Damien Ramsdell was just two months away from graduating from Bowdoin College with a degree in government and legal studies when he hit rock bottom. “I had made so many attempts to get sober, since about halfway through my junior year,” he said....

For people in recovery, finding an employer who will give them a chance—despite holes in their employment history—can be a real challenge. “Being in a positive work environment where my recovery was always put first was hard to find,” said Chloe Swerdlow, 37,...