On January 28, the Academy of Music in Northampton hosted the premier of the documentary “Finding the Words: The Story of Voices from Inside”. The film tells the story of women who used creative writing to process their experiences with jail and addiction. It features alumni and professors from Holyoke Community College. The premier was sponsored by the Arts Equity Group and the City of Northampton. The Voices from Inside program has been around since the late 1990s and was f

Marcus was looking for a job for three long years before he found Honest Jobs. Using Honest Jobs, he found a company within a month where his colleagues are very accepting and he can get back on his feet. Read his interview below: What experience do you have with the criminal justice system? Marcus: “When I applied for the food stamps, I couldn't really understand what I was filling out. They ended up paying me more than what I was supposed to be getting paid during that time

Jails in almost all states charge people for phone calls up to a dollar per minute. This makes it difficult for incarcerated individuals to stay in touch with loved ones, especially since many jails still curtailed in-person visits due to the pandemic. Beenish Ahmed, a criminal justice reporter, discusses the issue with Felisha Moorlet, whose husband is incarcerated, Johanna Folk, psychiatry professor, and Bianca Tyler from Worth Rises, an organization that advocates for free

To make it easier for job seekers to find you and ensure your job posts get the most visibility, we recommend sponsoring your jobs on our platform. Sponsoring a job ensures it appears above all basic (unsponsored) job postings. We also include your sponsored opening in our direct marketing campaigns to local job seekers and community organizations, such as probation officers, reentry case workers, and correctional facilities. It's easy to sponsor jobs! Start by logging in. Wh

Nyra Jordan is an impact investor and social justice activist. In her TED Salon presentation, she discusses why it is important to give a chance to justice-involved job seekers and what companies can do to close the equity gap by hiring from this large pool of talent. She recommends removing screening questions during the hiring process, creating meaningful partnerships, and providing support to help people with criminal records succeed in their roles. Watch her full talk her

Shianne was looking for a job over a year when she found Honest Jobs. Her barrier? A theft charge from 10 years ago. Fortunately, she didn't give up and she found a job via the Honest Jobs platform in just 1-1.5 months. As she said: "You'll eventually get a yes and Honest Jobs is where you get that." Hear her story in the video below: Interview Transcript: What was your experience with the criminal justice system before you found Honest Jobs? Shianne: “My charge was possessio

Our revolutionary Conflix™ feature significantly differentiates the Honest Jobs platform for both justice-impacted job seekers and fair-chance employers. Here's why: How Conflix™ Works Every job on our platform is color coded with a score for its compatibility with the job seeker's individual criminal record While we don't prevent anyone from applying to less-compatible roles, most job seekers apply to "green" roles This reduces wasted effort on the part of job seekers and em

Although Honest Jobs doesn't usually quote Snopes, we appreciate their help in dispelling the myth that "Nobody wants to work." Their Fact Check confirmed that that phrase has been used since at least 1894. Newspaper snippets from Snopes' fact check: MarketWatch also posted a great article on the topic: ‘Nobody wants to work anymore’ has been said for 100 years. It wasn’t true then, and it isn’t true now. "Nobody wants to work anymore" is a term that has been used for over 1

Honest Jobs is the nation's leading fair-chance employment platform. We accomplished a lot in 2022, and we're for more growth nationwide in 2023. Here are some of the highlights from 2022: We changed to a freemium model! We topped 1,000 employers! We surpassed 40,000 job seekers! We got a little more famous! Check out some of the coverage: JFF Ventures: https://www.jff.org/what-we-do/etfjfflabs/honest-jobs-tech-startup-driving-fair-chance-hiring/ Microsoft for Startups -...

Every December, people make resolutions about things to do differently to be happier, healthier, or otherwise better off in the new year. It's rooted in the belief that changing our actions changes our outcomes . As we head into 2023, it's a good time to think about resolutions for your organization, as well. Honest Jobs recommends the following: In 2023, I will take steps to be a (better) fair-chance employer. Here's why: For your organization, attracting and retaining tale

JFF Ventures invested in Honest Jobs to help scale fair-chance hiring nationally. Founder and CEO Harley Blakeman is on a mission to make Honest Jobs the hub where job seekers with a criminal record come to build careers and employers come to find great talent. "We are proud of what the Honest Jobs team has accomplished and are eager to help them build an incarcerated-to-employment pipeline." - JFF Ventures article about Honest Jobs Nearly 70 million people, or 1 in 3 adult

If every unemployed American found a job today, the country would still have an astounding four million unfilled positions. A recent Fast Company article laid out the facts. Given the shortage in the labor market, U.S. companies within industries like banks, pharmacy chains, transportation, warehousing, and retail have eased hiring restrictions against the justice-impacted population. The Society for Human Resources Management (SHRM) surveyed managers who adopted inclusive

Chelsea mentions that on top of dealing with mental health issues deriving from incarceration, it is extremely difficult to accept rejection over and over again. Finding a job can help people's mental health and help them feel like a valuable part of society. With the help of Honest Jobs, Chelsea can focus on her future and pursue her dreams. Hear her story in the video below: Interview Transcript: What experience did you have with the criminal justice system? Chelsea: “I did

The article by Tamara Chuang in the Colorado Sun highlights how Honest Jobs provides better employment opportunities for people impacted by the criminal justice system, while helping employers address the labor shortage and boost retention. Honest Jobs helps justice-involved job seekers find employers who are willing to give them a fair chance, including Checkr, Gap, FedEx, Amazon, Goodwill, and PepsiCo. The uniqueness of the job board is that it helps applicants see what par

Hundreds of thousands of people are in jail, pre-trial, separated from their families, simply because they cannot afford to pay bail. You can help bring them home. The U.S. spends over $9 billion annually to incarcerate individuals convicted of no crime. Black people are twice as likely to be arrested and, after being arrested, are two times more likely to be held in jail before trial. The LGBTQ+ and gender nonconforming population are even more likely to be arrested and held

Cara Plus and McKinsey & Company partnered to publish one of the largest studies about what frontline employees want and what employers think they want. The result of the study reveals that companies are thinking about hiring people impacted by the criminal justice system, yet most employers are missing out on the benefits of hiring from this talent pool. Fair-chance hiring is still not a widely applied hiring practice. However, this study shows that justice-involved job seek

Art for Redemption showcases original artwork created by incarcerated artists across the United States, offering the opportunity for them to sell their work while still incarcerated. On average, individuals incarcerated in federal or state prisons and jails only make $0.63 per hour. “When you get out of prison, you have no money to get established. Plus, the obstacles faced to finding housing and employment due to the discrimination against felons, it is no wonder that the re

Juan has great work experience. His felony record was the only reason he was searching for a job for about 8 months without success. Once he used Honest Jobs, he found a fair-chance employer within days, who would give him a chance and provide opportunities for future growth. Hear him tell his story in the video below: Interview Transcript: What was your experience looking for a job before you found Honest Jobs? Juan: “It’s a lot more frustrating when you're getting a bunch o

Harley Blakeman’s entrepreneurial journey was strongly affected by his past experiences. He had a difficult upbringing, which led him to use and sell drugs at a very early age. As a teenager, he was incarcerated for 14 months as the youngest in the adult prison. After being released, he earned his GED and got a business degree from a university, yet he kept being turned down by employers solely based on his criminal record. He finally found employment after almost a hundred a

Alex didn't realize how much a criminal background would jeopardize getting and maintaining stable employment. Using Honest Jobs, he got a stable job with benefits, to help him build a stable life and where he sees a long-term future. Hear him tell his story in the video below: Interview Transcription: What is your experience with the criminal justice system? Alex: “I looked up illegal pornography when I was around 26 years old. I was incarcerated for two years. I got a charg