Volunteer wants to help ex-offenders and felons get jobs

Hello Eric!

My name is Ernestine and I volunteer at a drug and alcohol treatment facility for men on parole or probation in , Oregon. I have begun to facilitate an employment/transition preparation class at the facility. The class meets for an hour and twenty minutes once a week for about five weeks. To take full advantage of the time we have together, I want to make sure that we are covering the most useful information and tips. In your experience, what have been the most helpful and useful topics/exercises? Which kinds of game plans have been most successful for the men you have worked with?

Thank you so much!

Volunteer wants to help ex-offenders and felons get jobs

Hello Ernestine,


Getting a job requires a combination of things. If I had to single one or two things, I would say that the ex-offenders and felons looking for jobs would have to present a totally professional presentation. That is resume, dress and grooming. No one gets a second chance to make a first impression. Secondly, they must develop a plan of action that would help them get an extensive list of employers to apply to. Finding a job is indeed a numbers game. The more applications, the more interviews. More interviews mean more opportunities to get hired.

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Volunteer wants to help ex-offenders and felons get jobs

Hoping to help boyfriend and other felons get jobs

Hello Eric,

First and foremost, I want to thank you for taking your time to both run your very informational blog as well as to view my e-mail. Secondly, I apologize in advance for the multiple questions that I am asking. Now, for some insight...I met my boyfriend two years ago, just before he was going to jail in MD for a violation of probation. He also confided in me from the start that he was facing seven felony charges in PA. Caring deeply for him, I agreed that so long as he was a changed man and did not participate in the activity that landed him in trouble in the first place from there on out, that I would stay with him. I waited for him while he served his violation of probation sentence, and ever since a little over a year ago, we have been in a serious, committed relationship. He has been sober ever since we met...and you can ask anyone, his friends, family, teachers, old co-workers...he has certainly changed, for the better.

Of course, our lives together have been a roller coaster. His charges from PA loomed for the first nine or so months of our relationship. Every court date, I did not know if he was returning to jail, and if I would be left waiting again. In the meantime, he did everything that he needed to. He voluntarily participated in rehab, did volunteer work at a local non-profit organization, and stayed sober. When his sentencing date came around, the judge recognized all of his hard work and let him off with six years of probation instead of the two years in jail that he had agreed to in the plea agreement. Even his lawyer was shocked, and shook his head when my boyfriend thanked him, before saying, "I did nothing. You did all of the work." The downside was that he officially became a convicted felon, instead of having pending felonies. Thankfully, they were dropped from seven to three.

This was very exciting news, of course. Even more so exciting was that a couple of hours after we got home, he received a phone call for an interview. By the next week, he already had a part-time job. He held the job for a month without any problems until recently. Despite being a very hard worker and increasing sales by $5,000 single-handedly in the short amount of time that he worked there, corporate obtained his background check and the store let him go. This was very frustrating, especially seeing as when he was hired, his managers knew every single little thing on his record. He was never dishonest about anything. The local store wanted him, but corporate did not.

This leaves us in a pickle. We have bills to pay, bills that I cannot afford on my own. We realize how much of a struggle it was for the first nine months for him to even get an interview, and here he is, back at square one. Everything feels like it happened so quickly - he was given a second chance, and it was ripped away from him just as fast. He has a strong resume that we have sent to numerous employers, but he obviously cannot pass a background check. Even local laboring agencies will not accept people with so much as a misdemeanor, since they are specifically for "individuals with clean records who just cannot find jobs," as he was told on the phone. He is getting pretty discouraged...I can provide emotional support, no problem, but financially, I cannot hold us both up for too long. What would your best suggestion be? Should he even mention this latest job on his resume? He was a great worker - they just did not want him after the background check. How is he supposed to explain working for simply a month to the next person who offers him an interview?

To add to his woes and dreams getting crushed, he wants so desperately to join the Army...unfortunately, every recruiter that we have talked to laughs in his face and turns him away. One of our best friends is a Sgt. MP and he keeps giving my boyfriend hope, though that goes away when the actual recruiters say there is no chance. Considering that my boyfriend was represented by a public defender in his court case involving the felony charges, what course of action can we take? I have seen on your blog the mentioning of sending letters to lessen felonies to misdemeanors, etc to help with this problem. It is just very confusing when his public defender says that he has to wait seven years to have his felonies expunged before he can join the Army, the judge says he only needs to finish probation to join the Army, and the recruiters say no matter how old a charge is, he can never join the Army.

Being with this man whom I care so deeply for and yet feel like I can't help is a very overwhelming feeling. I have such a strong passion now to organize and rally, to contact my local government to encourage them to encourage employers to hold ex-offender friendly job fairs, etc. not just for my boyfriend, but for all reformed convicts who truly do want to change their lives. How would I go about doing that? Would a letter suffice? Who would I even write to in our local government? I want to advocate to help others get the second chances that they deserve, I just feel as though I need a bit of direction or encouragement to get me going.

Thank you so much for reading, and God bless your work and all that you do.

-Hoping to Help

Hoping to help boyfriend and other felons get jobs

Your boyfriend is lucky to have someone like you in his corner. Many ex-offenders and felons usually don't have as much support. As for listing such a short term job, I would not. It would simply raise more questions. I would apply at smaller companies that can hire at their own discretion. Your boyfriend may also consider temporary employment. Once again he may have success applying at small independent employment agencies who are free to hire anyone they please rather than national companies that have stiffer corporate hiring guidelines. Another option is contact your local United Way. The United Way financially supports social service agencies including some which help ex-offenders or may even employ them. Goodwill Industries also have programs which help and employ ex-offenders and felons.

Expungement is not an option when seeking to join the military. Expungement does not erase convictions. It makes them unavailable for view from the public. They will always be visible to law enforcement, the court system and government agencies. The Army will grant waivers for those convicted of certain felonies allowing them to join. If the recruiter tell you that you are ineligible, then you are.

In these tough economic times, there are so many unemployed people who do not have criminal backgrounds making jobs for ex-offenders and felons even more difficult. An out-of-the-box approach may be to contact elected officials in your area and ask for help. He can express his desire to be employed and once again become a productive member of society. Elected officials have staff members that answer letters and respond to inquiries from citizens. Officials that could offer assistance are: Mayors, Council Members, Commissioners, Aldermen, Board Members, Assemblymen, and Judges. Never ask for jobs, only suggestions. He may be surprised how well this works.

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Jobs for Ex-offenders and Felons: Where can Ex-offenders Find Jobs

Jobs for Ex-offenders and Felons: Ten Steps to Getting a Job with a Criminal Record

This Book Has Helped Thousands of Felons Get Jobs ! You can get a copy of this book for as little as $5.00 Click Here!

Hoping to help boyfriend and other felons get jobs

Can Withheld Adjudication hurt my chances to get jobs?

Hello, I am a mechanical engineer and I have not worked in over 5 years. I apply for up to 66 job postings a day and I rarely get a call back. I have a felony but it is "adjudicated withheld" which means I really do not have a felony. However, I discovered how easy it is to view my record online recently and I feel I am having trouble getting a call back because of it. In light of this, would it be advisable to include something on my resume or cover letter so I can at least survive the first round cut and get a return call?

I am too late in my career to throw it away and the idea of working for UPS or at a warehouse is not appealing.

Please tell me what I should do.

Thank you,

 Can Withheld Adjudication hurt my chances to get jobs?

David,

Frequently I get questions regarding Withheld Adjudication.  In Withheld Adjudication, there is an initial plea of guilty. The prosecuting attorney will offer a deal where certain conditions will placed on this plea. It is my understanding, once the conditions of the deferment are met (commonly a fine and probation,) the charges are officially dismissed. Because there is no conviction, you can legally answer “no” when the question is asked “Have you been convicted….” This will still stay as a charge and will appear on background checks as a charge and not a conviction. To absolutely certain of the status, you should check with the prosecutor or the probation officer associated with your case.

Regarding making reference to your charge on your resume or letters, I would suggest that you do not. Only talk about your charge if you are asked directly. If you are, you answer that the charges were dropped.

As I encourage all ex-offenders and felons looking for jobs, pay careful attention to the wording of the application. If it asks for convictions, you only have to list convictions. If it asks for arrests, you must list all arrests. If the charge is still a concern to you, you may qualify for expungement in your state.

I strongly suggest that you seek legal advice concerning this as I can only offer general information. You can contact your local legal aid office. You may be able to get low-cost or even free advice about deferment as it relates to your state.

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Can Withheld Adjudication hurt my chances to get jobs?

 Felon wants a Career in Graphic Arts

Hi Mr. Mayo,

My fiance is up for parole in March 2014.  His family and I are trying to find job leads and scholarship programs that will help him once he is released. He has good behavior in prison and has held a job in the prison kitchen. All this will look good to the parole board.  He is an excellent artist and wants to be a graphic artist and also learn computer animation.

He was convicted of robbery and possession of a weapon while committing a felony.  He was 18 at the time and has done six years if a 12 year sentence.  He has an excellent chance of parole if can prove he has some type of direction and goals.  What I want to know is, where can he get an education in graphics that he wants and can he get any type of scholarships or grants to do what he wants to do?  How can he do this?  What does he have to do?  I know that if he can get paroled, he will prove that he is not that same person that committed that crime when he was a kid.

Please help,

Katy

Felon wants a Career in Graphic Arts

Hello Katy,

Your fiance seems to have a good support system that he will need when he is paroled.  As far a him pursuing a career in graphics, I suggest first contacting your local community college.  Community colleges are not just for degrees anymore.  Many community colleges these days offer career training for growing
occupations.

Speak to the financial aid office at whatever college you look into.  They will be able to tell you which financial aid programs if any, your fiance may qualify for and how to apply.  It is in their best interest to give you good information.  If your local college does not offer the courses he is looking for, they will tell you who does.

Best of luck to you both.




Eric Mayo

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Felon wants a Career in Graphic Arts