The First Reentry Job

According to the Bureau of Justice Statistics, between 600,000 and 700,000 people are released from incarceration every year in the US. For most of those released, securing employment is the most viable path to progress and success. Some will find other pathways forward, such as education or entrepreneurship; however, finding and retaining a job is the most viable success option for most.

Unlike others entering the job market from scratch (first-time job seekers or those in complete career transition), reentering the workforce from incarceration with background baggage is a much steeper hill to climb. The challenges associated with a criminal record are evident and apparent to anyone (willing to look). But there’s way more to the story; time and resources are almost always limited, job-search knowledge and support may be missing, and all manner of old behavior patterns await an opportunity to resurface. Furthermore, pressure to “get it right this time” can be overwhelming, both from within the reentering person and externally from family, friends, and significant others hoping (if not desperate) to see, at last, success.

So, to say the stakes are high is a significant understatement. The impulse to “take any job” is natural and understandable, yet it is often the worst move, leading to failure immediately and more slowly over time. Grabbing anything and plunging in without planning are some of the foundation stones of recidivism. In a nutshell, reentry success is teed up by the First Job. Period. It is that simple and that crucial.

Of course, there are always outliers: those succeeding due to an entrepreneurial spirit, those exposed to and profoundly touched by education, or those with a dogged sense of self-determination that pushes them forward despite the odds and stats. These are the folks highlighted in reentry programs, as they should be. Their success is celebrated based on their merits and the example they set for others. And yet, they may be the first to tell you that too many others don’t make it. That entrepreneurship and education didn’t resonate with them, or their level of determination wasn’t enough—yet—they could have made it if they’d secured an employment foothold.

In this post and my approach in general, I focus on employment, the pathway that can impact the most significant number of reentering people. With 50-60% remaining unemployed after their first year from release and the 60+ % re-incarcerated after three years, the rubber meets the road with employment—and it all begins with the First Job post-release.

Here are some of the critical factors needing attention if success is to come from this all-important First Job:

Preparation & Work Readiness

I am referring to the basics here, such as lodging, food, clothes, transportation, access to a phone, and the Internet. What’s available, what’s not, and what’s the assessment? Also, has any mind-work been done on transitioning from being away and not working to being back and in contact with people in entirely different circumstances?

Personal Job One

Often, a single major issue has contributed to past troubles and needs to be addressed before there’s any hope of employment success. I call this someone’s Personal Job One. If the issue involves alcohol abuse, the solution is sobriety. For drugs, it means being and staying clean. And for mental health problems, remaining in therapy, and following the prescribed medication game plan. The point is simple: confronting these foundational issues isn’t optional. They are either dealt with and managed, or there will be no re-entry! Failure will very possibly follow. This is the granddaddy of recidivism foundation stones. More

The Plan

There has to be a plan. It doesn’t need to be detailed and complex, but it could be. The plan should be based on an eventual goal, something to work toward. As the saying goes, “If you don’t know where you’re going, how do you know when you get there?” Planning and goal setting can be intimidating, and getting lost in the weeds is easy, so it’s best to keep things realistic, straightforward, and as simple as possible. Every reentering person needs a plan and will benefit from simply tackling one; whether it’s simple or detailed is to be determined, but there needs to be one to increase the odds of success. More

Job Search Objective

Not having a Job Search Objective is another recidivism foundation stone, as is not having a Plan or Goal. Developing an Objective starts with the realization that, for background-challenged persons, digits (the internet, smartphone, and all-things-digital world) are not on the home team. Digitization makes it easy to spot those reentering. Without a Job Search Objective and strategy emphasizing personal contact and connection tactics, elimination from a distance is likely. More and More

Getting & Retaining the First Job

The Search Objective is an essential part of an entire process designed to enable the challenged job seeker to secure an initial (targeted) position that aligns with their overall Plan and eventual Goal. Getting “in” is the first step, followed by adjusting to the new role and learning the “ropes” related to the job duties, company culture, and all the other dynamics associated with working day-to-day. Success in this First Job requires that it be retained to attain two things: positive work history and work-related contacts, two things most reentering folks do not have when they put together their Search Objective. Both work history and contact are essential to leveraging this First Job into the next. More

Advancing from the First Job

The First job is just that, the first one. It will not be a forever job and is best viewed as a stepping stone to the next. Failure to see it this way leads to settling in and getting comfy, two more recidivism foundation stones. Unlike first-time job seekers or those starting again via career transition, most reentering can’t afford to start again from scratch if the First Job doesn't pan out. This is especially true if they’ve failed to make (any) leverageable contacts while at the First Job. Moreover, not getting it right the first time can result in far more than losing the job itself; it can trigger any number of bad outcomes. Therefore, securing, retaining, and doing well at this First Job should be considered ground zero, where it all begins and from which all future success originates. More

Progressing Toward Goal

The Goal could be five years out and involve three or four jobs. From the First Job onward, work history and contacts will accumulate over this period, becoming the platform of success in the future. To achieve the Goal and for good things to happen along the way, the frontend-loaded process steps (Preparation, Person Job One, Planning, Job Search Objective, First Job retention, contact building, and accumulation of positive work history) must happen before and during the First Job. More

Why?

As a practical matter, reentering people are launched via their First Job, and engagement by those who have helped often ends. Most will head forward on their own. With new folks released continually and resources for longitudinal work seldom available, keeping in touch rarely happens; therefore, doing things right up front is essential.

Conclusion

For most, reentry success (in work and life) will come from securing, retaining, and progressing—through employment. To be most effective, the reentry approach must be individualized, process-based, reproducible, and eventually scalable to assist the majority if there’s any real hope of taking a meaningful bite out of recidivism.

Furthermore, such an approach must accept the barriers and limitations of the digitized hiring process. Job selection, searching, and introduction strategies and tactics centered around developing and building direct personal contacts form the pathway to success. Whenever possible, they must be used to mitigate and transcend the digit.

Doing it right to achieve goals is not difficult, but it does take guidance, effort, perseverance, and trust in the Process!

Onward!