Case Study: Queensboro Job Fair

One of the barriers to successful reentry is access to gainful employment. Providing a platform for employers and hiring managers to consider employing formerly incarcerated or justice-impacted individuals can increase employment opportunities for people with criminal records. The goal of the job fair was to highlight the importance of providing employment opportunities for people impacted by the criminal legal system and employers to consider an untapped pool of skilled workers.

78 incarcerated men participated in the job fair, with the purpose to connect qualified people to employers.
 

Leading up to the job fair, CJEI partnered with the Queens Public Library and the Fortune Society and held two professional development days. The purpose of the professional development series was to prepare the job seekers with employment rights education, interview tips, and soft skills on how to present themselves in front of an employer. The sessions also included resume assistance and mock interviews with the participants.

The New York State Department of Labor (DOL) recruited employers and collected available job opportunities within their respective businesses. Then DOL performed a job matching process of matching the participant to a job based upon the individual's skills and inherent motivational strengths. It required a thorough understanding of the job and the participant interested in the job. From the job matching, DOL created an interview schedule for the job fair.

This strategic model was used to create an efficient job fair and in the event a candidate was hired, it can lead to reduced turnover, increased organizational commitment, and increased employee satisfaction.

Queensboro Correctional Facility is classified as a minimum security correctional facility and is located in Long Island City in Queens County. This facility is used for the general confinement of males 18 years of age or older. Queensboro Correctional Facility is also classified as a Work Release facility, offering reentry services. The principal objectives of the Reentry Services Program are to provide incarcerated males having 120 days or less to serve with an opportunity to finalize their release plans, to work toward family and community reintegration, and to strive for an orderly transition back into society. In addition, incarcerated males in the program are prepared by representatives from organizations that assist with obtaining employment and housing in the communities that they will return to reside, prior to their release to Community Supervision. Hosting a job fair within the facility assists in the goal of creating opportunities for incarcerated people in a successful reintegration back into the community.

The job fair included one-on-one interviews between job seekers and employers that were open and willing to hire justice-impacted qualified candidates. Employers understand that increasing equity requires more than talk of inclusion, but concerted efforts to address the underlying structural sources of inequality. It is important to improve on the current office culture to ensure diversity and equal opportunity for all workers to advance their careers. Expanding the labor pool to include individuals with criminal records is becoming increasingly more attractive and necessary to meet these goals. In attending the job fair, employers were able to strengthen the hiring process and tap into a relatively uncharted talent pool with its particular benefits of reduced turnover, increased engagement, recently acquired skills, and options for tax credits.

From the anonymous feedback we received, below are the unedited responses from job fair participants and employers:

“Many good jobs, I left feeling hopeful” - Job Fair Participant

“This event was an excellent job fair for those returning back home in the near future. Thank you for all that's to come.” - Job Fair Participant

“Overall, this was a great event. It was a pleasure to meet the job seekers and provide them opportunities. I will definitely return.” - Employer

“Job seekers were prepared with resumes and spoke well as to what they were interested in.” - Employer

To read more about the job fair, visit the article here: ILR's Prison Job Fair.