Through the late 1980’s and 1990’s, Sephardic Bikur Holim (SBH) found themselves to be busy with the influx of Jewish immigrants coming to the Brooklyn, NY area. SBH was dedicated to assisting with every aspect of the immigrants’ lives in terms of getting settled. They would set them up with places to live, schools for their children, as well as basic essential needs such as clothing and, most importantly, jobs. 

Due to language barriers at the time for immigrants, the jobs they were given were entry level jobs at retail stores and other positions in similar fields. This is around the time where SBH discovered the need for a job assistance division not only for new immigrants, but for the community at large. That was when the Career Service Network was born. 

The Career Services division of SBH, better known as Career Services Network (CSN), started out with a small list of around 200 community businesses who might be looking to employ prospective job seekers. At the time, computers were nonexistent to the extent that we are used to so that meant that there was no extensive database at CSN like they have today. It was just a notebook and two workers trying their best to make the proper matches for employers and employees alike.

Today, CSN at SBH is a vital resource in our community. Rita Shabot, the Director of CSN, has been working there for 22 years and has seen the organization grow from what it was at its start to what it is today. Since their humble beginnings, CSN has successfully placed thousands upon thousands of individuals into jobs which have benefitted so many families in our community. 

CSN places people for jobs anywhere from entry level to senior executive positions and everything in between. This network stands out for their personal care and attention they put into each one of their applicants. They are also 100% free to both job seekers and employers. This is rare, if not impossible, to find elsewhere. When an employer comes to them with a job opportunity, CSN first circulates it internally and then they post it to their online job database. CSN also makes sure not to put the employers’ information so that they don’t get contacted directly.

Ten individuals make up the team at CSN. Each time a job seeker makes an account on their website, the CSN employees are notified and a face to face meeting is set up to get the process started. In this meeting, CSN gets to know the applicant and gages their wants and needs. Several resources are then offered to them such as resume assistance, interview prep, and even computer classes. Introduction to computers, introduction to Microsoft Office, Excel, how to sell online E-commerce, and Quickbooks are the classes CSN currently offer both at morning and night. Soon, CSN will introduce an Intro to Coding and Intro to Google Docs as well. All of these classes prove to be very necessary skills to have in today’s day and age in the realm of careers. 

The employees at CSN take such a personal interest in their applicants and are truly excited when they match someone up with a job. They also will offer staff training which is covered by a government grant.

So what’s the benefit to a business owner who chooses CSN to find a employee? CSN takes the time to pre-screen all clients before sending their resumes to each employer. They can also arrange interviews for them, check references, and in some cases they even help negotiate salary. CSN will also visit an employer's business to get a feel for the culture of the company to assure they hire the right person to suit their needs. 

CSN will soon be running human resources seminars in Manhattan for employers to learn more about labor laws as well. Each employer receives all of these services just by simply contacting CSN and giving a job description and a few other details.

Throughout the years, CSN has kept record of all of the individual people they have matched with employers and began to notice patterns. From the very start of the 2016 year to today, 833 men and 591 women have come to CSN seeking job opportunities. On top of that, a whopping 75% of people who opt in for their computer classes are women as well. These numbers show a massive increase in women applicants compared to CSN’s numbers from past years.

With the help of CSN, about 400 people are places in new jobs each year. CSN is truly a gem in our community and should be considered by all job seekers, male or female, and potential employers as well. 

For more information about Career Services Network, head to CSNetworks.org or call them at 1-718-787-1400.

Frieda Schweky

Frieda@sephardic.org

Frieda Schweky is Sephardic.Org's official community events reporter. For inquiries and to get involved with our site, please contact Frieda via email.