PORTLAND, OR—Our client Danville Services of Oregon is hiring Direct Support Professionals in the Portland and Salem areas to Help Bring Joy to People with Disabilities. It’s demanding entry-level work, but it can also be a highly rewarding day-to-day experience, and the knowledge gained is easily transferable to future careers in healthcare, education, or business.
Faced with the current hiring challenges, including record low levels of unemployment in Oregon, we knew it was imperative to get in front of people and help them understand the DSP role. This is a problem that communications alone would not solve. We needed a campaign supported by grassroots field work.
When Darby Strong joined Bonehook full-time last November, her first order of duty was to take “Project Placement” from concept to inception. The strategy called for a highly targeted approach aimed at local community college students studying health sciences, community health, or social work. Darby reached out to the Career Placement offices at the local schools and put together an event marketing plan based on career day opportunities.
To help promote Danville Services and our presence on campus, we placed print ads in the college newspapers and posters on Career Center bulletin boards. We also used Vimeo, Facebook, LinkedIn, and Twitter to create interest in the community.
The results are just starting to roll in now, and we’re pleased to report that “more than a handful” of new employees have been hired via these efforts.