Got chewed out by a former inmate who said our job training program was just 'busy work'

He told me learning to fold laundry didn't do squat for getting a real job after release, so I switched to a basic HVAC certification course last spring, and the recidivism rate among the first 18 guys dropped by half - has anyone else gotten direct feedback that made you rethink your whole approach?

3 comments

3 Comments

finleyl391mo ago

Man, that hits hard but good on you for actually listening. I had a guy tell me once that our resume workshop was useless because nobody hires felons for office jobs anyway, so I started bringing in trade union recruiters instead and the whole room perked up. Sometimes you just gotta sit down and hear what they're really saying instead of assuming you know what's best. That HVAC thing sounds like a smart move, practical skills that actually pay the bills make a world of difference. Keep tweaking it based on what the guys tell you, they're the ones who know what the street is really like.

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troy_price1mo ago

Three weeks ago a guy straight up told me my job fair was a waste because most places run background checks on the spot now and he'd already been turned down twice that week. So I switched it up and started reaching out to places that specifically hire second chance folks and the whole vibe changed. You're dead right about just shutting up and listening for once being the smartest thing you can do.

nguyen.blake1mo ago

Man I had a buddy who went through something similar, he spent months hitting up regular job fairs with no luck cuz his record kept popping up. Then he heard about a construction company that specifically works with guys coming out of the system and got hired within two weeks just by showing up and being honest. It's wild how much changes when you stop guessing and actually let people tell you what's really going on out there.