LandAjob Advice: How to Job Hunt with a Criminal Record
Gavel in Front of Judge
Approximately 77 million Americans have a criminal record, LandAjob discusses how Americans with disabilities and a criminal record can come back to work.
BOSTON, MA, UNITED STATES, October 30, 2019 /EINPresswire.com/ -- Approximately 77 million Americans have a criminal record, one of three people face the possibility of being denied employment due to past offenses.
To put that in perspective, according to the Brennan Center for Justice, there are as many criminal convictions as there people with college degrees. The United States Justice Department stated a past conviction reduced the likelihood of getting a job offer by 50 percent.
“It can be additionally difficult for Americans with disabilities who have a criminal record,” said John Bertram, Director of Operations for LandAjob. “You have to stress you are committed to making positive contributions to society and this job would be a great way to accomplish that.”
LandAjob is a nonprofit that helps individuals with disabilities find work through job services and provide job-expense reimbursements to help them transition back into the workplace. They have an exclusive database of over 600,000 active positions for individuals with disabilities. Once a person attains a job, they may qualify for up to $13,000 in job-expense reimbursements. Job-expense reimbursements can come in the form of a work computer, daycare, or even the cost of transportation traveling back and forth to work.
Two factors are helping Americans with disabilities. A strong economy has created a demand for more workers and companies are finding that people with criminal records provide equal or greater value to companies than people without records.
A nation-wide study by the Society for Human Resource Management and the Charles Koch Industries found more than 80 percent of managers and two-thirds of human resource professionals said people with criminal records brought as high or even higher value to the company than workers who didn’t have a record.
“Americans with disabilities just want a second chance at finding a new job,” said Bertram. “We know from our experience people are grateful for new opportunities and are willing to work hard for the companies employing them.”
Employers can commit discrimination by not checking the background of Americans with disabilities, according to Accurate Information Systems. By not checking background, an organization would be treating an American with a disability differently than a candidate without a disability. The Americans with Disabilities Act insures people with disabilities aren’t treated differently in the criminal justice system.
To check and see if there is anything in your background that doesn’t belong, you can use a third party to conduct the research on yourself. If there is incorrect information, contact the company or agency that is providing the information and dispute the error and then file a complaint with the Federal Trade Commission to have the background check investigated.
“It’s very helpful to check out your record before you start applying for jobs,” said Bertram. “You should also Google yourself to see if there is any incorrect information about you.”
However, if you do have a criminal record when applying for a job, you should also be aware that your criminal offense will eliminate possibility you from consideration. For example, if you have been convicted of a financial wrongdoing, you probably aren’t going to be considered for a bank teller job. Also, be truthful on the application about the criminal record. By not including the information, will be considered deceitful once they conduct a background check.
“Companies are focused on getting the best employee possible, regardless of their history,” said Bertram. “Human resource professionals say they are willing to work with people with criminal records. Just stress your willingness to make contributions to society, and, if you have it, stress long work history.”
If you are an individual with a disability and interested in coming back to the workplace, take advantage of LandAjob’s job resources and job-expense reimbursements of up to $13,000 by registering at http://laj.work/recordreg.
Michael Sanders
LandAjob.org
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