Getting New Jersey Back to Work

Written By: COI Blogger



Community Options, a NJ-based, national nonprofit organization that develops homes and employment for people with disabilities recently held a Career Day to get New Jersey’s unemployed, back to work.

In New Jersey, Community Options operates over seventy group homes, over twenty, non-traditional day programs and six social enterprises that support people with disabilities. The organization operates as far north as Fair Lawn, as far west as Hopatcong, as far south as Smithville and everywhere in between.

With over 2,500 employees already, the organization continues to grow at a healthy rate and having a Career Day to promote the good work and opportunities the organization has, was a great way to get New Jersey’s unemployed back to work. From a talent management perspective, there are diverse job openings within the organization due to the rate of growth it is experiencing. If candidates want to work directly with people the organization supports, there are jobs for that within direct care and supported employment. If a candidate wants to work in our development, human resource, fiscal or training departments, there are jobs available for that as well.

The organization has found that due to the recession, candidates have found the need to reinvent themselves and start a different career path. Community Options has hired many people as a result of the recession who have found a love for not only human service work, but also the nonprofit sector in general.

Working for a nonprofit organization isn’t what it used to be. Nonprofits like Community Options are using technology and implementing models of best practices that are synonymous with that of large corporations. It is imperative from an operational and executive standpoint that the organization stays harmonized with current business trends that have emerged and that will continue to materialize.

Eileen Johnson, Recruiter with Community Options says, “It was communicated to me on Career Day that Community Options stood out from other organizations for the fact that we are growing and for what we stand for.” Johnson also indicated that people want to work for a human service organization that is doing good work as it aligns with their own personal professional beliefs.

The organization, as it continues to grow, plans to have more Career Days in the future that will link good talent with appropriate job opportunities.

Photo Caption- Eileen Johnson, Recruiter of Community Options, Inc.