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Job Seeking When You Have A Criminal Record
by Dante Palin
http://www.aboutcriminalrecord.com
There are many obstacles in the way when you start to
rebuild your life after problems with the law. One big
hurdle is the first job. Given that the web is filled with
agencies offering to look into criminal records for a small
fee, checking you out will be easy for anyone offering you
a job. It is just one more thing to overcome.
For this reason honesty is always going to be the best
policy. Do not bother trying to cover it up when checking
up is so straight forward. It is not surprising that many
employers do run background searches - if they did not make
the effort to find out then it is possible they may be
legally accountable for crimes undertaken by any employee
in the course of their work.
There is no option but to be clear from the outset about
any conviction. The only exception is when the law allows
for the quashing of the record. This possibility varies
from state to state - in California for instance, minor
drug crimes like possession of marijuana can be kept from
an employer if the conviction was over 2 years ago.
The rules are fairly complicated, so it might be a smart
move to talk with legal counsel. They can explain how the
rules around revealing past crimes work, and tell you what
your rights are. There are also various crimes that can be
removed from your record by returning to ask the court for
an order - your legal advisor will know all about this too.
The cold truth may turn out to be that you need to take a
foot-in-the-door job. Many people with a criminal record
see this as an ongoing sentence after they have supposedly
paid their dues. In many cases however, this is just how
it is. Of course the nature of the crime plays a part
here, but there are very few employers, even good natured
and supportive ones, who will give an ex-offender a top job
immediately. A test period is pretty standard practice.
Yet this is not all bad news because employees who do apply
themselves and perform their duties well often find they
are promoted in due course.
If the job search is still not working for you, you should
look up the charity or organization in your region that
specializes in getting work for people with a criminal
record. Persistence will be rewarded - obviously as time
passes the criminal act seems less relevant to any employer
and more potential employers will be happy to offer you
chance. It may take some time, but keep at it and in the
end you will find that job.
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