Employment Specialist

Primary responsibility is to develop employment resources for the offender population, assist with employment searches, provide job leads, and provide counseling relative to interview skills, appearance, and résumé development. Develop and maintain liaisons with current and prospective employers.

Qualifications:

• One year of work experience in guidance, counseling, or job placement. Work experience may be substituted with a specialized degree or certification in the field of guidance, counseling, or career development.
• Ability to liaison with employers, research and develop employment prospects, and counsel offenders in job search skills.

• Maintain accountability of offenders on job search by telephonic and/or on-site verification.
• Audit employment search verification forms and randomly contact employers listed to verify presence and to inquire as to offender interview skills so that counseling may be provided when lacking.
• Assist with planning of job search locations, method of transportation, and sign in/out time allowed for employment.
• Ensure that employment verifications and on-site verifications are completed within the guidelines of the KCI Technical Proposal.
• Ensure that monthly telephonic contact with offenders and supervisors is completed and each contact is logged in offender chronological file.
• Counsel offenders in appearance, presentation, and speaking skills relative to employment interviews.
• Assist with compiling and composing résumés.
• Develop employment resources with employers, other agency’s personnel, job training opportunities, and educational/vocational training.
• Assist offenders with procurement of identifying data that is in compliance with federal I-9 immigration employment requirements.
• Monitor the job search efforts of offenders who are unemployed or under employed.
• Monitor compliance of the requirement that states an offender will have full time employment within 30 calendar days of arrival.
• Assure offender accountability by proper sign in/out procedures.
• Develop employment resources in the interest of offenders, and distribute updated data to all offenders.
• Develop, utilize, and maintain relationships with organizations, groups, individuals, and community sources.
• Assist with other duties as deemed necessary by the Director.