Temporary Agencies are a good Choice for Ex-offenders and Felons
Temp agency faces discrimination suit from African-American job seekers |
Several of my blog posts make reference to ex-offenders and felons using temporary employment agencies to find jobs. Often when temporary employees prove to be good workers, employers are willing to hire them as regulars.
I teach my students that there is a strategy to using temporary agencies to get jobs. There are temporary agencies that handle just about any type of work you can think of. There are others that are agency specific for example, there are some agencies that cater to the medical field and others may cater to restaurants and food service. Check your local telephone directory to get a list of agencies in your area.
For an ex-offenders or felon, the approach to getting hired has to be a little different than a regular job seeker. From my point of view, there are two types of agencies, nationwide agencies and local, independently owned companies.
Nation-wide Agencies
Below is a list of nation-wide temporary/permanent employment agencies with links to their respective websites:
Net-Temps
Net-Temps has a great site that allows job seekers to find their offices in multiple states and has listing of available jobs according to interest.
Manpower
Manpower has been in the temporary staffing business for over 60 years and is an industry leader. The site allows job seekers to search for positions by interest, skills and location.
Labor Ready
Every year, Labor Ready sends approximately 400,000 Temporary Associates to jobs in construction, manufacturing, hospitality, events, restoration, auto services, logistics and warehousing, retail support, waste and recycling and more. Labor Ready has more than 600 locations. Greater than 225,000 businesses of all sizes throughout North America use Labor Ready for their staffing needs. Labor Ready is the leader in employing ex-offenders and felons. Their website will help you find your nearest Labor Ready office.
Adecco USA
Adecco has over 400 career centers and, on a daily basis connects 70,000 talented workers to the best employment opportunities across the country, making them one of the country’s largest employers. You will find employment opportunities in marketing, customer service and telemarketing, hospitality, industrial and manufacturing, medical, office and administrative, transportation and warehousing and many more categories.
Kelly Services
Kelly Services employment to 550,000 employees annually and is an industry leader in providing temporary employment worldwide. The website allows job seekers to find the nearest Kelley Services office.
This is just a small list and some allow job seekers to apply online or submit resumes. I’m not sure exactly what their respective policies are regarding hiring ex-offenders and felons.
Independent Agencies
Independent agencies, in my opinion, offer the best opportunities for ex-offenders and felons to get hired. Often the larger corporate agencies have corporate policies that forbid the hiring of an ex-offender or felon. With smaller companies, you will more often than not interview with the owner or manager that has the power to hire anyone that person feels is best for an assignment.
Make a list of temporary agencies in your area from the telephone book. Visit them and apply just as you would any other job. Have your resume with you to leave along with your application.
Remind the interviewer that you can be bonded by the Federal Bonding Program. The Federal Bonding Program encourages businesses to hire at-risk, hard-to-place job seekers by providing insurance policies that protect against employee theft or dishonesty. Refer to the video below for more information on the Federal Bonding Program.
Also remind the interviewer about the Work Opportunity Tax Credit. The employer would be eligible for a tax credit of up to $2,400 for hiring you if you have been released in the past year.
Temporary Agencies are a good Choice for Ex-offenders and Felons
More and more employers are turning to temporary employment agencies to find good employees. Temp agencies are a great place for ex-offenders and felons looking for jobs to get hired.
Temporary Agencies are a good Choice for Ex-offenders and Felons
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