Specialist caters for top managers' requirements

But the pecking order quickly reasserts itself, even in redundancy. It does so in the form of outplacement.

Many accounts clerks receive no outplacement at all. For middle-ranking people there is, well, middle-ranking outplacement. Then at the top of the scale, chief executives and other senior employees tend to demand, and get, outplacement of a very different kind, tailored to their particular needs.

Many of these high fliers, including some well-known names, have found themselves visiting the comfortably old-fashioned offices of Stork & May, in Old Burlington Street in London. If most people receive Ford Fiesta-style outplacement, Stork & May aims to provide the Rolls Royce variety.

The firm was set up six years ago by John Stork and Tony May, both former headhunters and also former chief executives in their own right. Stork's background includes marketing and advertising, May's consumer goods and engineering.

Stork says: 'We had always had the notion that nobody was doing outplacement properly for this level of person, so we thought it would be interesting to do it ourselves.'

Stork & May is small, with just five consultants, and most of its clients are senior managers accustomed to earning between 200,000 (€320,000) and 1m a year. They are typically in their 40s or early 50s.

Just in case the message of exclusivity fails to get through, the website states that the firm does not accept assignments at middle management levels.

It advises people from many business sectors but is focusing increasingly on financial services. In banking, it does not act for traders and salesmen, however well paid, unless they have moved into senior management.

Stork believes senior people need a service that is quite different from that provided for most redundant staff. For them to take outplacement seriously at all, it needs to be provided by someone who themselves has a background in senior management - something offered by all Stork & May consultants, but not by many advisers in most outplacement firms.

The number of openings suitable for senior people is also limited, so they must target their efforts more precisely. Research and contacts are crucial.

Stork & May says its research team is available for any kind of in-depth, tailor-made assignment, and that its many personal contacts across the headhunting world are invaluable.

Senior people also often wish to approach job opportunities anonymously, and the manner in which that is done needs careful thought.

Michael Fletcher, one of the consultants at Stork & May, says it is particularly crucial at the top level to tailor a CV the most appropriate way, highlighting strengths a senior manager might not think of stressing themselves.

Often, experience that a manager regards as a huge plus can be less impressive on examination.

Fletcher says: 'They frequently want to emphasise that they have experience of managing change, but almost every senior manager has done that. We help them pinpoint the things that are unique about them.'

Fletcher joined the firm in August from Futurestep, an executive recruiting arm of Korn/Ferry. He will focus particularly on financial services clients.

Another new recruit is Nick Aitchison, a former partner at Russell Reynolds. The other consultant at Stork & May is John Brookes, who joined the firm shortly after it was established. The five consultants are also the five partners.

Despite the recent arrival of Fletcher and Aitchison, Stork says the firm's growth has nothing to do with the slowing economy. Fletcher was a replacement for Fiona Harrison, who left last year to become chief executive of the store group Liberty.

Stork says: 'The market we deal in is very different from the typical outplacement firm. For example, we haven't noticed that it is any more difficult for people to get jobs just because of the economic situation.'

Stork & May's financial services clients come from varied backgrounds, with about 25% from corporate finance and a similar proportion from asset management. Many also come from private equity firms. Roughly one third return to full-time jobs that are similar to those they held before.

But as many as half instead take up a series of portfolio jobs, such as non-executive directorships. This is often out of choice, rather than lack of full-time opportunities, says Fletcher. They seek the variety that goes with a portfolio career, after a lifetime of working for just one company at a time.

They are also able to take risks as they tend to be financially comfortable - except for some who are divorced or still have children on their hands.

Fletcher says one of the biggest challenges for a consultant at this level is helping clients think creatively about their futures. He says: 'They may have quite conventional ideas about what they are equipped to do. We can show them how to think more widely. For example, they may be the right person to turn around an interesting company in Norway, and they would not have thought of that without some help.'

Stork says the most enjoyable aspect of his job is working with the people who cross the Stork & May threshold. 'They are interesting and intelligent individuals, otherwise they would not have got where they are. It is fascinating to help them plan their next step,' he says.

Outplacement may be partly smoke and mirrors. But at Stork & May, they are very superior smoke and mirrors.