I am a young woman that is in search of stable employment. My downfall is that I have a felony that is almost ten years old and it is weighting down on me like a ton of bricks. I would like to receive any information that you can share. ( I have already tried to have it expunged, it was denied)
2007-09-10 05:47:17 · 7 answers · asked by ttye1990 1 in Politics & Government ➔ Law Enforcement & Police
I know job applications ask about felony convictions, but do employers actually check?
I've always thought that if it were me, i'd lie on that question and take my chances. That would also mean that you can't tell anyone about it.
I don't know if you're the type to talk about your past, but if you are then I'd advise you to stop. At a new job, never, even mention it to anyone - don't be the "I-just-need-a-chance" person. Some people are constantly talking about things that have gone wrong in their past, but nobody wants to hear it. I'm not saying you're that way, I don't know. I'm just saying if you are in the habit of talking about this felony conviction it's hurting you.
Good luck.
2007-09-10 05:56:22 · answer #1 · answered by Whoops, is this your spleeen? 6 · 0⤊ 1⤋
There are employers who will accept felons, I believe your parole/probation officer can help you with agencies that offer those services. But the jobs you will find will be at minimum wage.
You can lie ... if you do, my advice is to go with a small company; larger companies have people to do checks on potential employees. A mom and pop shop will probably not check your record. Also go for jobs that will have no relation to your felony ... for instance, if you were convicted of theft of cash, don't get a job handling money, get a secretarial job with no accounting. Then, if you are ever found out, you can possibly argue that it wasn't related and you were embarrassed to admit to such a stupid mistake.
You can tell the truth, and again, I'd say go for the mom and pop shops not related to your felony in any way. If you do tell the truth, you will need to be able to show how since that time you have been a model citizen and the lesson that you "painfully" learned.
Good luck, it's hard to regain trust.
2007-09-10 06:18:18 · answer #2 · answered by Lisbeth 3 · 2⤊ 0⤋
That's society's way of fixing things. If you have a felony we can't hire you. But they fail to see that you might commit the next one against them. They feel justified by these records. You just have to soldier on. Take ANY job you can get and work from there. We the few know what true discrimination is all about. We also have a responsibility to clear the path for the rest of the people in our shoes. The worst they can say is no. To us that just means try harder! After 10 yrs. I can't see this being a problem. Maybe you just aren't qualified for the jobs you are seeking. When you need a job you lower your expectations. You take ANYTHING you can get. My last job was$20+ hr. so you can't tell me it's not possible. You just have to work twice as hard.
2007-09-10 10:25:44 · answer #3 · answered by pappyld04 4 · 1⤊ 0⤋
If you can't have it expunged, I don't know that there is much that you can do. Most employers say that admission of a felony conviction is not grounds for rejection but, presumably, that's not really true. The people at the link below work to restore rights to felons and can probably point you in the right direction in terms of job placement assistance.
Good luck.
2007-09-10 05:59:30 · answer #4 · answered by I'm back...and this still sucks. 6 · 1⤊ 0⤋
My husband has a felony from almost 8 years ago. He was just young and stupid and was experimenting with drugs and got busted. He still has a hard time getting a job because of it. I'm going to have to give you a star on this one and see if anyone has a good suggestion! Good luck!
2007-09-10 05:56:27 · answer #5 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
Hey, Im going through the same thing. It sucks!
I have heard you can make an appt. a Vocational Rehabilatation center and they can help with matters like these. You just have to call them a tell them your situation and whatever your offence was. You will probably have to show them you are serious before they hook you up with any long term decent paying job.
What ever you do dont go back to commitin felonies. Just keep praying and believing. God's already worked it out for you. good luck!
2007-09-10 06:19:11 · answer #6 · answered by Anonymous · 2⤊ 0⤋
Well there should be!
When people have "payed their debt to society" they should be able to earn a living.
If they can't earn a living the chances are good that they'll return to crime and we don't want that!
If I owned a business I'd hire people with felonys.
I think they'd go out of their way to be good employees.
2007-09-10 06:42:59 · answer #7 · answered by tom p 3 · 1⤊ 0⤋