List of companies in Illinois and Mossouri that will hire felons.?

Question

ex-offender employment options or companies that dont do background checks.

Answer 1

Nobody is going to have that list, but the local unemployment office or workforce commission usually has counselors to help people find work, and they do that for free.

Hunt them out (look in your phone book) and see if they can help.

As a rule, most companies at the lower end of the pay scale will hire felons, and most companies do not do background checks.

However if you are in a highly skilled position that isn't in the construction trade, you will probaby be subjected to a check.

Your best bet is to never lie. A sure fire way of getting fired is to lie about it and get caught.

A lot will depend on industry, and sometimes the offense matters too.

Answer 2

OK….let’s get to the guts of this issue.

First of all, I AM a convicted felon. I was convicted of a theft after a 4 day trial in 1992. My conviction – a felony conviction with 8 years probation and 30 days in a “half-way” house.

Regardless of my conviction, everyone….EVERYONE….. has committed a felony. The real issue is – have you been caught or not? My mother used to cheat on her taxes in her early 20s. My father used to drive home from the saloons/bars after work. My brother, in high school, used to sell small amounts of drugs to the jocks. Today, he is a lawyer. My college professor admitted to stealing cars as a young punk in the 60s. EVERYONE, one way or another, has committed one or more felonies. EVERYONE. The question is….has everyone been caught? No. Of course not. So some people have the stigma of being “convicted felons” and others, in my opinion, are lucky and get to point the finger as the “felons.”

But whatever….who really cares.

But when it comes to getting a job……don’t play the victim. As a felon, you made someone or something else the victim. Now that your time in jail or probation has passed you by, don’t even think about complaining. You are in this mess due to YOUR actions, like it or not.

Felons get jobs all the freaking time. For a while, after my conviction, I had a slew of jobs –

a.Delivering newspapers from 2:30 am to 5:30 am. ($200 a week)
b.Washed dishes for $7.00/hour every mid-day. ($150 a week)
c.Waited tables as a waiter every evening. ($150.00 a week)

I didn’t sleep much, but three part time jobs paid me $25,000 a year. I didn’t see my wife much, except on the weekends. But I made an ‘acceptable’ living and paid my bills.

After a while, my paper delivery job collided with my dish washing job, so I got a different job during the day – working as a general laborer for Labor Ready ($30 a day).

While working the three jobs, I also applied to numerous job applications in the Sunday paper, on Monster.com and on career builders.com. Every week or so, I would get a “bite.” Someone would call or email with interest in hiring me. I would ask – “What are the requirements? Drug test? Background check? Credit Check?” Most people would say – “Yes, a background check and drug test.”

But, you know what? Sometimes….every now and then, someone would say –

“No….no background check, but we do test all applicants for drugs.” Once I heard that, I would work very, very, very hard to get that job.

After a year of working three jobs and sending resumes, I was hired. My salary - $32,000. I said ‘goodbye’ to Labor ready, delivering newspapers….but still waited tables (part time) on weekend evenings. That gave me another $60.00 a week. The extra $240.00 a month is great way to pay for pizzas, sushi, renting videos, buying subway sandwiches, postage stamps, etc.

See? It can be done. It merely takes the continuous effort.

Stop playing a victim. You CAN do it. Never complain or condemn. Pick yourself up, dust yourself off, and get to work.

There are lots of Felons (ex-cons) out there who work every single day. According to the government, there are 15 million of us. Being one of the ‘working folks’is EASY.

Get to work!

David

P.S. – I’m not going to say “Good luck” because I believe that you MAKE your own luck. Don’t ‘have a great day’. MAKE IT a great day.

Answer 3

Check with your local workforce center. They also have paperwork you can fill out to register for the Federal Bonding Program through the Dept of Labor. It costs you and the employer nothing.