Q&A: Bea Gonzalez on SU Employment Opportunities Workshop at the Warehouse

Office of Human Resources Talent Acquisition Managers Sharon Cole and Jose Miguel Longo met recently with community members for an employment information workshop at the Nancy Cantor Warehouse. The purpose was to educate those in attendance about Syracuse University’s online application process and encourage them to apply for open positions. We asked Vice President for Community Engagement Bea Gonzalez about how the event came about and plans for more like it.

  • What was the purpose of this workshop, and why do you think it was important to do?
    The University is vested in the well-being of our city and the surrounding region. We are collaborators and partners with many agencies and organizations working on addressing the issues of poverty and access. As I was engaged in my listening tour, recurring questions kept coming up. “How can our community members and clients access jobs at SU?” “If SU is serious about addressing poverty in our community, could you assist in getting our people employed?” We asked our colleagues in Human Resources if they would be willing to provide a how-to session at the Warehouse to encourage more applications from our community members. They agreed, and we started planning. SU was already providing this service at Skytop. We just changed the venue and invitation process based on what I heard during my listening tour.

  • This was a collaboration of the University and local agencies. Who was involved?
    We piloted with the agencies that I had heard from: the Spanish Action League, the Northside Learning Center, the Urban Jobs Task Force, the South West Community Center and CNY Works.

  • This was designed intentionally for a limited number of attendees (ceiling on attendance was 20 registrants). Did you consider this a pilot program? Will there be more opportunities like it in the future?
    Yes, we consider this a pilot. The idea is to connect with our community. As one of the key employers in the area, we feel it is important to provide the services and resources that make our hiring process personal and accessible. As a follow up, of the 13 participants at the SU Employment Opportunities session, six have already been invited to campus for interviews.

  • What are the best ways for people to learn about jobs at the University and apply?
    Potential employees have access to all of the online resources at hr.syr.edu/. We are planning to offer community-based information sessions several times a year. Also, all of our SU jobs can be accessed through Indeed.com, HERCjobs.org and HigherEdjobs.com.