Five Tips to Strengthen Employer Relationships and Get More Justice-Impacted Job Seekers Hired

As employers across the country struggle to fill open positions and find employees who are the right fit for their organizations, many are recognizing the benefits of giving a fair chance to justice-impacted job seekers. According to Public Insight, the mention of fair chance jobs in Indeed postings has increased by 29% from the beginning of 2023 to March 2024.

Being intentional and having a clear strategy is critical for organizations supporting justice-impacted job seekers as they work to take advantage of increased support for fair chance hiring and strengthen their employer relationships.  During a recent webinar in NRWC’s Thought Leadership Series, NRWC asked experts from Cara Collective, Jobs for the Future, and Husch Blackwell about strategies they have seen work. Below are five tips to strengthen employer relationships and get more justice-impacted job seekers hired:

1. Work to understand the employer’s needs. A successful fair chance hiring relationship takes time to develop. When a community-based organization is building a relationship with an employer partner, it’s important to understand what their priorities are. The following questions can guide that process:

• • What talent struggles is the employer is looking to address, e.g., turnover, low reliability?
  • What are the main qualities/skills the employer is looking for in an employee?
  • To what extent is the employer ready to do fair chance hiring

2. Meet the employer where they are. Being a fair chance employer does not mean the same thing for everyone. Often it is a process that an employer is still working through.  When getting a sense of what fair chance hiring means for an employer, ask questions to better understand:

• • Do they consider themselves a fair chance employer? 
  • How does the employer interpret fair chance hiring? 
  • How has that guided their current policies and practices?

3. Equip your champions. Champions (advocates for fair chance hiring) within an organization drive progress but must be supported. It is important that the champions you are working with can equip those in their company with the knowledge and talking points needed to advance fair chance policies.

4. Grow a team of champions. Building a network of champions throughout an organization helps sustain continuity and momentum for fair chance hiring. Having multiple champions within an organization mitigates turnover risks.

5. Check in Regularly. Communicate regularly with your employer partners to ensure their expectations are being met, small issues don’t escalate to large issues, and you are proactively addressing any challenges.

TLS WEBINAR 14 SESSION TAKEAWAY Optimizing Fair Chance Employer Relationships