SHRM Chapters Lend a Helping Hand to Job Seekers with Criminal Records

A number of Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM) chapters and state councils have created programs and partnerships with local nonprofit organizations to help people in their communities with criminal histories find jobs and succeed at work.

Alaska SHRM State Council

Each year, hundreds of people from across Alaska who have served their prison sentences are released in Anchorage. This SHRM affiliate created a partnership with the nonprofit Partners Re-Entry Program to help them find work in Alaska’s largest metropolitan area and to educate employers and community members about opportunities to employ this untapped labor pool. In addition to hosting workshops for employers, the state council has also organized a clothing drive to benefit clients of the Partners Re-Entry Center.

Big Bend SHRM

This SHRM chapter, based in Tallahassee, Fla., developed a program called "A Journey to Employment" in 2014 to provide job skills training and other forms of assistance to unemployed and underemployed individuals, including people recently released from prison. Chapter volunteers provide workshops and one-on-one coaching covering how to use online career search tools, how to prepare for an interview and how to make a good impression on the job.

Brazos Valley SHRM

Chapter members partnered with the Federal Women’s Prison Camp, a minimum-security facility in Bryan, Texas, to review resumes, conduct mock interviews and host a job fair to connect women incarcerated on federal convictions with area employers.