Convicted felons face a notoriously difficult challenge in finding work after their release from prison. According to
the Center for Economic and Policy Research,
“It is not simply that individuals who commit crimes are less likely to
work in the first place, but rather, that felony convictions or time in
prison act independently to lower the employment prospects of
ex-offenders.”
That remains true despite a number of jurisdictions—including the
federal government and 24 states—enacting “Ban the Box” legislation that
requires employers to ask about criminal convictions only
after initial
screenings. In addition, more governments now push employers to
consider issues such as whether a conviction has any bearing on the job
on offer, mitigating circumstances and evidence of rehabilitation.
When it comes to convicted felons’ job prospects, a number of
officials and community organizations believe that technology is an
unusually forgiving industry. That’s especially true in Silicon Valley
and the East Coast’s technology hubs, said Chuck Pattillo, general
manager and executive officer of the California Prison Industry Board, a
state organization that provides offenders with work and training
programs while still incarcerated.
The main concern of tech companies, Pattillo said, is whether an
individual can do the job. “Yes, there’s going to be a background check.
But there’s more to a background check than a yes or no question.”
According to the online community Jobsforfelonshub.com, a number of
brand-name tech firms will consider convicted felons for employment.
These companies include Apple, AT&T, IBM, Sony, Tesla and Xerox. So
will enterprises with large IT operations, such as Boeing, Kohl’s and
United Airlines.
In many ways, former prisoners should conduct a job search like
anyone else: with lots of research, targeting, and planning. But there’s
also no question that a criminal record presents extra hurdles during
the process. Bootcamps and other tech-centric programs, both inside and
outside of prison, may have helped a former prisoner master certain
technical skills, but they still have to pay special attention to other
areas. Some things to think about:
Always, Always Be Honest
“Be 100 percent transparent,” said Chris Redlitz, co-founder of the
San Francisco-based non-profit The Last Mile, which recently partnered
with the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation and the
California Prison Industry Authority to create Code.7370, an effort to
train prisoners in HTML,
Ruby on Rails, CSS,
Python
and other technologies. Those who successfully complete the program
will be eligible to join “The Last Mile Works,” a Web-development
business that will serve paying customers from inside prison. “In my
opinion, the sooner the issue comes out, the better.”
According to Pattillo, the CPIB encourages people to include their
prison time on their résumé. “Basically, you want to say, ‘Yes, I was in
prison and this is what I learned there,’” he said. Programs like The
Last Mile’s, he notes, “are well-known in the tech industry.”
“It’s critical to bring up your past before the employer discovers it
in a background check,” added Mark Drevno, executive director of Jails
to Jobs, a Lafayette, Calif., non-profit that helps ex-offenders prepare
for their job search. He coaches former inmates to focus on identifying
the hiring manager and having a frank conversation with them. “Tell
them your turnaround story,” he said. “You want to show them how you’ve
changed.” Ultimately, the manager should become your advocate with HR,
placing your background in proper context.
Understand the Background Check
Initiatives such as Ban the Box are designed to give you a chance to
prove yourself as a professional. That way, when employers do learn of
your history, they’re more apt to weigh it alongside your skills and
personality.
Companies that conduct background checks say that many employers look
beyond the simple fact that you’ve committed a crime. They take into
account your offense, how much time since it occurred, whether you’re a
repeat offender and how your record relates to the job at hand.
A number of HR executives suggest the background check serves as
something of an integrity test. If you’ve gone through an interview with
the hiring manager and didn’t volunteer the story of your conviction,
most companies will end the process as soon as they learn of your
offense.
Pay Attention to Your Appearance (and Lose the Tattoos)
A number of organizations teach
ex-offenders about how to present
themselves through their dress, grooming and speech. You need to
demonstrate that you can make the transition from prison culture to
workplace culture.
In particular, Drevno said, think about your tattoos (if you have
any): “A quarter to a third of people coming out of prison have visible
anti-social, gang-related tattoos, and those are real job-stoppers.”
Fortunately, many groups and dermatologists will remove them
free-of-charge. Jails to Jobs provides a list of such resources
here.
Remember that the tech world is in something of a labor crisis right
now. Recruiters, HR practitioners, managers and other industry experts
agree that there are more jobs than candidates in areas such as software
development. While paying heed to Drevno’s advice to only apply for
jobs you’re truly qualified for, keep in mind Redlitz’s observation
that, in this environment, “people are less concerned with your
background and more concerned with your product.
This article appeared on Dice.com
here