Employment Specialist

Center for•San Jose, CA

1d•Onsite

About The Position

The Center for Employment Opportunities (CEO) is seeking to hire an Employment Specialist for its local office. This role is crucial to CEO’s mission of helping individuals transitioning from incarceration regain the skills and confidence needed for a successful transition to stable and productive lives. Employment Specialists expand employment opportunities for participants by aligning participant interests, experiences, and ambitions with job placements and by identifying and cultivating potential employers. The role offers the reward of making successful matches between participants and employers, leading to participant longevity in the workforce and a reduction in recidivism. CEO strongly encourages individuals with lived experience of incarceration or involvement in the justice system to apply.

Requirements

Experience in workforce development, recruitment, or sales/account management, with a history of meeting performance goals.
Excellent interpersonal and written communication skills.
Ability to adjust to particular personalities and interaction styles on the spot.
Resilience and persistence in anticipating and addressing challenges.
Comfort working under pressure and meeting deadlines despite opposition or setbacks.
Ability to analyze data or market research to guide practice and decision-making.
Experience in the re-entry space is a plus.
Passion for making an impact in people's lives and guiding them to achieve career goals through a balance of accountability and empathy.
Enjoyment of networking and cultivating lasting relationships with people and businesses.

Nice To Haves

Lived experience of incarceration or involvement in the justice system.

Responsibilities

Envision, develop, and implement a strategic plan for placement services that ensures CEO meets its participant placement metrics.
Conduct reviews of existing CEO business partnerships regularly, evaluate employer demand and usage of CEO services, and determine improvements and ways to leverage relationships with employers.
Achieve weekly, monthly, quarterly and annual placement goals in accordance with CEO’s contractual obligations.
Research, conduct outreach to, and build relationships with prospective employers willing to hire CEO participants and who have hiring needs that match the skills, experience, and interests of our overall participant cohort.
Maintain relationships with existing employer partners.
Schedule and conduct daily prospecting, cold calls, and face-to-face meetings.
Serve as the liaison among employers, participants, and our criminal justice partners.
Produce 5 monthly placements.
Screen and match program participants with employment opportunities, taking into consideration each participant’s skills, work experience, interests, and goals and aspirations.
Customize participants’ resumes to fit identified opportunities.
Manage a caseload of participants, support and coach them around applying for jobs, navigating the hiring process, and finding and securing right fit employment.
Document all participant and employer contact, activities, and outcomes in our case management system (Salesforce).
Perform other job-related duties and responsibilities assigned from time to time.