"You’re hired." Those two words can mean a new opportunity for growth, success, and stability — for both workers and employers. But in a labor market where half of U.S. workers are watching for or actively seeking a new job, and employees’ long-term commitment to their employer is at its lowest in almost a decade, job placement may not be the best signal of true success.

Cara Collective, a Chicago-based workforce development organization, believes that success for job seekers and businesses isn’t just a hire — it’s retention, advancement, and employer practices that change. At a time when employers struggle to fill open roles and retain staff, Cara’s model shows that building a resilient workforce starts long before — and continues long after — the first day on the job.

In the more than three decades since Cara’s founding, over 10,000 people have been placed into more than 17,000 jobs. Yet the deeper story is how Cara helps people find themselves before they find a job, while developing a pipeline of high-quality and motivated workers for employers.

"It’s not just about placing people in a job but thinking about that holistic person and the challenges they might face," said Tara Harper, chief external affairs officer at Cara Collective.

Meeting basic needs first

For many job seekers, the biggest obstacle to job success isn’t a lack of ambition or drive — it’s life’s essentials. Even the most motivated candidate can struggle to hold down a job if they don’t have reliable transportation to get to work every day, a trusted provider to care for their children while they’re at work, or appropriate clothing for the job.

Addressing these challenges doesn’t erase the complexity of poverty or other barriers, but it creates a foundation where people can build stability and confidence to move forward. Cara addresses these barriers through what it calls wraparound stability. Each participant completes an assessment to help identify their needs, such as housing, child care, health care, or expungement support.

"Until we help people address those basic needs and become what we call stable, challenges will persist and prevent them from staying on the job," Harper said.

From there, Cara works closely with each participant to help identify their unique strengths and the best pathway to a job. That typically includes training and certification courses covering foundational job skills, digital and financial literacy, and industry certifications — all designed to increase a candidate’s employability.

The journey begins with self-discovery

Many Cara participants carry what Harper called "the noise" of past mistakes or repeated rejection.

"The noise of a background check, the noise of not being able to provide for your family, the noise of people telling you you’re not good enough," she said. “Before someone can focus on a job search, we have to quiet that noise.”

For Jeanette, a Cara alum, that noise included the weight of her incarceration for attempted bank robbery.

"During that time, I lost everything — my career, my family, my home … everything," Jeanette remembered. During her incarceration, she was told she’d never get a job that paid more than $10 an hour because of her justice-involved background.

As Jeanette re-entered society, that story seemed to be her reality.

"I couldn't land a single job because of my background. It was like having a giant X on my back. It felt like the whole world was against me," Jeanette recalled.

Cara "Motivations" — a daily community ritual where participants answer questions and celebrate wins in front of their peers — helps participants like Jeanette overcome this noise. The practice helps people rebuild their confidence, practice effective communication, and experience a supportive community.

Jeanette was initially put off by Motivations.

"People sharing in the circle, the singing, the dancing … it was overwhelming," she recalled. “But what I realized was that all these lessons were breaking down the bitterness I had inside me from being incarcerated. So, I began to trust the process and embrace everything."

After Jeanette completed Cara’s training, she got a job cleaning buses with the Chicago Transit Authority (a Cara employer partner) through the organization’s Second Chance Program. She steadily worked her way up — in part because she now believed she could climb that ladder.

Today, she’s a bus maintenance manager, overseeing mechanics, servicers, and apprentices in the Second Chance Program.

"Today, I am doing it all. I am going into my second year of homeownership. I have six grandchildren. I am a proud member of the Cara Alumni Association, and I share my journey with job seekers every chance I get," Jeanette said.

With the noise of her past quiet, Jeanette was able to realize her potential, and restore her dignity.

"I was saved by this program," Jeanette said.

Building a pipeline of resilient workers

Cara doesn’t just prepare workers; it creates a dynamic education-to-jobs marketplace that empowers more workers who can contribute to their communities and the economy. Cara serves as a recruiting partner, curating matches between Cara participants and employers. Because of the hard work they’ve put in at Cara, candidates come to employers ready to hit the ground running and embody workplace competencies such as professionalism, communication, and customer service — traits that can be the difference between a good hire and a great hire. In some instances, a company can add Cara’s training modules to their own to create a steady talent pool that is ready to meet their needs.

Additionally, Cara emphasizes retention, noting that "we intensively support our placements so they don’t just stick and stay, they thrive on the job." Each alum is paired with a retention coach for a full year after landing their first job through Cara. These coaches provide monthly check-ins and offer urgent troubleshooting when needed, guiding individuals through challenges such as workplace conflict or unreliable child care — issues that, left unresolved, could quickly put their employment at risk.

As Harper summarized: “The future of work can’t just be about filling seats. It has to be about empowering people to stay, grow, and contribute. When we do that, we don’t just change one life. We strengthen the entire economy.”

For businesses interested in strengthening their inclusive hiring practices, Cara offers hiring leaders a roadmap that includes dropping unnecessary degree requirements, shortening background check look-back periods, and transitioning their organizations toward skills-based hiring.

Harper pointed out that 74% of employers report difficulty finding talent, while large segments of the population remain untapped. "Our job seekers bring resilience, adaptability, and loyalty," she said. “Understanding that value is huge for a company’s bottom line.”

Cara Collective demonstrates that success in workforce development can be measured by more than the number of hires — it can also be measured by the longevity and success of the individuals who stay in their jobs as empowered contributors.

By helping people quiet the noise, stabilize their lives, and succeed on the job, Cara has created a dynamic education-to-jobs marketplace of resilient, motivated employees who are rewriting what’s possible for themselves — and the companies that hire them.

Cara Collective is supported by Stand Together Foundation, which empowers individuals to reach their full potential through community-driven change.

Learn more about Stand Together’s efforts to transform the future of work, and explore ways you can partner with us.