Employers generally hesitate to hire those people who have a criminal record. If you have been found guilty of law violation previously, it will obviously be very difficult to obtain employment, but it is not an impossible task. If you have the right approach and follow the right steps, there’s no reason why you should not get a job.
Get Your Record Expunged
If the crime happened a few years back and if it was the first time you were convicted for such things, you can be eligible to get your record expunged. However, the laws in this regard vary significantly from one state to another. However, considering the growing number of crimes, states follow a very stringent procedure when it comes to expunging such records. You may not be able to handle the process yourself; so, it may be wise to get help from an experienced lawyer.
Rehabilitation of Past Law Offenders
If you are unable to get your criminal background records expunged, you can contact agencies and churches that provide rehabilitation services to past law offenders. They can help you get a job based on your specific qualification.
Do Some Positive Work in the Community
Volunteering for community services can also be a great way to clear your name and find employment opportunities that were otherwise inaccessible. You may get a chance to communicate with some potential employers. If not, you will at least be able to get recommendation letters and references from the Directors or Leaders provided you impress them by doing positive work in the community.
Be Aware of Laws That Limit Discrimination against Past Law Offenders
Some cities and counties in the United States of America, especially the urban areas, have legal provisions to limit employment-related discrimination against past law offenders. Some of the places that have adopted such policies include the Counties of Alameda and Multnomah, St.Paul, San Francisco, Minneapolis, Chicago, and Boston. You can contact the office of the “National Employment Law Project” in these areas; they will review your criminal background records and help you get a suitable job accordingly.
Make sure you never lie about your past to anybody in an attempt to manipulate with the facts while you do all these things. In this age of Internet, it is not very difficult to verify facts, especially when criminal background records are public records in the US and the information is easily available online. So, any such attempt will only minimize your chances of getting employment.