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Polis Report

Olympink Slips By Richard Sine Where does "Fastest Person on Earth" fit on the résumé of a former Olympic athlete? Thanks to Drake Beam Morin, the first Official Outplacement Supplier in the history of the Olympic Games, athletes can now go for the gold without such worries cluttering their laser-keen minds. Already, DBM has set up a counseling center in Atlanta especially for those who will find themselves, after the last fading strain of the final national anthem, holding a pink slip instead of a promotional contract. According to John Miller of DBM's San Jose office, the company plans to set up 10 outplacement centers around the country for the 2,600 volunteers who did marketing, finance, security and everything else for the games. Miller also expects up to 1,000 of the athletes themselves to use job banks and get advice on résumés and job interviews. The athletes' workshops will feature former Olympic stars who know what it's like to step off the podium and into the abyss. Drake Beam Morin, the world's largest outplacer, has driven a roaring trade lately as companies such as Apple, Xerox and even Walt Disney have called them in to absorb the pain of their laid-off workers. They're helping the Olympics for nothing more than the "Official" label, and slapping it all over their advertising and letterhead. The presumption, one supposes, is that if they can provide a soft landing for a world-champion gymnast, they can do the same for a middle-aged accountant. [ Metro | Metroactive Central | Archives ]