Untapped Talent: How Second Chance Hiring Works for Your Business and the Community
The labor shortage is here to stay, and businesses that treat talent acquisition as “business as usual” will lose out to competitors that learn to tap talent wherever it can be found. Tens of millions of Americans are overlooked by employers because of a past criminal record. Not every person with a record is ready to be a good employee, but millions are not only ready, they are eager to prove they are more than their worst mistake. Done right – selectively sourced and appropriately supported – such “second chance” employees prove to be exceptionally engaged and loyal employees. Jeff Korzenik, author, researcher and chief economist of Fifth Third Commercial Bank, will share not only the business case for hiring people with records but how to do it right.  He will include a discussion of the overall business case, handling objections and learning the lessons of pioneering business leaders who have developed successful – and profitable – models for engaging overlooked talent from this population.

About Jeff Korzenik
Korzenki is Chief Investment Strategist for one of the nation’s largest banks, where he is responsible for the investment strategy and the allocation of over $40 billion in assets. For more than 30 years, Jeff has been known in the investment management industry for the clarity and originality he brings to complex challenges. A regular guest on CNBC, Fox Business News, and Bloomberg TV, his insights into the economy, markets, manufacturing, and the workforce are frequently cited in the financial and business press. Jeff is the author of the groundbreaking book on the business case and best practices for hiring people with criminal records, published by HarperCollins Leadership in April 2021.

Jeff’s writings on economics and public policy have been published in Barron’s, Forbes, the Chicago Tribune, and other periodicals. He has testified on Capitol Hill as an expert witness on the use of commodity indexes by pensions and other institutional investors. A leading expert on private sector models and the re-employment of people with criminal records, Jeff is a sought-after public speaker; he has presented at the Detroit Economic Club, the Executives Club of Chicago, for Los Angeles County’s Fair Chance Hiring Initiative, and at national conferences of the American Bankers Association, the AICPA, SHRM and for numerous other organizations and universities around the country. With over fifty speaking engagements each year, Jeff is noted for his ability to distill complex topics to common sense and approachable arguments. Jeff is a graduate of Princeton University, with an A.B. in Economics and a Certificate of Proficiency in Near Eastern Studies. A passionate supporter of the arts, he serves as a Trustee for the Harris Theater for Music and Dance in Chicago and as an Overseer of the Peabody Essex Museum in Salem MA.