Member Profiles


Eve Joseph, Program Manager
HIRED Temps
San Jose, California

Year program began: 1986
Program sponsor: Project HIRED
Jobseekers placed last year: 75

Project HIRED, a 30-year-old nonprofit in Silicon Valley, helps people with disabilities find jobs or advance their careers. “Disabled” covers a wide range of limitations, including mental health conditions, chronic illness, physical handicaps and learning disabilities. One of Project HIRED’s three employment programs is HIRED Temps, a temporary service that fills mid- to high-level positions, mainly in the technology sector.

We spoke with Eve Joseph just three weeks into her new position as manager of HIRED Temps, with additional comments from her predecessor Monica Makela.

How did you get into the alternative staffing business?
My professional background is in for-profit recruiting, and I came here because I’m very attracted to the population our organization serves. I’m excited by this opportunity to help people with disabilities get competitive employment.

How many jobseekers does your program serve annually?
Project HIRED served about 550 applicants last year. Of these, over 200 were directly placed into competitive employment through our HIRED Direct program, which includes a year of retention support services. About 75 individuals were placed through HIRED Temps, generally into full-time contract positions. Another 55 or so people are employed in five call centers we operate through our contract with the Veterans Administration to service their Bay area hospitals and clinics.

How are participants referred to your program?
We receive referrals from the state’s Employment Development Department and we recruit individuals through job fairs. People also hear about our services by word-of-mouth and through occasional local news coverage.

What types of support services have you found to be most critical to your workers’ success?
Negotiating issues that arise with employers, including accommodations, is a key form of support we provide for our temp workers. We can help customers with accessibility and provide accommodations, such as adaptive equipment, at no cost.

What types of employers do you serve?
Here in Silicon Valley, the market is mainly tech and bio-tech companies. Agilent, Sun Microsystems and Genentech are among our customers, for example. It’s commonplace for people to work from contract to contract in this sector. Few of our temp workers convert to “permanent” employment.

What marketing methods or messages have you found to be most effective in attracting new customers?
We use a “hot candidates list” to showcase our workers skills and qualifications, based on our research of open positions. We also emphasize our high employee retention rates. Overall, we position Project HIRED as a resource to help companies satisfy their diversity and equal employment opportunity goals with superior candidates, from entry-level to PhDs.

What are the biggest challenges of operating a staffing service program in your market?
On-site staffing vendors are a big challenge. Smaller companies lack diversity departments or specialists so we often need to educate them about hiring and integrating individuals with disabilities into their workforce. Many of our customers are also very concerned about confidentiality of proprietary technology, so we have additional costs to insure against that risk.

As a manager, what do you wish you had more time for?
Initially my focus will be on selling and employer outreach. Down the road, I hope I can dedicate more time to worker recruitment and community outreach regarding disability awareness and Project HIRED’s services.

What are your program’s main goals for the future?
Mainly, we would like to expand our temp staffing services beyond the market niche we currently serve. Document scanning is one area with business potential.

What about your staffing program are you most proud of?
We represent some very talented, motivated people and can market individuals with disabilities as productive, qualified job candidates.

What advice would you offer to someone considering alternative staffing as a strategy in their community?
Develop a thick skin … staffing is a competitive business and you need a high tolerance for rejection. Remain focused, learn your customers’ business and persevere.

NOTE: Project HIRED closed its temporary staffing division in early 2009.