Q&A with MassHire Downtown Boston Career Center’s VP of Career Services
September 11, 2025
The MassHire Downtown Boston Career Center seeks to service the needs of Boston jobseekers and employers alike. Operated by JVS, one of the city’s leading workforce development organizations, the MassHire Downtown Boston Career Center is located in the heart of downtown Boston at 75 Federal Street. As the Boston MassHire Workforce Board, the PIC charters both the MassHire Downtown Boston Career Center and the MassHire Boston ABCD Career Center in Roxbury and works with them to implement workforce development strategies.
The PIC sat down with Kevin Parham, Vice President of Career Services at the MassHire Downtown Boston Career Center, to learn more about the center’s many resources for Boston jobseekers.
Q& A with Kevin Parham, Vice President of Career Services
1. Why is it important for JVS to operate a career center?
JVS’s long legacy is an asset to the MassHire career center system. JVS has been involved in workforce development since 1938, so they have a thorough understanding of the needs of the workforce system in Boston. They serve a wide range of people, with different backgrounds, ethnicities, and languages, so they have a firm grasp on the melting pot that is Boston and how to interact sensitively with different communities.
With JVS as our operator, we’re able to draw upon that long-lasting legacy and knowledge of workforce development within Boston. I’d describe the relationship between JVS and the career center as truly hand in glove—it’s seamless collaboration.
2. What sets your career center apart?
What sets the MassHire Downtown Boston Career Center apart is our innovation. We know the value and importance of technology, so we try to use it where we can. Recently, we’ve upgraded the computers in the resource center and provided staff with new laptops, so both our customers and staff members can benefit from state-of-the-art technology.
I would also say that our staff is forward-thinking. We use the limited resources we have in creative ways, and we’re always looking to improve or become more efficient. To that end, we also strongly value customer feedback. After each workshop, we build in time to listen to feedback—what participants liked or disliked—and use that to guide us forward.
3. What populations do you serve and why?
At the MassHire Downtown Boston Career Center, we primarily serve those with the highest barriers to employment. The whole purpose of the career center system is to help people upgrade or create new skills so that they can be competitive in the workforce.
In addition to aiding jobseekers, we also work with employers—our employer engagement team maintains close ties with many employers in the Boston area. These relationships are really valuable so that we can truly meet the needs of both jobseekers and employers. We work with the jobseekers to make sure they are qualified for the jobs they’re applying for, and we also make sure employers have access to talent for roles they need to fill. It’s a balancing act.
We serve not only the adult population, but we also provide services for young adults ages 18 to 24. Two years ago, we piloted a Young Adult Career Center Services initiative focusing on the young adult population. We learned that there’s a lot of need for young adults to access career center resources, so the Young Adult Career Center Services has grown into a full team.
4. What resources does the new Young Adult Career Center Services initiative offer?
We offer a variety of tools and resources for young adults, including personalized career coaching, support for cover letters and resumes, job training, interview prep, and more. Career exploration plays a major role in the resources we provide, because we want to help young adults build their careers. Many young people don’t have experience in the working world, so they might not know what is out there or what they’re interested in. We’re there to help them find potential paths forward.
Working with young adults is really enlightening—they have different mindsets and grew up in a different world than I did. They’re very in tune with technology, so many want to incorporate that into their jobs, but they might not have the exact skills and education that certain roles require. That’s what we’re able to help with at the Young Adult Career Center Services—we work with them to identify their skills and interests, learn where they want to go in the future, and help them achieve their goals.
5. With the labor market trending downward, what advice would you give to current job seekers?
Be persistent. Try to stay one, two, or even ten steps ahead of the competition. Right now, it’s an employer’s market where they can pick who they want, so you need to be qualified and have matching skills for the roles you’re applying to.
It’s really important to hone your skills for the current market, which can be challenging. We try our best to get the most recent and relevant labor market information so that we can guide people to the training they need to get employment. That’s our whole mission here.
6. What’s the most rewarding part of your work?
The most rewarding part of my work is making a difference in people’s lives. We help so many people here develop skills and get jobs, which can be a real game changer for people.
An important aspect of making a difference is supporting and empowering my staff. I encourage them to take advantage of the professional opportunities we have here, so they improve their skills whether it’s for this job or their next role. It means a lot to me that they can grow and develop as professionals and as people.
Learn more about the MassHire Downtown Boston Career Center: Home – MassHire Downtown Boston Career Center
Learn more about the MassHire Boston ABCD Career Center: Home – MassHire Boston ABCD
Learn more about the MassHire Boston Workforce Board: MassHire Boston Workforce Board – Your local workforce partner.