Ex-offenders and felons should be honest when looking for jobs
Q: Hi,
I came across your email address while reading on a blog about how felons can get jobs. I was wondering if you could offer any advice to me since you have some experience helping individuals with felonies get employed. I am a senior graduating from a prestigious university in pharmaceutical sciences. My GPA is above 3.0, I have many references in industry, lab, and even state representatives and senators. I have work experience in industrial, retail and synthetic pharmacy but no one is willing to give me a chance. Various different companies have flown me to their respective locations to have a second or third interview along with a tour of the plant. However, they will not offer me jobs because of my background. One company actually gave me an offer and soon after retracted it.
I got a class D felony for theft in 2005 while I was in high school. The situation that led to it was very silly but I ended up with a felony nonetheless. If you have any idea how I can move forward please let me know. I have been trying to get advice from many different people but have not been successful finding a job. I will be graduating soon and my student loans will be due so the pressure is building up. Please let me know if you can help. I’d greatly appreciate it.
Thanks,
Sal
Ex-offenders and felons should be honest when looking for jobs
A: Hello Sal,
Many ex-offenders and felons looking for jobs have worked hard to overcome some legal issues that happened some time ago. With all of their hard work, some still find their convictions holding them back from getting jobs. The one thing I suggest to all ex-offenders and felons looking for jobs is to be honest. If you find that an application is asking about criminal convictions, give the information that the application asks for. Some have been taught to respond to the “Have you been convicted…..” question with the response “will explain at interview.” In most cases the interview will never come because the application is incomplete – you did not answer the question. In your case, you have only one conviction. You must include the following information:
Name of the conviction, date, location, and the disposition (time served, fine and/or probation.) It might look like this:
Theft 8/12/05 Houston, Probation Served (18 mos.)
Many ex-offenders and felons looking for jobs choose not to include their convictions on their applications because they feel it may keep them from getting an interview. I have spoken with ex-offenders and felons who have lied on applications and gotten jobs, only to lose them later when background checks were done. There were not let go for having convictions, rather they were let go for not disclosing information.
In your case, perhaps you should apply for jobs using your resume and well written cover letters. Often, applying for jobs this way, you conviction may never come up. If it does, I always suggest that you be completely honest.
Answer the question without going into detail. Mention the amount of time that has gone by and what you have learned from your experience. Also talk about the progress you have made. Shift the conversation to the opportunities you have had to improve yourself. You may even answer this way:
I’m glad you asked because I want you to feel comfortable about hiring me. I’ve done some things that I’m not proud of. I had to learn the hard way that there are no shortcuts in life. If I’m going to be successful it’s going to take a lot of hard work. I started working on that when I was away. I have been working very hard to turn things around. I’m just looking for a chance.
I hope this helps.
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Are you an ex-offender or felon who has a question about finding a job with a criminal record? You could have your question answered right here. Email your question to: BelievePublications@comcast.net.
Ex-offenders and felons should be honest when looking for jobs
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