: The closure of Merck Serono in 2012 had a huge impact on the Geneva job market while the sectors which have been mainly concerned by restructuring and reorganization are Pharmaceutical/Biotechnology and Finance. However, overall, all sectors have been affected though to differing degrees.
FVK: How long does it take on average for a candidate who has been made redundant to recover from this experience?
DB: That’s a difficult question as it is of course very personal, and linked to other factors than just the end of a professional relationship. I’m not sure that it can be really measured and calculated, but I would say that it can take one to two months to completely overcome this huge change in life. Some people are quite relieved to be made redundant because the atmosphere in the company was just a nightmare. So for them, it may be quicker, as they were expecting it, even if this sounds a bit paradoxical. There was an article in the magazine ‘Bilan’ called ‘j’aurais préféré être viré’ in October 2012 saying that for some people rather than staying on, they would prefer to be made redundant so they can eventually get a package, leave and do something else. It is never a pleasant moment, but once you are out, you have to do something else, take it constructively and reconsider your professional perspectives. Other people take much longer, depending on their profile, history, the reasons and circumstances of their departure.
FVK: What makes you wake-up every morning?
DB: My motivation is based on knowing I can bring added value to the candidates I am working with, whether it is a longer or shorter process and whether or not the candidate has ups and downs. At the end, I know the candidate has gained new insights, into himself, his/her career, his/her objectives and feels prepared and more active.
FVK: My last but not least question. There is a quote under each profile on the Von Rohr website, yours being “Nothing great was ever achieved without enthusiasm”, by Ralph Waldo Emerson.
DB: I chose this quote amongst others because I really think it is true. There is nothing that you cannot achieve just by being good humored, enthusiastic, and sharing it. It does not mean that you have to be happy every day or every minute of your life, but it is important that sometimes, at the end of the day or the week, you can say to yourself “WOW! Personally, I’m happy with what I have achieved today”. This quote fits my philosophy on life.
www.vonrohr.net
www.arboraglobal.com
Outplacement Genève et Vaud
