THE SMARTEST HIRE YOU’LL MAKE THIS YEAR (AND THE DATA PROVES IT)
Look, I’m going to be direct with you.
You’ve got open positions. The labor market is tight. You’re spending thousands per hire on recruitment and training, only to watch people walk out the door six months later. Meanwhile, there’s an untapped talent pool right in front of you that’s hungry, loyal, and performs at or above your current workforce.
I’m talking about second chance hiring. Justice-impacted individuals. People who’ve paid their debt to society and are ready to build something meaningful.
Here’s the venture capital pitch for your business:
THE CORPORATE ROI (Because we’re running businesses here, not charities)
- 85% of HR leaders say second chance hires perform the same or better than traditional hires. Not worse. Not “good enough.” The same or BETTER.
- Fill rates 25% higher when you open this talent pipeline. That’s not incremental improvement, that’s game-changing for your hiring velocity!!
- Turnover 2.7% lower than traditional hires. You know what lower turnover means? Less money hemorrhaging on recruitment, less institutional knowledge walking out the door, more stability for your teams.
- Higher retention rates across the board. The pattern I’ve seen? When someone gets a genuine second chance, they remember it. That gratitude translates to loyalty that you can’t buy with ping pong tables and free LaCroix.
- Work Opportunity Tax Credit – up to 40% of first year wages as a tax credit. The feds are literally paying you to do the right thing!
THE HUMAN TRANSFORMATION (Because this is where it gets REAL)
Let’s talk about what programs like Persevere are actually accomplishing:
- 1.8% recidivism rate in Tennessee. Read that again. National average? 68%. That’s not a typo. That’s a 97% improvement over the status quo!!
- 87% employment within six months of program completion. Not “eventually finding something.” Within SIX MONTHS they’re contributing, earning, building.
- Here’s the kicker – sustainable employment cuts recidivism by 61% according to the Council on Criminal Justice. You’re not just hiring someone. You’re breaking a generational cycle.
- Children of incarcerated people are 7x more likely to become justice-impacted themselves. When you hire one person, you’re changing the trajectory for entire families. That’s not hyperbole, that’s the data!!
THE BIGGER PICTURE (This is where I get fired up)
Every year, over 640,000 people are released from incarceration in this country. 60% are unemployed a year later. Think about that economic loss – $78-87 BILLION in lost GDP annually. That’s talent sitting on the sidelines because we’re making hiring decisions based on fear instead of potential.
Meanwhile, Persevere is teaching industry-recognized tech certifications – Network+, Security+, AWS Cloud – to people behind the walls in six states. These aren’t feel-good coding classes. These are legitimate career pathways into high-demand, high-wage jobs in the fastest-growing sector of our economy!!
The RAND Corporation found that for every dollar spent on prison education programs, taxpayers save $4-5 in reincarceration costs. That’s a 400-500% ROI that would make any VC weep with joy!
WHAT THIS ACTUALLY LOOKS LIKE
Organizations like Persevere provide the full wraparound – technology training, life skills, case management, mental health services, employment placement, and a full year of post-release support. They’re not just handing someone a certificate and wishing them luck. They’re building sustainable career pathways.
When you hire a Persevere graduate, you’re getting someone who’s:
- Earned industry certifications that are in high demand
- Been through comprehensive technical AND soft skills training
- Supported by an entire ecosystem designed to help them succeed
- Proven they can show up, learn complex technical skills, and follow through
THE ASK
If you’re serious about solving your talent challenges while making an actual dent in one of America’s biggest social problems, let’s talk. Partner with organizations like Persevere. Open your candidate pipeline to justice-impacted talent. Give people a shot to prove what they can do.
This isn’t charity. This is smart business backed by hard data. Companies like American Airlines, GM, Home Depot, Macy’s, and Walmart figured this out. Toyota saw 70% drop in monthly turnover when they implemented second chance hiring.
The talent is there. The training infrastructure is there. The business case is bulletproof. All that’s missing is you saying yes.
Let’s build something that matters. Together.
Want to learn more about partnering with Persevere or launching a second chance hiring initiative? Visit www.perseverenow.org or let’s grab coffee and talk about what’s possible.
Because here’s what the pattern shows: the best investments are the ones where everyone wins. Your business wins. The person wins. Their family wins. The community wins.
That’s not idealism. That’s how transformation actually works. And the pattern here? It’s proven.
SPINMANTV.ME 
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