Top Five Job Interview Mistakes Ex-offenders and Felons Make

 Top Five Job Interview Mistakes Ex-offenders and Felons Make 

Germantown nonprofit offers ex-offenders temporary jobs recycling electronics

Ex-offenders and felons,  know how difficult it is to get a job interview.  After properly filling out application after application including the dreaded "Have you ever been convicted of a crime.....?" question and you got an interview.  There are too many people who blow the opportunity to get jobs by making costly mistakes.  Make the most out your next opportunity by avoiding these top five mistakes made by ex-offenders and felons.


1.  Being Late - There is absolutely no excuse for being late to an interview.  To the interviewer, if you are late to the interview, you'll be late for work.  Everyone know that things happen.  Murphy's law is always in effect.  Sometimes thing go wrong.  Being organized is the best way to keep on schedule.  Find out where your interview is and know exactly how long it will take you to get there.  If you have never been there, I strongly suggest you go there a day or so before the interview just to see how long it will take to get there.  Once you know how long it will take, plan to get there at least 15 minutes early.

2.  Dress Inappropriately - An interview is a business meeting.  Does your clothing make you look more like an ex-offender or a businessman?  Proper clothing will be the difference between being hired and not being hired.  Whatever you have to do, get the right clothing.  Remember, you will never get a second chance to make a first impression.

3.  Talking Too Much - Employment interviews should not be used to tell your life story or ramble on about mistakes you have made in the past.  Just remember "TMI," too much information. Too often when folks are nervous, and interviews do make people nervous, they talk too much.  Never talk about personal situations, habits, or relationships.  Be friendly but never tell more than anyone needs to know.  Particularly avoid conversations about religious beliefs, politics, or sex.  If questioned about your convictions, briefly answer questions without going into detail.  Make reference to the amount of time that has gone by and what you have learned from your experience.  Also talk about the progress you have made and the things you have done to make yourself better.

4.  Using Slang or Profanity - As stated before, the interview is a business meeting between two professionals.  You must be professional at all times. There is absolutely no place for slang or profanity here.

5.  Not Turning off Your Cell Phone - Cell phones are a great convenience but they have no place on an interview.  Turning off your phone allows you to focus on your interview and will eliminate the possibility of the rude interruption of  it ringing.

Ex-offenders and felons have a difficult time finding employers who will consider them for jobs.  When interviews do come, avoid ruining these opportunities with these critical mistakes and get hired.

Take a few minutes to get more great information from the videos below that can give you a huge advantage at your next interview.

  Top Five Job Interview Mistakes Ex-offenders and Felons make 

 

These are some great tips along with some things felons should avoid at their next interview opportunity

Getting an interview is a great opportunity that felons must take full advantage of.  Too many people make mistakes that ruin their chances to get jobs.  Unfortunately, some people do not know that they are making mistakes.



Learn from Human Resources professional what the most common interview mistakes are and how to avoid them on your next interview.  pt 1


Learn from Human Resources professional what the most common interview mistakes are and how to avoid them on your next interview.  pt 2

 Top Five Job Interview Mistakes Ex-offenders and Felons make

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Jobs that hire Sex Offenders

Just the thought of the term "Sex Offender" brings to mind the worst crimes imaginable.  There are varying degrees of sex-offenses but they are all looked at by the average person as the worst case.  For example, I had a student many years ago who was 15 at the time.  He had gotten his fourteen year old girlfriend pregnant.  The girl's family decided to terminate the pregnancy.  The boy's DNA was tested against the fetal tissue and he was arrested, convicted and be came what is known as a sex offender.  In my state, this kid has to register as a sex offender for the rest of his life.  By being registered, he has to report to the state police his address, place of employment and must be photographed every year for the state sex offender registry which includes him on a website for the world to see.  For the rest of his life, he will be listed on this website as having sex with an underage female regardless of the circumstance.

Jobs that hire Sex Offenders

Often the same reaction that the sex-offender gets from the public at large is the same reaction that the average employers have.  So what a person with a sex offense do to earn a living?  I have to admit, the students that post the biggest challenge in terms of getting hired are the convicted sex offenders.  The very first suggestion I make is to begin to look for jobs that have limited contact with other people.  Not that they are apt to harm others but employers may be more willing to hire someone with a sex offense who would be in no way be a liability.

I have been helping ex-offenders and felons get jobs for many years and in my experience, sex offenders are more like likely to get hired in the following areas:

Warehousing

Construction

Building Trades

Animal Shelters

Temporary Agencies

Janitorial Services

Automotive Services

Assembly/Manufacturing

Trucking


As I often suggest to all ex-offenders and felons looking for jobs, that smaller businesses are more likely to hire those with criminal records.  Often you will get a chance to speak directly with the business owner or the person who makes hiring decisions.

When applying to small businesses, you will find that they use generic applications that you may find at your local office supply store.  On these applications, you may find the standard question "Have you been convicted of a crime.............?"  I commonly urge sex offenders to leave the question blank.  Hopefully, the person who gets the application will overlook this and you can get an interview.  If the question comes up on the interview, don't spend a lot of time answering or explaining.  Offer a brief explanation that may begin with something like this, "I'm glad you asked because I want you to feel comfortable about hiring me..........."

You may also want to go check with your local United Way office.  The United Way works with many agencies that assists people with all types of situations.  Your local office may have resources or contacts to resources that can assist someone in your situation.

Another option is to speak to your parole or probation officer.  The PO may know of employers who have hired registered sex offenders. 

Finding a job as a sex offender will not be easy but there are employers who are willing to give you a chance.  Your challenge is to find them.

Best of luck.

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 Jobs that hire Sex Offenders

Jobs for Felons: Educated Felon is Looking for Good Job

Jobs for Felons: Educated Felon is Looking for Good Job

Hello,

I came across your blog on jailtojob.com and read an entry from 2015 that pretty much reflects what's currently going on in my long time boyfriend's life. He recently got his second felony for a drug conviction in 2016. He previously was out of trouble for 10 years, and was actually on his way to obtain his certificate of rehabilitation. Unfortunately, that's no longer on the table now that he has his recent conviction on his record. He's currently serving his probation, but is due for a review in court next week to see if he can get off early (keeping our fingers crossed).

I'm sure as you well know, it is extremely difficult for an ex felon to find gainful employment. It's incredibly discouraging, even for me. I try to be positive and be some sort of resource for him, but he has a very self-defeating attitude right now and I just want to help him. Yes, I recognize that he has made it much more difficult for himself to find a job with a good salary and benefits, but I'm more of an optimist and I try my best to believe that something will come along, if he puts in the work.

He is educated (he has his BA from Cal State Northridge in Psychology) and has work experience in the respite health field. He now believes that is no longer an option for him, once they do a background check he'll be denied. He is very well spoken, and is like a chameleon- he is able to integrate himself pretty effortlessly into anything he puts his mind to...he just needs that opportunity to prove it.  He needs someone who is willing to give him a chance to provide for himself, his family and start preparing for his future. 

Do you have any advice? A direction we can go into that will help him find a job that he will find rewarding, and gainful? I am aware of the Federal Bonding program and have that to bring to the table, but he is very discouraged, depressed and going through some type of learned helplessness. I just want to find something for him to be successful at. Anything I suggest, he seems to retort with a reason why it won't work out. His probation officer is no help, and is hardly familiar with his case.  He hasn't offered any assistance or resources and when I ask my boyfriend to inquire about it with his PO, he shrugs it off and says things like, "i'm just a speck in his caseload". He also doesn't want to bring any unwanted attention to himself, so as to not cause any problems.

I'm at a loss. I myself am working a salary job, but it certainly isn't enough and I know he will only be happy once he's offered a position that will grant him the ability to provide a comfortable life for himself and his family. I don't want him believing that he is only destined for a minimum wage job for the rest of his life....

Anything helps,

Jessica 

Jobs for Felons: Educated Felon is Looking for Good Job

Hello Jessica,

It seems that your boyfriend has dug himself a bit of a hole.  All is not lost.  One thing I might try is the local community college.  Community colleges are always looking for adjunct instructors to teach freshman classes.  Adjunct instructors are used on an as-needed basis but it is a great way t0 get a start in the professional world.

Another thing to try is contact your local councilperson.  Council members in touch with a lot of things and people in the community.  They may know of open positions in the area,  Remember council members are politicians and every person is a potential vote.

Another option is to apply for temporary employment.  Working for a temporary agency is a great way to quickly get a job.  Often temporary assignments turn into permanent jobs.  Some agencies have clients that require professional employees.  The key to felons applying to temporary agencies is to apply to smaller, privately owned agencies rather that large national companies.  Sometimes larger companies have guidelines that prohibit the hiring of felons.  Smaller agencies are free to hire anyone they choose so your boyfriend may have better luck with them.

Frequent readers of my blog know that everyone I speak to who is looking for a job I direct to the local One-stop Career Center.  Each state has a network of centers that offer a variety of free services that can assist you in finding employment. In addition, these centers offer a wide array of services that can help a felon get jobs.

 Some services available are:

Counselors for One-on-one Assistance

Workshops (Resume Writing, Interviewing Skills, and related topics.)

Computers with internet access and word processing

Lists of thousands of job listings

Printers, fax machines, phones, and copiers for job search use

Each center has counselors there that help clients in their job searches. 

You can find the nearest location of the One Stop Career Center in your local phone book or on the web at:

www.servicelocator.org

I hope this helps.

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Eric Mayo