Helping a felon get jobs

Advice to help a felon get a job

Q: As I’m browsing thru the internet I stumbled over jailtojob.com. I’m a first time felon and checking all the resource that I can to find a job in my field. I got a felony in 2008 for spanking my child with a switch, as they call it, an “instrumental weapon.” She had lacerations on her arm which is how the school knew that she got a spanking. I never denied any of it because It’s what I believed and how I was raised. The charges were going to be dropped until my case was passed down to another DA who wanted to pursue it. I was going to take my case to trial, as the first Public Defender suggested. To make a long story short, by the time my case was final, I had gone thru 6 different Public Defenders. The last one barely knew who I was and didn’t seem as caring as the first; so I took the charge instead of having her to represent me. By then, it would have cost thousands of dollars for an attorney. Now I regret not trying.

My reason for searching is because I’m looking for help. I’m currently in school pursuing a degree in Paralegal Studies. I have at least 5 years in legal experience, 3 in human resources, and the rest as an administrative assistant, which is a reason why I didn’t think it would be so hard for me to find a job. I would love to get back into the legal setting but I feel discouraged because of this felony. I’ve been on several job interviews and one wanted to hire me on the spot until they found out about my record. It was against company policy.

A: I have seen cases similar to yours. Firstly, as I suggest to all ex-offenders and felons looking for jobs is to apply for everything you feel you qualify for. Finding a job is a numbers game. The more jobs you apply for the greater your chances of getting hired. Secondly when you answer the “Have you been convicted….,” you need four bits of information, conviction, date, location, and the disposition (time served, fine and/or probation.) right after this information, in parentheses “isolated incident.” This may raise enough curiosity to get you an interview and explain the situation.

Another important thing I suggest to all ex-offenders and felons looking for jobs is to apply for expungement. This may help when it comes to background checks. Since expungement is a legal process, I strongly urge you to get professional assistance.

I hope this helps.

Are you an ex-offender or felon who has a question about finding a job with a criminal record? You could have your question answered right here. Email your question to: BelievePublications@comcast.net.