Corporate Coalition
The Corporate Coalition is a business alliance. Learn more at https://www.corpcoalition.org/fair-chance-hiring
Introductory Conversations and Assessment
How organizations conduct initial needs assessment with employers, introduce workforce development in general as well as their own organization’s programs, and gauge whether an employer could benefit from workforce development programs.
Learning About Employers' Needs
- Initial employer conversations focus on understanding hiring challenges, talent strategy alignment, and employer interest in fair chance hiring.
- The Fair Chance Hiring Cohort uses a structured intake interview process to onboard participating companies, gathering details on their hiring practices, fair chance hiring priorities, and internal decision-making processes.
- A recruiting tracker in a shared Excel document records employer interactions, status updates, and key findings.
- Meeting notes, capturing detailed discussions and updates with employers, are stored in a shared drive, accessible to both the Corporate Coalition and Cara Plus.
- Employers are asked about their familiarity with fair chance hiring and their retention challenges before receiving information on the cohort program.
- The Fair Chance Hiring Cohort Pre-Survey collects data on employer hiring practices, the role of fair chance hiring in their strategy, and workforce demographics. It also assesses tracking metrics such as candidate sources, disqualification rates, and career outcomes, while evaluating employer preparedness in advocating for inclusive background checks, engaging fair chance talent, and implementing skills-based hiring.
This content is based on interviews or email correspondence with Steph Dolan in 2025. This draft content has NOT yet been signed off by the organization.
Introducing Workforce Development Opportunities
- Employers that are not a good fit for the Fair Chance Hiring Cohort are referred to other workforce programs, such as Generation Work and Talent Rewire.
- The Corporate Coalition, Cara Plus, Skills for Chicagoland’s Future, and CWFA meet weekly to maintain an updated list of workforce resources for employer referrals.
- If an employer’s interest extends beyond fair chance hiring, they are provided materials on alternative workforce development programs.
This content is based on interviews or email correspondence with Steph Dolan in 2025. This draft content has NOT yet been signed off by the organization.
Introducing Your Organization
- The Fair Chance Hiring Cohort is introduced through a PowerPoint presentation that outlines the program structure and its community impact.
This content is based on interviews or email correspondence with Steph Dolan in 2025. This draft content has NOT yet been signed off by the organization.
Evaluating Employer Suitability
- Employers interested in joining the Fair Chance Hiring Cohort must demonstrate a genuine commitment to fair chance hiring. Companies that only want to observe or “explore” the concept without implementing changes are not encouraged to join.
- Leadership buy-in is a key requirement. Companies must have decision-makers with the authority to drive policy changes participating in the cohort to ensure sustainability beyond individual employees.
- Cohort participants are expected to actively engage in discussions and attend sessions consistently. Sporadic participation is discouraged as the program is designed for organizations committed to making concrete changes.
This content is based on interviews or email correspondence with Steph Dolan in 2025. This draft content has NOT yet been signed off by the organization.
Establishing Employer Relationships
Ways that organizations follow up or otherwise build relationships with potential employer partners. How do organizations keep employers’ interest and stay top of mind, despite how busy they may be?
Following Up via Phone and/or Email
- Employer follow-ups are tracked in the recruiting tracker (an Excel spreadsheet).
- Immediately after an introductory call, employers receive the Fair Chance Hiring Overview, a two-page document explaining the program.
- Follow-up timing is structured, with an initial check-in a week after the first conversation, then additional follow-ups if no response is received.
This content is based on interviews or email correspondence with Steph Dolan in 2025. This draft content has NOT yet been signed off by the organization.
Metrics and Financial Factors
How organizations collect and share information about expected outcomes and potential financial rewards and incentives.
Sharing Metrics and Return on Investment with Employers
- Companies that have participated in the Fair Chance Hiring Cohort often share internal success metrics, such as increased retention and improved DEI outcomes.
- The Corporate Coalition highlights data points from past cohorts, including participation numbers (14 companies and 59 employees trained).
- Employers are encouraged to share their own experiences and outcomes to build credibility for fair chance hiring.
- Materials like the Fair Chance Hiring Flyer highlight key metrics from past cohorts, including participation numbers, retention rates, and workforce engagement outcomes, demonstrating the impact of fair chance hiring.
This content is based on interviews or email correspondence with Steph Dolan in 2025. This draft content has NOT yet been signed off by the organization.
Explaining Subsidies and Tax Credits
- Tax credits and subsidies are typically discussed with small businesses, particularly those in the Small Business Advisory Council, while large employers show less interest in these incentives.
This content is based on interviews or email correspondence with Steph Dolan in 2025. This draft content has NOT yet been signed off by the organization.
Gathering Data to Track Employer Metrics
- Employer engagement is tracked using a shared Excel-based recruiting tracker, updated live by both the Corporate Coalition and Cara Plus. This document records employer interactions, status updates, and key findings.
- Meeting notes from employer interactions are stored in a shared drive, allowing both organizations to access discussions and decisions. These notes provide additional details beyond the recruiting tracker.
This content is based on interviews or email correspondence with Steph Dolan in 2025. This draft content has NOT yet been signed off by the organization.
Organizational Level Considerations
How organizations are set up to build partnerships with employers, and how they leverage relationships with other organizations for better outcomes.
Organizational Structure, Resourcing, and Staffing
- The Program Director for Fair Chance Hiring at the Corporate Coalition of Chicago leads the Fair Chance Hiring Cohort, a program managed by the Corporate Coalition.
- The Director of Expansion at Cara Plus (the national arm of Cara Collective) leads employer engagement efforts for Cara.
- Cara Plus and the Corporate Coalition are responsible for employer recruitment and engagement, with Cara Plus identifying potential cohort participants.
This content is based on interviews or email correspondence with Steph Dolan in 2025. This draft content has NOT yet been signed off by the organization.
Collaborating with Other Organizations
- Cara Plus and the Corporate Coalition are responsible for employer recruitment and engagement, with Cara Plus identifying potential cohort participants.
- The Corporate Coalition, Cara Plus, Skills for Chicagoland’s Future, and CWFA meet weekly to maintain an updated list of workforce resources for employer referrals.
- The referral process is informal, with no standardized tracking system.
This content is based on interviews or email correspondence with Steph Dolan in 2025. This draft content has NOT yet been signed off by the organization.
Challenges
Common challenges and how organizations typically respond to them.
Workforce Development Jargon
- The term “practice change” is avoided in employer discussions because it may sound too rigid; instead, it is framed as a gap analysis for identifying opportunities.
- Employers are introduced to fair chance hiring through business-friendly language that highlights transformational hiring practices.
- Terms like “justice-impacted individuals,” “individuals with records,” and “individuals with prior convictions” are preferred, but employers are encouraged to ask questions about language.
- Recruitment materials for fair chance hiring explain the broad definition of justice-impacted individuals, clarifying that not all have been incarcerated.
- The Fair Chance Hiring Cohort emphasizes human-first language, preferring terms such as “justice-impacted individuals” and “individuals with records” over outdated terminology.
This content is based on interviews or email correspondence with Steph Dolan in 2025. This draft content has NOT yet been signed off by the organization.
Handling Objections from Employers
- Employers cite budget, bandwidth, and regulatory concerns as barriers to participation, even when there are examples of similar organizations overcoming those issues.
- If employers are hesitant, they are provided with success stories from companies in similar industries that have implemented fair chance hiring.
- When employers express concerns about risk, the discussion is reframed around talent retention, workforce engagement, and alignment with DEI goals.
- Employers in the cohort learn to address staff and customer concerns about fair chance hiring through structured discussions and coaching.
This content is based on interviews or email correspondence with Steph Dolan in 2025. This draft content has NOT yet been signed off by the organization.
Handling Challenges
- Reaching the right decision-makers is a challenge, as employer engagement often starts with lower-level contacts who lack budgetary or strategic authority. This creates delays in securing commitment.
- The process of moving employers through the decision-making chain takes time, often requiring multiple conversations across several months.
- Legal and risk teams can stall the process, as some employers express initial interest but never follow up after internal review.
- Follow-ups require persistence, as some interested employers become unresponsive after initial conversations.
This content is based on interviews or email correspondence with Steph Dolan in 2025. This draft content has NOT yet been signed off by the organization.
