Personalized Departmental Level Job Fairs for Individuals with Disabilities
Challenge
Attracting and retaining Individuals with Disabilities.
Actions
Ohio State wanted to focus on building relationships between hiring managers and job applicants with disabilities. To achieve this, Ohio State has developed internal personalized job fairs based on a particular department’s hiring needs. Factors considered in a department’s hiring needs are the type and number of available position, the work environment, and required skill sets. The attendees at these job fairs are exclusively individuals with disabilities who have been prescreened to ensure that they meet the minimum requirements. These personalized job fairs allow hiring managers and HR staff to get to know the applicant, identify the positions that applicant is qualified for, and make offers of employment at the same time. The job fairs are located in the same building as Ohio State’s centralized background check office, so if an applicant is offered a position, they can begin the background check process and start on the pathway to their career with Ohio State immediately.
Outcomes
This initiative has resulted in a more efficient process for both the organization and individual and also improved customer care for the applicant.
Quote
Ohio State is committed to the principle that academic excellence is not possible without a diverse and inclusive community. In our university labs and classrooms, diversity sparks innovation, strengthens cultural understanding, amplifies creative work, broadens scholarly benefits to society and produces more competent workers and thinkers. For nearly 150 years, our mission has been to elevate our communities through the creation and dissemination of knowledge. Disability initiatives across Ohio State are part of how we embody this commitment.