Advice to help ex-offenders and felons get jobs

Q: I am a ex-offender for 16 years, and I picked up a misdemeanor 3 years ago. My felony is 16 years ago, even though a company goes back 7 years, now I picked up a misdemeanor 3 years ago relating to drugs, when I complete a employment application, and the question ask have you ever been convicted of a felony. Should I put yes or no?

Now that I have two things going for me, and I have 16 years of a professional background office skills, who hired me when I first was released from doing time, I have been dedicated to this job for quite some time, and now it’s catching up with me, now I get plenty of interviews, and I have reference right now, but soon as I get honest with my background, I am immediately excused, just being laid off for about two months now, I am still unable to get hired off my reference. Is there any job referrals that you may or can lead me too, or even temporary agencies, who will except the background issue, I would be more than grateful.

Questions again:

1. Should I put yes or no on employment applications, if one of conviction 16 yrs ago, and the recent one is a misdemeanor?

You should give the exact information the question asks for. Typically the question is, “Have you been convicted of a crime other than a traffic violation?” If the questions asks about crimes, you must answer “yes” with the details. If the question asks for crimes and misdemeanors you must list both.

2. Does anyone have any leads to who will hire ex-felons?

As you may have noticed on several posts on this blog, my first suggestion to ex-offenders and felons looking for jobs is the local One-stop Career Center. This is a really underutilized resource. Each state has a network of centers that provide an assortment of free services that can help you in getting a job. In addition, these centers provide a long list of services that can help people get jobs and even train them for new careers. Some services available are:

Career planning and counseling

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

Computers with internet access and word processing

Daily access to thousands of job listings

Job-related magazines and local newspapers

Job postings and referrals

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

Each center has trained counselors that provide one-on-one assistance. Many of them have experience assisting ex-offenders and felons looking for jobs.

As stated in a previous post, you can find your nears center here:

www.servicelocator.org

3. If you have two offenses on your record, can you still Expunge?

4. What is the cheapest way to go through an Expunge

3 and 4 can be answered together. Expungement laws vary from state to state. Some states allow for multiple expungement some states allow only one and some none at all. Many ex-offenders and felons looking for jobs need legal assistance. I suggest contacting your local legal aid office. There you can get information on expungement as it relates to your individual conviction. You may also qualify for low-cost or even no-cost legal assistance.

I hope this helps.

Are you an felon or ex-offender 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.