(NEW CASTLE) – When everything shuts down and people are confined to their homes unless they are essential personnel, the Recruitment and Retention Team within the Indiana Department of Correction (IDOC) found a way to continue recruiting.
It’s through the new virtual world of Microsoft Teams. The Department has already completed seven successful live events scheduled through this new software and the link is shared on a variety of platforms including social media, QR codes, and press releases.
Since the fairs began in mid-April, it has been determined, these Virtual Career Fairs are more cost- and time-effective. They do not require department staff to be pulled from their posts and are generally run by the Recruitment and Retention team members. Instead of the normal three to four hours per fair, these generally last between 20 and 30 minutes.
And best of all participation and interest has more than doubled at multiple facilities so far. A recruiter is listed as the point of contact and is making individual follow up calls and emails with potential applicants. The virtual event includes a presentation on the IDOC and then more specific information on the facility being represented. It also gives information about the benefits of working for the IDOC and the next steps in the application and hiring process. At the end, there is a question and answer session.
The IDOC has a variety of openings but the greatest need is for Correctional Officers and Maintenance staff.
Please refer to the IDOC Recruitment page on Facebook to stay up-to-date on scheduled events. There are 18 already scheduled in May for different correctional facilities within the state. The next Virtual Job Fair is for all the IDOC and will be hosted at 11 a.m. on Thursday, April 30.
