How Female Felons can get Jobs ~ Jobs for Felons: How felons can get jobs

Hello Mr. Mayo,

Thank you for reading my email.

I am a 24 year old girl and have a charge of simple assault. I got into a fight with another girl who pulled a knife on me. I had no choice but to protect myself but I got a charge anyway. I have gotten interviews, but when I get to the part about explaining my charge, everything changes and I don't get hired.

I read your blog all the time. How can people with charges find jobs if no one will give them a chance. If they can't find jobs then they sell drugs and do other things to get money. I want to get a job and put this nightmare behind me in the worst way. Any advice you can give me will be appreciated.

Thank you.

Lori

How Female Felons can get Jobs

Hello Lori,

More and more I am seeing women with felony convictions who are have a hard time finding jobs. First let me say that ex-offenders and felons get hired everyday all across the country. You have two challenges. Firstly, to make yourself as marketable as possible and secondly to find employers who will offer you an opportunity.

First you will need a well written resume. A resume will quickly help an employer get an understanding of your skills and qualifications. There are many resources online that can help you get an understanding of how to put a resume together. If you have never done this before, get help from someone who has written one before.

On most application you will find the question, "Have you ever been convicted of a crime?" This part is critical. I encourage everyone I work with to never lie on an application. In this computer age, lying about criminal records doesn't work so always be honest. When answering this question, list the name of the conviction, the county you were convicted in, the month and year, and the final outcome. It might look something like:

Simple Assault (isolated incident), Cook County, IL, 2016 , Probation/Fine Paid

When it's time to talk about it, briefly state what happened and how sorry you you are that it happened and how hard you are working to move past it.

Next you will have to practice your interviewing skills. Find someone who will pose and an interviewer so you can practice answering questions and work on your verbal and non-verbal communication skills. Practice until you can easily answer questions while sounding sincere.

You will also need professional interview clothes. The best clothes for an interview is a nice pants or skirt suit with coordinated blouse and shoes. If you wanted to be looked at as a professional, you must look like a professional.

Finally, check out this list of companies that have hired felons in the past: Companies that Hire Felons

Bear in mind that these companies will not hire you just because you are a felon, but you may get the opportunity if you are qualified. Best of luck to you.