Daniel Zhao

Several New Haveners gathered at Dixwell Community House, or Q House, on March 27 for a presentation on open job positions at the Cornell Scott-Hill Health Center. 

Since November 2022, the Yale-managed New Haven Hiring Initiative has hosted several employers seeking to hire local residents as part of its inaugural Career Readiness series. During each session, hiring recruiters and managers share a variety of application resources with attendants such as resume and cover letter tips, apprenticeship programs, information on ideal qualifications for candidates and descriptions of position responsibilities in their respective workplaces. 

During Monday’s meeting, the Cornell Scott-Hill Center — which serves nearly 50,000 residents in the Greater New Haven area and nearby areas — stated that it aims to make primary and behavioral health care services accessible to the region’s diverse population.

“They know about Cornell Scott, but then they’ll come here for appointments — they don’t know that they can work for us, too,” Cornell Scott-Hill Human Resources Manager Cheryl Garner said at the session. “We’re a community-based health organization, where our board of directors is comprised of community members. We want to see people that we’re serving be a part of our force.”

The session shared information on the Center’s mission and open human resources positions for Complex Care Management care coordinators, virtual assistants, and call center customer service representatives. 

Garner first spoke about the educational backgrounds, experience levels and skills required for each position. She also walked attendees through the hiring process from the perspective of recruiters and hiring managers at the Center, listing specific components of an application that are given the most consideration.

Before recommending candidates to hiring managers, recruiters look for proper spelling and grammar on application materials and want to ensure an applicant is “not a job hopper,” according to Garner. Before determining whether to interview or reject a candidate, hiring managers often consider whether they possess skills like bilingualism and high levels of relevant experience.

“It’s helping you find a job and actually be able to find something that fits your experience,” attendee Tanikki James told the News after learning about the consideration process. “And it’s also good to be able to rub elbows with people that you could possibly be working for.”

James, who shared that she will “absolutely” apply for an human resources position at Cornell Scott-Hill, has also attended other series events and found a recent session led by Albertus Magnus College’s Career Services office particularly helpful.

Prior sessions in the Employment Readiness series have included employers such as Yale Library Collection Services and Operations, Yale Hospitality and Yale-New Haven Hospital. Yale Security most recently presented several position openings on March 13. On the other hand, if the current employees have encountered any type of abuse, they can look for services like that settlement agreement.

Jeffrey Moore, who works at the employment assistance program Workforce Alliance, attended Monday’s session and several previous events in search of opportunities for his clients. He lauded the NHHI’s new program and Cornell Scott-Hill’s efforts to make employment more accessible to the community it serves.

“They’re looking to take care of our community by offering job opportunities that a lot of people wouldn’t be able to access by themselves,” Moore said. “It’s great, because now we know that there’s different opportunities that are available all over the city. And they’re looking to grow the talent here locally, in New Haven.”

On March 30, the NHHI will host a community conversation with Higher Heights Youth Empowerment Program, a college preparatory program for local high schoolers.