Overview
America's Job Honor Awards (“Job Honor”) is a 501(c)3 nonpartisan, nonprofit organization.
mission
Job Honor promotes employment opportunities for marginalized job seekers: people overcoming barriers including criminal histories and disabilities.
Programs
Our programming includes public speaking, publishing, media appearances, and the production of awards events in multiple states. Our awards celebrate people who overcome barriers to employment, and the employers who hire them.
We create short biographical videos for the top honorees in each state. Our videos put a human face on marginalized citizens, offering hope to struggling job seekers and convincing employers to give them a fair chance. Recognized for their honesty, our honoree videos are the foundation of all our programming.
We support existing workforce development agencies, both government and non-profit. They are our greatest source of nominations because we celebrate their impact and promote their work to a national audience.
Past honorees have overcome disabilities, criminal histories, immigration challenges and ageism in their struggle for employment.
“We watched the Job Honor Awards video, and we were inspired. Walking out we said, ‘We want to be part of someone’s success story someday.’ That’s how our journey began.”
Where we fit in
Most workforce development efforts focus on training struggling job seekers (the supply side of the Talent Supply Chain). These efforts are necessary but not sufficient. To create more opportunities, we must also overcome the negative employer bias that exiles millions of Americans from the workforce. At Job Honor, that’s our specialty. We present a powerful business and moral case to the employer community (the demand side of the Talent Supply Chain), while providing them with helpful insights to discover overlooked candidates and make sound hiring decisions.
principles
We’re respected by the business community because we speak the language of business. Sustainable employment is achieved when employees are workforce-ready and add value to the organization. We believe in personal responsibility. Unique among workforce advocates, we influence “the people who hold the keys to the jobs” precisely because we acknowledge and respect their business needs.
We encourage cooperation across the political spectrum to accomplish the shared goal of helping more citizens achieve economic empowerment and self-sufficiency through employment.
For each state in which we operate, we’re state-specific. We understand that each state faces unique challenges. Our state-specific approach is laid aside only when we address a national audience.
We’re positive in tone. We propose solutions that are good for people, good for business and good for society. Our goal is to win hearts, not arguments.
Impact
Statistics don’t win hearts and minds, but personal stories have that power. By sharing our honest and inspiring stories in short videos, we put a human face on marginalized job seekers and promote the conditions in which more of them can succeed.
By celebrating the workforce contributions of people who overcome barriers, we increase employer demand for them. Employers who have experienced our videos report that they're 75% more likely to hire candidates with barriers, including people with criminal convictions and disabilities.
Nonprofit organizations and state agencies across the nation use our videos to advance their missions. By enabling free access to our videos, we add capacity to those working "in the trenches" by helping them attract struggling job seekers to their services and persuade businesses to hire their clients.
Without spending a nickel on marketing, Job Honor’s stories have been shared in 125 newspapers in 17 states and featured in dozens of TV and radio interviews. We enjoy the support of Governors and U.S. Senators across the political spectrum, and we’re embraced by the workforce development and human services sectors.
changing the narrative
It's been said "Whoever controls the narrative controls the world." Job Honor is changing the narrative.
Our videos:
challenge employers to reconsider their negative bias and give disadvantaged candidates a fair chance
inspire struggling job seekers to recognize and overcome their barriers
influence policymakers to enact policies that promote a welcoming and inclusive labor force
energize workforce developers with testimonials to the impact of their work, and equip them to make a more persuasive case to employers and prospective clients
encourage consumers to celebrate companies that hire inclusively, by rewarding them with their purchasing power and their employment applications
Together, we’re making the American Dream more accessible to all.
“In the midst of America’s talent shortage, it’s time for employers to get serious about our untapped workforce. People who overcome patterns of failure or challenges such as disability are not only highly qualified employees, but frequently they demonstrate remarkable work ethic and loyalty.”
Video: Founder Kyle Horn describes Job Honor
(Daniele Zedda photo)