Jobs for Ex-offenders and Felons: How to Get a Job

When ex-offenders and felons are released, the main priority is finding a job.  A lot a people talk about second chances, but the realty is that finding a job is going to be hard.  Hard does not mean impossible.  Hard means it's going to take a lot of hard word work and determination.  Here are some tips that will make finding a job a easier for people who are serious about getting jobs and turning their lives around.

Jobs for Ex-offenders and Felons: How to Get a Job

Jobs for Ex-offenders and felons: Criminal Records

The absolute first thing I tell my students is to get a copy of their criminal records.  Somewhere in the job search the question of having a record is going to come up, either on an application or when a background check is done.  I encourage my students to be totally honest whenever questioned about a criminal background.  To do this, you must know exactly what is on your criminal record.

The easiest way to get an accurate copy or your record is ask your parole or probation officer.  They are in position to get this for you. If you do not have a probation or parole officer, you can get one from the FBI.  The FBI will provide the most accurate criminal background check available.  You can get more information on getting this copy here:

https://www.fbi.gov/services/cjis/identity-history-summary-checks

There is an 18.00 fee for this report, but if you do not have the money an you can prove that you are indigent, you can receive this report for free

Jobs for Ex-offenders and felons: How Ex-offenders and Felons Can Find Jobs

The second suggestion I make to my students is to take a trip to the local One-stop Career Center.  This used to be called the employment office.  Here you will found a long list of services that can help you get a job.  There are computers that you can use to apply for jobs online and put together a resume.  If you do not know how to build a resume, you can get help doing this.  There are interview skill building classes and other classes that can get you ready for a job.  You will find a list of open jobs in you immediate area.  There are also counselors available that can assist you in your job search.  All of these service are free of charge.  You can find the nearest One-stop Career Center at the link below

http://servicelocator.org

Jobs for Ex-offenders and felons: Networking to find Jobs

Perhaps the most powerful method of finding a job is networking.  Networking is simply contacting people you already to find available jobs.  Simply talk to people you know and asking them if they know of any jobs that are open.  This seems too simple, but this is how most people find jobs. Start with your friends, neighbors, church group, elected officials and others you come in contact with frequently.

Jobs for Ex-offenders and felons: Get a Resume

I do not send my students out on a job search without a well written resume. A resume is a way to combine your skills, education, education and training in a neat package.  A resume can sell you even when you are not around.  If you do not have a good resume, I suggest you get help putting one together.  As I noted above, you can get free assistance with your next resume at you local One-stop Career center.

After you get a resume, keep plenty with you wherever you go.  You never know who you are going to meet.  Always be prepared.

Jobs for Ex-offenders and felons: Get Dressed to Find a Job

Anyone looking for a job, not just ex-offenders and felons, should understand the power of making a great impression.  Nothing does this better than a nice outfit, clean shoes and nice hairstyle.  All of this should add up to an appearance that looks professional.  Your look should say, "I am the person for this Job."  Felons get hired everyday.  They stand a better chance of getting the jobs they want when they look like they are worthy of the job.  Employer want to feel like they re hiring quality people.

Men should wear a dark suit or sports jacket with a light colored shirt and a color coordinated tie.  You always wear a pair of shoes that could be and should be shined.  Never ever wear boots or sneakers to an interview.If you do not have a suit definitely wear  light shirt.  Make sure your clothes are cleaned and pressed.

If you shave, make sure you are cleanly shaven.   If you wear a beard or mustache, make sure it is neat and trimmed.

The best look for women is a suit with a knee-length skirt or pants and a light colored blouse.  Be sure to to wear natural looking pantyhose.  The best shoes are neat looking pumps with heels that are not too high.    Make up should not be heavy and avoid bright colored or black nail polish.  Keep jewelry to a minimum.  One necklace, one ring, one bracelet per wrist and earrings no larger than a quarter.

Shower on the day of the interview.  Just use a fresh smelling soap.  Avoid cologne or oils.  You don't want to chance a negative reaction.    Do not eat or smoke before your interview.  Be sure to brush your teeth.  Your breath should be fresh and your teeth clean.

Do your absolute best to look like a professional on your interview.  Looking like a professional will show respect four yourself, the interviewer and the opportunity to interview.

Practice Interviewing

The best thing you can do prepare for an interview is to practice.  Practice your body language and posture.  Anticipate the questions that the interviewer might ask and come up with good answers to those questions.  Practice answering the questions but do not memorize them.  Practice them until they sound natural.  Get someone to pose as the interviewer and record your practice interviews.

Always us appropriate language when interviewing and never use slang.  Listen carefully and be sure to answer every question completely but do not talk too much.  Be prepared to talk about your criminal record but don't focus on it.  Instead, focus on what you have done to improve yourself.

Nothing takes the place of preparation.  Practice until you feel confident and you will do well.

Jobs for Felons: Ten Tricks Interviewers Use

Ex-offenders and felons who have paid their debt to society may believe that they deserve a second chance. This sound good but opportunities are not given.  They are earned. You will have to work for each and every chance you will get. With genuine hard work and sincere desire to better your life, you can make a ton of opportunities for yourself.

Jobs for Ex-offenders and felons: How to Get a Job

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Eric Mayo

Why companies are turning to ex-cons to fill slots for workers

• More American companies, such as McDonald's and Delta Air Lines, are hiring ex-cons as part of their inclusion strategy.
• Executives say 82 percent of their ex-offender hires have been at least as successful as their average hire, according to a report by the Society of Human Resources Management.
• Only 14 percent of human resources managers won't consider hiring ex-offenders.

Ty Hookway had to check on an office building his building services company, CleanCraft, was set to clean in upstate New York, and what he saw changed his business and his life. The maintenance person who was supposed to do the work had called in sick, and when Hookway got there, he found one of his newer hires, Sanford Coley, in the building, working away in shorts rather than his uniform.

But what really got Hookway's attention: The shorts revealed that Coley was wearing an ankle bracelet. He was on parole for bank robbery. Hookway hadn't thought to ask about Coley's criminal record.

"I was thinking I should fire him," Hookway said. "Now he's one of my best friends."

More stories like this may be coming to offices like yours. With the job market tight, ex-felons and other workers who often struggled to find jobs are getting a second look, according to a recent report by the Society for Human Resource Management, which surveyed more than 2,000 corporate managers and HR executives nationwide on their attitudes about ex-offenders for a report released in May.

Unemployment among ex-felons isn't explicitly tracked by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, and it was estimated at 27 percent last year by the Prison Policy Initiative. But some researchers think it's even higher — informal estimates claim as many as half of released convicts failed to find jobs or stayed out of the labor force. Since an estimated one-third of U.S. adults have at least an arrest record, according to the human resources society, it's a lot of people.

"This isn't a problem of aspirations, it's a structural problem involving discrimination and a lack of opportunities available to people who have been to prison," said Lucius Couloute, a policy analyst at the Prison Policy Initiative. "It really takes employers who are willing to let go of their biases in pursuit not only of equality but of the best candidates."

Corporations are showing at least some signs of interest, advocates say. In addition to SHRM's study, the job site Glassdoor barred job listings from employers who intend to weed out ex-offenders. New Jersey-based consultant Eric Mayo says a long list of top American companies have proved themselves open to hiring ex-offenders, mostly for service jobs, ranging from minimum-wage employers from McDonald's to CNBC parent Comcast and, in Mayo's Atlantic City backyard, casinos, which he said are practically cities unto themselves, demanding an array of service workers.

Corporations are showing at least some signs of interest, advocates say. In addition to SHRM's study, the job site Glassdoor barred job listings from employers who intend to weed out ex-offenders. New Jersey-based consultant Eric Mayo says a long list of top American companies have proved themselves open to hiring ex-offenders, mostly for service jobs, ranging from minimum-wage employers from McDonald's to CNBC parent Comcast and, in Mayo's Atlantic City backyard, casinos, which he said are practically cities unto themselves, demanding an array of service workers.

"It really takes employers who are willing to let go of their biases in pursuit not only of equality but of the best candidates."-Lucius Couloute, policy analyst at the Prison Policy Initiative

"I encourage people to apply for every job they feel qualified for," Mayo said. "Even without a felony record, looking for a job is a numbers game.''

To stoke more action, the federal government is offering a tax incentive called the Work Opportunity Tax Credit for employers who hire and retain ex-felons, veterans and individuals from other target groups with significant barriers to employment. Under this program if an employee works at least 120 hours a year, a company can claim a 25 percent tax credit of their first year's wages and 40 percent if he or she works 400 hours.

Some cities and states also offer tax credits and other incentives to employers willing to hire ex-cons and give them a second chance. Philadelphia's Fair Chance Hiring Initiative provides a cash reimbursement to employers who hire felons that have been released from prison within the past five years.

Many employers are apprehensive about hiring felons and look for ways to hedge their risk. They partner with local organizations that work to train ex-cons for jobs and provide other types of rehabilitation services. To find these organizations, state unemployment or workforce development offices can offer referrals.

The Federal Bonding Program is another option companies turn to. This program bonds felons who are hired and mainstreamed by companies of all sizes. The bond provides compensation if an employer suffers theft or loss due to the employee's dishonesty.

Eliminating bias in the workplace

If there is a ground zero for the push to destigmatize a criminal history in the workplace, it is Greyston, a 100-person Yonkers, New York, bakery that makes mostly brownies for a client list that includes Unilever's Ben & Jerry's Ice Cream unit, Amazon's Whole Foods grocery chain and Delta Air Lines. "We consider them the crown jewel of our values-led sourcing program," said Unilever spokesman Sean Greenwood, pointing out that Greyston, while founded by a Buddhist monk with a mission to do good, has balanced its social mission with being a reliable, businesslike supplier for decades.

Greyston's "open hiring" model means that anyone who puts their name on a list for a production job can have one as they become available, CEO Mike Brady said. The trick is, they have to make it through an apprenticeship program designed to test (and build) their basic work aptitudes, such as staying on schedule and working well with others. About half don't make it, Brady said. But enough do to convince Greyston that other companies would be better off investing less in screening out workers and more in training and supporting them to capitalize on second chances and on connecting them to social services they need to support a transition to working life.

More from At Work:

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Richard Branson believes the key to success is a three-day workweek

"We'll hire anyone who walks through the front door — no questions asked," said Brady, who estimates that about 40 Greyston workers have criminal records. "We do everything we can to make them successful. But if they're not, we let a lot of people go.''

Two such candidates are one-time drug dealers Dion Drew and Alvin Wilson. Drew, 41, grew up in Yonkers and said he plied his old trade a three-minute walk from Greyston. Wilson, 64, spent nearly a decade after his release as a self-employed contractor, doing everything from carpentry to snow shoveling before coming to work there.

Drew has become an ambassador for open hiring, even doing a Ted Talk with Brady about it. He got out of prison in 2008 after his third conviction, got rejected everywhere he applied, and landed a $7.15-an-hour gig as a Greyston apprentice in 2009. He's now a $25-an-hour supervisor with an eight-year-old daughter and two stepchildren. He claims he has the two dogs and now "just needs the house."

Greyston CEO Mike Brady with employee Dion Drew, a former drug dealer  

Wilson is a mixer on the brownie line, where the quickly moving array of goodies waiting to be wrapped recall the famous scene from I Love Lucy where the heroines land short-lived jobs in a candy factory (the bakery makes about a tractor-trailer load of brownies daily, or 7 million pounds per year). He was released in 2008, from the last of his five felony cases, and arrived at Greyston two years ago.

Both said their big problem in getting back to work was learning how to take direction and fit in, as people do in the workplace. And each said the biggest difference between themselves and others who fail at reentering society is that they simply decided, while in jail, that they had to do better.

"If you can't make your mind up in 12-and-a-half years what you want to do in life, it's never going to happen," Wilson said.

"I set my goals and plans while I was upstate," Drew added. "I wanted to save money the right way, to have a family. I wanted to put the smile back on my mom's face.''

Greyston now is trying to package its approach to lure in other companies. Just a short drive from its factory, Greyston set up the Center for Open Hiring, which Perry Solomon, a consultant working on the project, described as a way of training companies to "think the right way" — swapping expenses spent finding workers who don't have red flags for more investment in training.

"Where I see the ROI is in tremendous loyalty, productivity and culture," Brady said.

Changing attitudes

A study on employers' attitudes toward hiring ex-felons suggests that many are ready for change. Only 14 percent of human-resources managers won't consider hiring ex-offenders, the report commissioned by the Society of Human Resources Management and funded by the Charles Koch Instituted says. The biggest reason is simple: 82 percent of executives say their ex-offender hires have been at least as successful as their average hire. Other common motivations were to help build communities and give ex-offenders a second chance.

Greyston's president and CEO Mike Brady in front of the company's Center for Open Hiring

But only 5 percent actively recruit ex-offenders, the survey said. The most important factors in getting hired: A verifiable work history, and some level of education or training after the workers were convicted, indicating that they improved themselves while imprisoned.

That's consistent with a study by the RAND Institute, which found that 59 percent of employers would consider an ex-offender with one conviction if they were given an incentive through a tax credit, which they are offered under federal law. But the biggest difference-maker is if employers can recover staffing-agency fees they pay to find workers who don't stick with the job, or get the agencies to find them a replacement worker for free if they take a chance on an ex-offender who doesn't work out.

Rand found that employers are much less willing to look at felons with a history of violence, such as robbery charges, Rand scholar Priscilla Hunt said.

"What they responded to was staffing-agency fees," Hunt said. "Even more than if you increased the [tax credit] money."

What doesn't appear to work as well is trying to force employers' hands by forbidding them to ask about criminal records on job applications. So-called "ban the box" laws, named for the check-box next to questions about whether applicants have records, often lead to racial discrimination, as employers screen out a broad swath of minority applicants in order to avoid interviewing ex-offenders, according to research by Rutgers University economist Amanda Agan.

Screening out ex-offenders can also subject employers to liability for policies that have a disproportionate racial impact, said Dariely Rodriguez, director of the economic justice project at the Lawyers' Committee for Civil Rights Under Law.

"Employers have an obligation not to discriminate," Rodriguez said. "They have an obligation to root out bias."

Mostly, employers can help ex-offenders while also helping themselves, Hookway said.

"You have to develop the culture where everyone is on board," Hookway said, comparing ex-offenders with work-friendly attitudes to people who have succeeded in addiction treatment. "Once they get on the right side, they become advocates. They'll hold other employees accountable. They want it more."

Tim Mullaney | @timmullaney

Published 9:22 AM ET Tue, 18 Sept 2018CNBC.com

Why companies are turning to ex-cons to fill slots for workers

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Eric Mayo

Re-Entering the Workforce After Prison Harder For Non-Whites

Getting hired after serving time can be more difficult for some than for others

Candace Manriquez Wrenn Arizona Public Media

A group of scholars at the University of Arizona sought to find how felony convictions affect those looking to re-enter the workforce. Their study shows that the convictions aren’t the only hurdle for getting a job.

The U.S. Department of Justice projects that 9 percent of all men will serve time in federal or state prison. With the median time served being just over two years, most formerly incarcerated people will eventually be back on the job market.

Tamar Kugler is an associate professor in the Eller College of Management at the University of Arizona. She said the ability to find a job is critical, not only for those who’ve been to prison, but also for society.

"We want those people to be productive members of society, to be able to get a legit job, stay out of prison, earn enough money so they rehabilitate their lives."

But she said convicted felons can have a hard time finding work once they are released.

"Those people usually have lower education so it’s harder for them to find a job. And they have also experienced an erosion of skills from the fact that they have been out of the job market."

She notes that people who have served time also have a lack of ties to legitimate employers.

According to the Brookings Institution, in the first full calendar year following their release, almost half of those previously incarcerated have no reported earnings and the median earnings of those that do are just above $10,000 a year.

Kugler, along with Barry Goldman at the University of Arizona and Dylan Cooper at California State University, Channel Islands, cited research that shows that blacks and other minorities are more frequently denied jobs because of racial discrimination, but they wanted to test whether blacks with felony convictions were penalized more than whites with identical felony convictions, work experiences, and skills during the hiring process. Dr. Kugler says:

"We find that black applicants pay a much bigger price in terms of their desirability to get hired for a job than white applicants. The reduction that the white applicants suffer from having a felony conviction is not nearly as big as that that you see for black applicants."

Findings like these aren’t purely academic.

Clyde Hardin, a tattoo artist in Tucson, served two stints in prison. When he was released, he had help finding a job.

"My, now, wife got me my first job. I did commercial cleaning in buildings, banks, overnight and that paid my fees, fines, restitution and then when I wasn’t doing that, I would just hustle my butt off with tattooing." 

But working overnights hindered Hardin’s ability to tattoo, a passion he developed in prison that he hoped to turn into a career. So, he began to look for a different job:

"Probably in a four-month span over 100 applications. Legitimately. I’m talking Craigslist jobs, jobs listings, newspaper, door-to-door," he said.

And when he would land an interview, things often went downhill quickly.


"I would get to the interview process and as soon as I started explaining my record or why I was incarcerated, you would see the momentum swing of he’s a potential future hire to I would never hire this guy."


Findings like these aren’t purely academic.

Clyde Hardin, a tattoo artist in Tucson, served two stints in prison. When he was released, he had help finding a job.

"My, now, wife got me my first job. I did commercial cleaning in buildings, banks, overnight and that paid my fees, fines, restitution and then when I wasn’t doing that, I would just hustle my butt off with tattooing." 

But working overnights hindered Hardin’s ability to tattoo, a passion he developed in prison that he hoped to turn into a career. So, he began to look for a different job:

"Probably in a four-month span over 100 applications. Legitimately. I’m talking Craigslist jobs, jobs listings, newspaper, door-to-door," he said.

And when he would land an interview, things often went downhill quickly.

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Eric Mayo

Ex-offenders and felons should always be honest when applying for jobs

 

Hello,

I have a police record. One charge is for domestic violence. It shows assault and battery. I was ordered to counseling, Which turned into grief counseling because of the reasons the fight happened. The other charge is a false charge that I am in the process of requesting expungement. There were no charges or a court hearing. I was having a drink with a friend. A known drug dealer was in the bar and asked to buy me a drink. I did not accept, we talked for about 5 minutes and he left. All of a sudden an undercover policeman shows me his badge and asked if we can talk outside. I go out with him and was questioned about the drug dealer. I said I didn't know him and had no information to offer. Before I knew it there were police cars, I was in handcuffs and put in jail for 3 days. 3 times a day I was taken from my cell and questioned. Every time I had no informational new charges kept getting added to my record.

After 3 days I was released and my record now shows dangerous drugs. Both of these happened 20 years ago. I have passed 3 tests to be a TSA screener my 4th test is Tuesday. When I pass this they will run a background check. At what point do I explain this to someone? I currently work at KMart and they ran a background check but hired me without asking questions. It was the same with Home Depot as well! Do you know if TSA is strict about 20 years ago? Do you know if they ask for an explanation of my background? I really need a job with a good paycheck and I've always wanted this particular job!

Thank you for helping me!

Sincerely,

Sally

Ex-offenders and felons should always be honest when applying for jobs

Hello Sally,

Generally speaking, when talking about records, employers are concerned with convictions and not charges. As I tell all ex-offenders and felons looking for jobs, answer honestly on both applications and interviews. If applications asks for convictions, only lists convictions, not charges. As far as interviews, nearly all of the questions will be related to information from your application. I encourage ex-offenders and felons not to volunteer information that is not asked for.

Expungement, or sealing does not erase records but hides them from public view. If an is granted the conviction will always be visible to government agencies, the court system and law enforcement. You mentioned that you have applied for a TSA position. Since this is a government position, all of your charges will be visible. Once again, if questioned, always answer honestly.

I hope this helps.

Background Checks and Criminal Records

Employment Background Checks: Know Your Rights

 

'Eric Mayo helps Felons and Ex-offenders get Jobs.

 

 Ex-offenders and felons should always be honest when applying for jobs

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Former felons deserve a second chance

The Times Herald - Published 3:42 p.m. ET Sept. 11, 2018

One of the things that is Pure Michigan is sending people to prison. Although incarceration rates have fallen the past few years, there are three times as many people in Michigan prisons now than there were four decades ago. If Michigan were a country, it would have one of the top 20 incarceration rates in the world and would likely be on a State Department watch list.

More than six of every 100 Michiganders is in prison. About twice as many are former felons, those who have been released from prison, although many are still repaying a debt to society they no long owe.

It turns out that society needs them. Michigan needs them to get up in the morning and come to work. For many, though, that isn’t possible because one of the first things many employers ask, after name and address on a job application, is whether the applicant has been convicted of a felony.

One of those who would have to answer yes is the voice of those Pure Michigan commercials. Ten years before “Home Improvement” and 18 years before the debut of the state tourism campaign, Tim Allen was paroled from federal prison where he was serving three to seven years after being arrested with almost a pound and a half of cocaine.

Allen found work after his felony convictions.

Other former felons should be given the same chance. Many won’t. Some former felons are reluctant to apply for jobs, knowing they will have to check that box. Many employers won’t look past that blemish on a potential asset’s past history. Either way, applicants don’t get interviewed, employers don’t learn about important and relevant training and experience, well qualified people won’t get jobs and businesses will struggle to fill vital positions.

The felony question isn’t a valid predictor of future performance and should be illegal. In a handful of states and a few cities across the country, it is. A bill to ban it in Michigan never got a committee hearing.

But an executive order of Gov. Rick Snyder, Michigan last week just became one of about three dozen states that doesn’t ask the question of prospective state employees.

The city of Port Huron will no longer ask its applicants if they’ve been convicted of a felony. Beyond being a good business practice, it is part of City Manager James Freed’s campaign to give the city a reputation as a place welcoming to anyone who wants to work.

City Council can’t extend the ban to include other employers in the city, as Austin, Texas, and other cities have done.

That’s because, in March, Snyder signed Senate Bill 353, which prohibits local governments from enacting ordinances that restrict use of the felony question by private employers. Irony is not a crime.

Former felons deserve a second chance

Jobs for Felons: The Facts about Companies that Hire Ex offenders and Felons (2018)

Former felons deserve a second chance

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Eric Mayo