One application sent to multiple Stanislaus employers. How finding jobs just got easier
With pandemic restrictions easing and a reopening of California’s economy, employees and employers alike face the challenge of a recovering job market and staffing issues across the state.
To make both the hiring and application processes easier, Opportunity Stanislaus is partnering with local employers on Hiring Head Start, a centralized online job application portal for Stanislaus and Merced counties.
The website, which launched Tuesday, allows applicants to apply to many local companies — including Crystal Creamery, Bronco Wine Co., Foster Farms, E.&J. Gallo Winery and Sierra Pacific Industries, among others — using one centralized form. Once they fill out the application with information like their previous work experience and availability, their submission is sent to all participating employers, who can then contact the candidates they’re interested in.
Hiring Head Start was launched after Opportunity Stanislaus staff heard from their investor companies about hiring challenges they’d been facing during the pandemic, said Amber Edwards, the organization’s vice president of talent development. This echoes a broader trend of employers both locally and nationally struggling to find workers, especially for entry-level jobs.
“It’s really important to pay attention to our local companies,” Opportunity Stanislaus CEO David White told The Bee in a statement. “The pandemic has created all sorts of issues for them. Our hope is that people will respond positively to the campaign with a desire to get back to work and improve outcomes for themselves and the county.”
A variety of factors have contributed to the lack of applicants. They range from health and safety concerns to a lack of available childcare or the ability to rely on unemployment assistance payments for income.
Edwards said she and her team were hearing from employers who reported no-show rates for interviews anywhere between 70% and 100%.
Change on the horizon
Those extended unemployment benefits are set to expire in September, however, and with vaccination rates up and reopenings in effect, employers are likely to see a surge of applicants in the coming months.
Hiring Head Start seeks to get ahead of that curve, Edwards said, by offering applicants one centralized place to begin their job search. The portal doesn’t offer a list of available positions, but Edwards said there are openings for entry-level and more experienced candidates in a variety of fields, both full time and part time.
“For the most part, the employers just need people willing to work,” Edwards said. “They’re willing to train. Their current employees have been asked to work overtime all through COVID, which has been a year plus. They’re tired, so it’s the perfect time for a program like this.”
She stressed that Opportunity Stanislaus is not serving as a “matchmaker” between applicants and employers. All forms will be sent to all employers, leaving the companies to sort through and pick out qualified candidates.
Edwards said she and her team have warned employers to brace themselves for a high volume of forms.
“We’ve told the employers, ‘You could potentially be besieged (with applications), you have to be ready for that,’” she said. “They all have the same equal shot at hiring.”
Poultry processor sees demand rising
Foster Farms, which operates poultry plants across the area, is one of the employers partnering with Opportunity Stanislaus. Marcia Fish, the company’s chief human resources officer, said Edwards and White approached their investors, including Foster Farms, when they heard about the hiring challenges affecting local businesses.
They came together to collectively find a solution for the staffing shortage, and Hiring Head Start was born.
Foster Farms has a number of open positions, Fish said, primarily at its plants in Livingston and Turlock, though there are office positions available as well. The company is looking to ramp up hiring as demand for chicken and turkey increases, and is offering a referral bonus to current employees and the new hires they recruit.
Fish said the nature of the hiring portal — and the fact that Foster Farms will receive copies of all applications — means the company will be competing with a number of other employers for staff, but she hopes the end result will be beneficial for everyone, “because ultimately, we all win.”
“We’d like the applicants to come to Foster Farms, but we really want to help promote growth and sustainability and economic sustainability in the Valley,” she said.
Those interested in applying can do so on the Hiring Head Start website. For a Spanish-language form or printed paperwork for those who cannot access a computer, applicants can contact Edwards at Opportunity Stanislaus.
This story was produced with financial support from the Stanislaus Community Foundation, along with the GroundTruth Project’s Report for America initiative. The Modesto Bee maintains full editorial control of this work.
To help fund The Bee’s economic development reporter with Report for America, go to https://bit.ly/ModestoBeeRFA
This story was originally published June 22, 2021 at 4:00 AM.
