Thank you for asking this question. When employers undertake outreach, it should not be undertaken simply to “check a box.” While it is a requirement, there are many tangible benefits companies gain from having a diverse workforce. Much research has been done in the area and point to the increased business and financial performance companies with greater diversity enjoy over those which are not diverse. As you work with organizations who can help you, notifying them of your job openings is just the beginning. As a best practice, invest time and effort in building a relationship. Connect with the person who is responsible for providing employment services to their members or job seekers on their caseload. Invite them to a meeting for an information session during which you can share your diversity and/or AAP placement goals, the culture of your organization, the types of jobs you have and the ones you are always hiring for, the skills and qualifications that you are looking for, and your experience thus far in working with organizations like them. This would be a great opportunity to bring someone from your Executive leadership to speak to your company’s commitment to diversity. Use this session to learn about them as well – what types of job seekers do they serve, what range of skills they have, the type of support they can provide to help the new employee learn the job and become successful such as job coaching and help identifying appropriate accommodations. When COVID is no longer an issue, I would also encourage you to invite them over for a facility tour and to shadow some jobs. From my experience, job developers from these organizations are able to better understand the job and identify a potential fit for it when they are able to visualize the role and observe how the tasks are performed. Outreach needs to be an interactive relationship. It is a three-way win situation for your company, the outreach organization, and most importantly, the individual who gets the job. It requires earnest efforts, interactive discussion, brainstorming creative ways to make the match work, and deploying various strategies to attract candidates. If you are a Circa customer, you will find multiple templates within our Outreach Management System that you could leverage to explore creative ways of working with them from job fairs to open houses to job shadows. Feel free to reach out to us to bounce off more ideas!

You can use this OFCCP audit checklist to ensure you're doing what is required to maintain OFCCP's regulations including VEVRAA, Section 503, and EO 11246. Or request a demo to streamline your compliance and recruiting efforts.