Advisor, Fair Chance Hiring

To become an Advisor, Fair Chance Hiring at the Center for Employment Opportunities, you should possess at least 5 years of relevant experience in fair chance hiring, HR, and diversity, equity, and inclusion (DE&I). A solid understanding of fair chance hiring principles throughout the talent lifecycle—including recruiting, interviewing, screening, hiring, and retaining diverse talent with conviction records—is essential. It’s also beneficial to have knowledge of legal aspects such as the Fair Credit Reporting Act and Fair Chance Ordinances. Strong communication skills and experience in program management will help you excel in this role.

The Advisor, Fair Chance Hiring at the Center for Employment Opportunities is responsible for providing tailored advisory services to employers to optimize their hiring strategies for talent with past convictions. This includes evaluating existing employment practices, developing customized solutions, conducting stakeholder interviews, and creating executive-ready reports with actionable recommendations. The Advisor will also facilitate presentations to engage stakeholders and build strong pipelines of employer partnerships, ultimately driving the adoption of fair chance hiring practices.

As an Advisor, Fair Chance Hiring, your role will be pivotal in driving systemic change by offering evidence-based recommendations to employers about fair chance hiring. By analyzing their recruitment and hiring practices and providing innovative solutions to incorporate, you’ll help organizations break down barriers to employment for justice-involved individuals. Through continuous engagement, tracking impact metrics, and adapting solutions based on feedback, you will ensure sustainable changes in how employers view and support their hiring processes.

The Center for Employment Opportunities seeks to create greater opportunities for individuals impacted by the justice system, promoting racial equity and economic mobility. Through fair chance hiring initiatives led by the Advisor, the organization aims to change the landscape of employment for people with past convictions, ensuring they have access to meaningful careers. By empowering employers to rethink their hiring practices, the Center hopes to reduce stigma, improve workforce diversity, and create lasting social change.

The Center for Employment Opportunities strongly encourages individuals with lived experience of incarceration or involvement in the justice system to apply for the Advisor, Fair Chance Hiring position. The organization values diverse perspectives and believes that those who have navigated these challenges can provide invaluable insights that enhance the effectiveness of fair chance hiring strategies. Everyone, regardless of race, gender identity, sexual orientation, or other characteristics, is encouraged to apply as part of CEO's commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion.

Fair chance hiring is vital as it promotes inclusivity and equity in the workplace. When discussing its importance, emphasize how it not only helps justice-impacted individuals gain meaningful employment but also enhances the overall talent pool for employers. Share statistics on performance and retention rates of employees from diverse backgrounds to support your points.

When answering this question, focus on specific strategies you've implemented in past roles, such as conducting assessments of hiring practices, providing advisory services to employers, and tracking the success of implemented strategies. Include what metrics you used to measure success and any challenges faced along the way.

It’s essential to approach this by highlighting your ability to communicate effectively and build rapport. Explain that you would present data and case studies showing the business benefits of inclusive hiring, engaging stakeholders in discussions to address concerns and mitigate risks. Use practical examples from your past experiences to illustrate effective strategies.

Discuss the variety of materials you’ve created, such as executive reports that outline hiring evaluations, strategies for improvement, and success metrics. Emphasize tailoring your presentations to the audience and making recommendations that align with executive interests, showcasing your ability to transform complex data into actionable insights.

Make sure to reference your familiarity with impact tracking measures, such as retention rates, improvements in diversity metrics, or employee feedback from justice-involved individuals. Discuss your process for evaluating the implementation of fair chance hiring strategies and your approach to adjusting them based on measurable outcomes.

Recall a specific partnership where you were instrumental in fostering relationships between your organization and an employer. Describe the process you undertook, including challenges faced and how you helped align interests to create a successful collaboration. Emphasize the positive outcomes of this partnership in terms of hiring practices and community impact.

Detail any creative programs or initiatives you've developed to facilitate fair chance hiring, such as training workshops for hiring managers or pilot programs that customized recruitment processes. Discuss how these innovations overcame specific barriers and what feedback you received from stakeholders and participants.

Emphasize your commitment to continuous learning, detailing the various resources you explore, such as HR equity journals, attending industry conferences, and participating in networking groups. Share how incorporating new knowledge has influenced your approach to fair chance hiring.

It's important to discuss systemic barriers like stigma and lack of understanding in organizations about justice-involved candidates. Share your viewpoint on how education, advocacy, and data can help combat these obstacles and create opportunities for fair chance hiring.

Express your alignment with the mission of the Center for Employment Opportunities. Share your passion for social justice and economic mobility, along with your belief in the potential of individuals who have faced barriers due to past convictions. Highlight how your values align with those of the organization.