Job Resource | Absolute Know It All

Felon-Friendly?  Or Not?

            As an employer, or someone in a position to hire, would you consider yourself, or your firm or company policy to be described as ‘Felon-Friendly’? As a job seeker, if you happen to have a background that  includes criminal convictions (misdemeanor or felony), I’m sure  you don’t need to be told how big an obstacle that can be to overcome, or about the brick wall you hit that stops you cold, without ever having  the  opportunity to discuss the matter. So, whether you’re an employer faced with having to make the choice of hiring an applicant with a felony in their past, or you’re out there looking for work and your past is making it more difficult, I believe after reading this blog, you’ll have a better understanding of the problems this can be for either party, and hopefully I’ll give you some food for thought regarding how this effects both sides. Originally, this was going to be directed towards employers and the decision regarding hiring ‘ex-cons’. But because of my past and the experiences I’ve had regarding this matter, I’ve decided to address the issue from the perspective of both sides, because when I was out looking for work, I never considered anything other than the effect it had on my ability to get hired, never from the  employers point  of view. And  I’d be willing to bet if you’re in a position to make  the decision regarding who gets hired, you most likely don’t know what it’s like to be in the shoes  of someone trying  to get  hired that  has that felony in his past.

The Big Question on the application

            I can empathize with those of you who have a ‘not-so-desirable’ past. Especially when you get to that dreaded question that’s on every application: “Have you pled guilty or been convicted of a felony in the past 7 years”? (There are many variations of that question, I’ve come across the wording to include misdemeanors, not including minor traffic violations, as well as having it ask if you’ve EVER been convicted…)While some of these variants are worded to narrowly and others are too broad and ambiguous, they all boil down to the same thing – a big hurdle that you have to deal with.

            I understand, from an employer’s point of view, the  need and desire to know what kind of person you’re about to hire, your concerns about keeping your workplace safe, as well as the  potential for legal problems should the hiring decision result in harm. Checking criminal records of the applicant demonstrates Due Diligence, as opposed to negligent hiring were no background check is ever conducted, and because of that, unforeseen problems could have been avoided.

           

My Story

            I’ve had to address that question quite a few times after being released from prison, and believe me, even though  there’s a little box for you to explain (in detail) the circumstance of your criminal history, (should you have answered ‘yes’ to the  previous question), I’ve found  it to be almost  impossible to adequately do so. In my case, I had both State and Federal convictions, and after doing 60 months of incarceration, I was released in 2001. I found that little ‘explanation box’ wasn’t even big enough for me to list my convictions, let alone try to  describe them in the least damaging light. What where my charges, I’m sure you might be wondering. Well, for the State, I had Attempted Assault 1 and an Arson in the first degree.  My Federal conviction was under the description of: ‘Unlawful possession of an un-registered explosive device (ie: a pipe bomb). So, instead of even trying to figure out how to list my crimes as well as giving a detailed explanation or description, I usually wrote: “Not enough room to adequately and properly explain my past”. That usually got me an opportunity  to talk face to face with  someone about it, whereas otherwise I  doubt my  application  would  have  gotten  any  further  then the  closest trash can. At this point, you’ll have the opportunity to  discuss the  matter and it’s going to be up to you  to put it in the  best possible light and to sell yourself.      

            Whenever possible, when given an application to fill out, or even if I have to complete it before talking with the person doing the interview or hiring, I go directly to the  question regarding my arrests and say something like this: “This question here, regarding whether I’ve ever been convicted  of a felony…….Let’s talk about that first, because if that ends up being a deal-breaker for you, I don’t want to waste your  time, because I’m sure it’s valuable, and I certainly don’t have the time to waste;  because  I  need to be spending mine on getting  hired, and if it’s  not going to be here, then I need to be on my way  to my next interview.” The other advantage of approaching it this way, is instead of trying to cram an explanation into a small box using 2 or 3 sentences explaining my charges, I’m now in a much better position to be  able to have some control as to  where this  conversation goes. Plus, I find, if  I’m the one to bring the matter up, and I’m that  up front about it and not trying to hide it, I’m showing  that I’ve taken  responsibility for  my  past actions, and the  openness about it goes a long way with a much more  desirable result. I’d usually explain what I  was convicted  of, and before they get the chance to ask,  and then tell them the honest truth:  It was during  a time in my life that I wasn’t making  good choices, (obviously), that I  wasn’t the most enjoyable period in my life, including being  incarcerated, that  I  wasn’t angry  or bitter, and that I’ve taken the opportunity  to have made numerous changes during that time and I’m confidant  I’m not  going to be repeating  those mistakes again and now it’s time for  me to put that part of my life behind me, make positive choices and become a ‘productive member of society’.

            You might  be thinking, with the severity of my crimes and  having  both  State and Federal, convictions, I  wouldn’t be  able to get  a job at McDonalds. And you wouldn’t be that far from the truth. I’ve found that the larger corporations were absolutely the hardest to get hired.at, and I learned real quickly not to waste my time there. Instead, when I was given the opportunity to actually talk with the person making the hiring decision, I had about an 80% success rate, if not better. Prior to the economy going south and the  housing  market crashing, I  had a position as a Computer Aided Drafter, (which, by  the  way,  was a trade I learned in prison), that paid $57k a year. I know finding a job in this economy is a bitch, and having  a felony on your  record makes  it harder, but it doesn’t  make  it impossible.

Part 2 of this blog will address the question:  “Why should I hire YOU”?

This will provide you with some  very useful  tips and information’s regarding improving your  chances of landing that job, and if you’re an employer reading  this, I’m going  to point out some very convincing reasons  as to why you’d want that  guy with the  felony on your payroll. Including a tax credit of over $2000, as well as recidivism and the connection it has to employment, and how this affects the community, in which you live. Stay tuned….

Written by:  Scott Free

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