Is Lee Hecht Harrison Outplacement Worth It? An Honest Review

Being laid off is challenging on its own, and working with a company to provide the right outplacement support can make a meaningful difference in helping your outgoing employees transition smoother. In this article, we look at LHH - Lee Hecht Harrison's Outplacement services.

LHH has operated in the outplacement industry since 1967, serves clients in 60 countries, and works with 60% of Fortune 500 companies. That is an impressive track record backed by decades of experience in career transition services.

This guide provides a clear look at what LHH offers, how its pricing works, and how it compares to leading alternatives, so you can make an informed decision before committing.

What Is Lee Hecht Harrison (LHH) Outplacement?

Lee Hecht Harrison, now simply known as LHH, is a global career transition and outplacement firm that has been around since 1967. It rebranded to LHH in 2020 and is today a wholly owned subsidiary of The Adecco Group, the world's second largest HR solutions provider.

Headquartered in Woodcliff Lake, New Jersey, LHH operates across 60+ countries with over 12,000 professionals globally. The company reports that it serves around 500,000 candidates annually.

What LHH Offers

LHH's outplacement services are built around three core areas:

• Career Coaching and Transition Support: One-on-one sessions with certified career advisors to help displaced employees navigate job searches, career pivots, or retirement planning
• Personal Branding and Resume Development: Professional help with resume writing, LinkedIn optimization, and building an online presence
• Job Search Resources and Learning: Access to their Career Resource Network portal, which includes LinkedIn Learning courses, General Assembly training, networking events, and job matching tools

LHH Outplacement Pros and Cons

After analyzing LHH's services and verified user feedback, here is what stands out on both sides.

Pros

• Global Reach: LHH operates in 60+ countries with coaches available 7 days a week, including evenings. It is a strong fit for multinational companies managing layoffs across regions.
• Resume and Branding Support: Verified reviews on Gartner Peer Insights specifically call out LHH's resume writing and LinkedIn optimization as the most valuable parts of their packages.
• Learning Platform Access: Candidates get access to LinkedIn Learning and General Assembly, which is useful for anyone looking to upskill or change direction.
• Dedicated Account Management: Corporate clients get assigned Global Customer Success Managers who handle implementation and reporting, reducing the administrative load on HR teams.
• ICF-Certified Coaches: LHH claims the largest bench of ICF-certified coaches in the industry, which sets a professional baseline for their coaching quality.
• Suitable for large enterprise organization: LHH is best suited when it comes to handling outplacement cohorts of 1,000+ employees and handling mass layoffs as opposed to smaller size outplacements.

Cons

• Variable Coaching Experience: As with any large-scale coaching organization, individual experiences can vary depending on coach assignment and compatibility.
• Higher-tier Pricing: Packages range from $2,400 to over $32,000 per employee (depending on timeframes), positioning LHH at the highest end of the outplacement market.
• Technology Platform: The job board aggregates listings from Indeed and LinkedIn rather than offering exclusive opportunities. Some users note the platform could benefit from modernization.
• Standardized Approach: LHH's programs follow established frameworks, which work well for many candidates but may feel less personalized for those seeking highly customized guidance.
• Onboarding Timeline: For large corporate implementations, the registration and initial setup process can take several weeks, depending on package complexity and volume.
• Fixed-timeline: LHH provides 3-6-9-12 month fixed-timeline programs. They provide ongoing support until the timeline expires.

LHH Outplacement Customer Reviews and Online Positioning

LHH's reputation varies depending on the review source and audience.

Corporate buyers on Gartner Peer Insights give LHH a 3.7 out of 5 rating, and their client roster includes 60% of Fortune 500 companies.

On Trustpilot, where individual candidates typically share their experiences, LHH holds a 1.6 out of 5 rating based on approximately 80 reviews.

While this represents a relatively small sample size compared to LHH's 500,000 annual candidates, it does suggest mixed experiences among individual users.

What This Means for Prospective Companies

If your organization is considering LHH as part of a severance package, it can be a suitable option, especially for large enterprise organizations. However, it may not be as personalized for smaller outplacement cohorts of 1-100 employee cohorts. We recommend you to do additional research on several potential Outplacement services providers to see which aligns the best for your company's goals.  

How Much Does Lee Hecht Harrison Outplacement Cost?

LHH uses a tiered pricing model based on employee level and program duration.

Job Search Essentials - $2,400 - $3,000

Starting at $2,400 for non-exempt and hourly employees. Typically runs for 3 or 6 months and includes web-based program access, resume guidance, daily job leads, networking connections, LinkedIn Learning courses, and assessment tools.

Professional Outplacement - $5,200 - $10,000

Starting at $5,200 for mid-level professionals and managers. Runs 3 to 6 to 9 months and includes a dedicated career coach, resume and LinkedIn support, access to the CRN portal, General Assembly and LinkedIn Learning, and networking events.

Signature 1:1 Coaching - $11,310 - $32,205

Starting at $11,310 for senior executives and C-suite professionals. Runs 3-12 months or until placement and includes executive coaching, a comprehensive branding package, priority access to LHH's recruitment network, and advanced career assessments.

The LHH Outplacement Process

LHH uses a structured 5-6 step process for both employers (implementing outplacement programs) and employees (receiving services). Here's what the journey looks like:

Step 1: Registration and Initial Contact (Week 1)

Candidates are notified about LHH outplacement benefits from their companies and will receive instructions to register on LHH's platform. Based on user reviews, candidates may expect a 1-4 week delay before their first contact. LHH will send a confirmation email and schedule an introductory briefing call with the candidate.

Step 2: Introductory Briefing Call (Week 1-2)

The candidate's first session is typically a 45-minute call where a coach explains LHH's services, the CRN portal, and what resources are available in their package. This session counts against their allotted coaching hours.

Step 3: Career Coach Assignment and Goal Setting (Week 2-3)

LHH matches the candidate with a dedicated career coach based on their industry, role level, and career goals. They will have an initial goal-setting session to identify:

• Job search objectives
• Target roles and industries
• Timeline expectations
• Skills gaps or development needs

Step 4: Branding and Resume Development (Week 2-4)

Candidates will work with LHH's branding specialists to develop:

• An ATS-optimized resume
• LinkedIn profile optimization
• Personal branding strategy
• Online presence enhancement

This is consistently rated as one of LHH's stronger offerings across reviews.

Step 5: Access to Learning and Job Search Resources (Ongoing)

Through the CRN portal, candidates will gain access to:

• LinkedIn Learning (16,000+ courses)
• General Assembly training programs
• Career assessment tools
• Job leads (aggregated from Indeed, LinkedIn, and other public job boards)
• Networking events and webinars
• Interview preparation resources

Step 6: Active Job Search and Coaching (Until Placement or Package Expiration)

Candidates can enjoy ongoing coaching sessions (frequency depends on your package, typically bi-weekly for professional-level, weekly for executive). Coaches are supposed to:

• Review job search progress
• Provide interview preparation
• Offer networking guidance
• Connect you to LHH's recruitment network

LHH Outplacement Team: Who's Behind the Services?

LHH positions its team size and global reach as a key differentiator in the outplacement space. There are:

• 12,000+ professionals globally across coaching, consulting, recruiting, and administration
• 4,000+ coaches, which LHH claims is the largest coaching bench in the industry
• ICF-certified coaches across the network, reflecting a professional coaching standard
• Available in 60+ countries, 7 days a week, including evenings

Coach Backgrounds

LHH does not publish individual coach profiles publicly. Based on their marketing materials, coaches come from a range of industries, including finance, technology, healthcare, and consulting. LHH markets their coaches as having decades of experience in career transition and talent development.

The company also employs dedicated resume and LinkedIn specialists separate from career coaches, a distinction that is consistently mentioned positively in available feedback.

US-Based vs. Global Coaches

For US-based clients, LHH typically assigns coaches with local market knowledge. For international placements, the global network allows for coaches familiar with regional job markets, visa considerations, work authorization, and multilingual support where needed.

WeAreCareer: Best Lee Hecht Harrison Outplacement Alternative

If your organization is weighing options beyond LHH, WeAreCareer is a strong option to consider that provides Outplacement solutions.

WeAreCareer takes a different approach to providing world-class Outplacement services. Rather than assigning candidates to a coach from a large, variable pool, the focus is on specialized guidance matched to their industry and career level. Here is what sets us apart:

• Outcome-Focused: The methodology is built around current hiring market realities, not generic advice that applies to everyone and no one at the same time. WeAreCareer supports employees and provides on-going in-app support until placement, not limited to timeframes.
• Aligned Incentives: WeAreCareer takes a balanced approach in ensuring organization have clear reporting, analytics, and a smooth onboarding process while also making sure candidates get 1-1 personalized support, high quality Resume & LinkedIn optimization, and ongoing guidance + lifetime access to WeAreCareer software, courses, and resources.
• Accessible Pricing: WeAreCareer has only 3 pricing tiers, broken down by career levels and it is a one-time per employee fixed fee with support until placement as our core guarantee. 
• Verified Results: WeAreCareer features website case studies with major organizations as well as interviews and documented outcomes from candidates who found success through our coaching and guidance. 

Whether your organization is looking for Outplacement services for a handful of outgoing employees or a mid-large size of 50-200+ employees, WeAreCareer can handle both types.

WeAreCareer Pricing

• Bronze: $2,500 (Analyst, Associate, Engineer)
  • This package includes 3x 1-1 coaching sessions, 3x additional check in sessions, full done-for-candidate Resume, CL, and LinkedIn optimization + lifetime access to our software, courses, and career resources. This is built specifically for junior-level candidates.
    
    
• Silver: $3,900 (Manager, Team lead, Senior IC)
  • This package includes 3x 1-1 coaching sessions, 6x additional check in sessions, full done-for-candidate Resume, CL, and LinkedIn optimization + lifetime access to our software, courses, and career resources. This is built specifically for mid-level candidates.
    
    
• Gold: $5,500 (HoD, Director, VP, SVP)
  • This package includes 3x 1-1 coaching sessions, 9x additional check in sessions, full done-for-candidate Resume, CL, and LinkedIn optimization + lifetime access to our software, courses, and career resources. This is built specifically for senior-level candidates.

WeAreCareer Case Studies

At WeAreCareer, we've worked with 150+ global organizations, from small startups to enterprise organizations. See our outplacement case studies here. 

Bottom Line: Is LHH Outplacement Worth It?

LHH is a capable service with a long track record, but the experience can vary significantly depending on the coaches assigned and the cohort sizes. It seems to be a fit for very large enterprises handling mass layoffs with 1,000+ size cohorts. 

Their pricing also ranges from $2,400 for 3 months for junior level professionals all the way $32,000 for senior-level professional for 12 months - making the outplacement prices at the highest end tier in the market.

LHH makes the most sense for HR leaders managing large-scale layoffs, organizations with multinational outplacement needs, or professionals who are entirely new to modern job searching. If your company is looking for smaller size cohorts, more modernized outplacement, with ongoing support for candidates until they land their next role, then WeAreCareer is the strongest option. 

Get started with WeAreCareer today and find the right outplacement solutions for your organization!