Felon hoping a pardon will help get jobs
I enjoyed the new clip of those 13 in Illinois that have taken the next set with working towards showing society that people can change. I am in the process of working towards writing a pardon letter to the governor of North Carolina. For a long time I thought that I was not able to vote cause of my felony and in the last few days that I found out that I'm able to vote even as an ex-felon. Which made me happy. But the deli ma that I'm running into regularly is my background for employment. Even though my Felony is over 16years old I'm still faced with the statement of felon. I have put it on application no to the ones that have stipulated a year limitation of 5, 7, or 10 years; those that have no limitation I have to answer yes too.
When I have applied for Government and State jobs even Hospitals and Security jobs. For example I applied to a Security Company in Virginia and I was told by the officer that interview me that if it was up to him it would not matter that I had a felon cause it was 16years ago. But the company that they were contracting for didn't want any of there candidates to have a record period. Yet I have not heard anything back from that company for any work at all. Or when I have applied for a Government contract company CGI they set a formal letter to me stating that due to my background I was not selected. Even when I
applied for UPS when I was asked that question face to face; I was told by the interview that if it was up to her she would overlook my background but it would be in my best interest to not so willfully give out that information when she herself was only the middle man and someone over her would be the one to make the decision of yes or no. It makes me feel like my application is just thrown in the trash. I downloaded your book and the steps were very helpful. When it came to finding work, which I did but trying to find something better than minimum wage is like a needle in a hay stack.
Currently I will be re-enrolling back in to school online for my Associates Degree in Health Information Technician (Medical Billing and Encoding). With a degree I think that I would have a better chance as far as the skill the employer could be looking for. The one thing that hangs over my head is the background check. I think this Pardon will at least allow me a better chance of being employed with the Government and State level. With documentation of the Pardon they would at least have to give me a fighting chance. Which is something that I'm not finding even here in the Washington, DC Maryland area.
I would greatly appreciate any advice that you might have or some suggestions that you could provide to me in the pursuit of my pardon.
This is something new to me and I would like to make sure that I'm taking the right steps in this matter.
Thank you for your time.
Sincerely,
Ms. Tracie
Felon hoping a pardon will help get jobs
Hello Ms. Tracie,
Even though you are pursuing a pardon, don't abandon your job search. You should stay on your plan. Bear in mind, no matter how old your conviction is, it will always be visible to the court system, law enforcement and government agencies. This may the reason you are having trouble obtaining a government opportunity or getting a job with a company with a government contract.
I first suggest contacting your local United Way office. The United Way supports may social service agencies, some of which assist ex-offenders and felons. As I stated in my book (From Jail to a Job,) one of the most underutilized resources in many of our communities is the local One-stop Career Center. The center has resources that can help ex-offenders and felons get jobs. You can get help preparing a resume, find a list of open positions in your area and even assistance finding and paying for career training. You can even get information on getting a federal bond that could help you get hired. There are also counselors that provide one-on-one assistance. Many counselors have experience working with ex-offenders and felons.
You can find your nearest One-stop Career here:
www.servicelocator.org
The best information that I give all ex-offenders and felons looking for jobs is to apply for every job they are qualified for.
I hope this helps.