Felon can’t get Around Background Check
My name is Dennis and I am getting so frustrated and depressed on what I have been going thru for years. I have 2 felony convictions nearly 20 years ago and every time a background check is done it comes up. What they are seeing on paper is not the person I am today. I have a credit score over 726, I own my own home, and I have been living a law abiding life since getting out of prison where I did 2 years- that was back in 1997 when I got out.
Signed,
So lost
Felon can’t get Around Background Check
Hello Dennis,
I’m sorry you have not had much success in your job search. Don’t give up hope just yet. The fact is, ex-offenders and felons get jobs everyday. Your challenge is to find out which employers will give you an opportunity. Unfortunately this is easier said than done. My first suggestion is to employ the single greatest method of finding job leads… Networking.
Many people got their job leads from people they know. This is called networking.
Networking is the most effective method of finding employment leads. Most jobs are never advertised because they are usually filled by personal contacts. In fact, employers would rather hire someone referred to them by people they know rather than to painfully sort through resumes and applications. How many people do you know? Each one of them is a potential lead for a job.
• Friends
• Relatives
• Neighbors
• Parole/probation officers
• Members of your religious group (especially ministers, priests, imams, etc.)
• Former teachers
• Former co- workers
• Former employers
• Classmates
• Casual acquaintances
• People you do business with (Hairstylists, barbers, doctors)
Look at the list above. In each group, list five people that you can contact. That is at least 55
people that could help you in your job search. Let each person know that you are looking for a job and that any information they have for you would be helpful. Have copies of your resume handy for your contacts to give to other people. Often when ex-offenders and felons are referred for jobs, the question about criminal records doesn’t come up.
You just never know where your next opportunity will come from. Never ask for a job. Only ask for information about job leads or for advice. The more people you are able to contact, the more leads you will get. Remember, this is a numbers game.
You can also take a look at this list of companies that may give ex-offenders and felons the opportunity to get jobs: Get this updated list of companies that hire ex-offenders and felons
Frequent readers of this blog are familiar with my next suggestion. I encourage every ex-offender and felon looking for a job to visit their local One-stop Career Center. One-stop Career Centers are very underutilized resources that ex-offenders and felons can use not only to get jobs, but to get career counseling and training. In addition, these centers provide a long list of valuable services. Some services available are:
Career planning and counseling
Workshops (Resume Writing, Interviewing Skills, and related topics.)
Computers with internet access and word processing
Daily access to thousands of job listings
Job-related magazines and local newspapers
Job postings and referrals
Printers, fax machines, phones, and copiers for job search use
Each center has trained counselors that provide one-on-one assistance. Many of them have experience assisting ex-offenders and felons looking for jobs.
