Old conviction catching up with me, where are the jobs

[cmoore1]

I have a past conviction (1997), will employers use this against me? I was told once that I had to wait 10yrs from the date of conviction. This is crazy, I know there is some employers who understand that we all make mistakes in the past and is willing to give a person a chance. I went to school for HVAC & is Universal Certified along with the Automotive Certificate, I am reading to gain experience and work hard.

[nyactech]

The most important factor will probably be what the offense was. Basically , if it was just a stupid act that was a "one time thing " , most employers will be willing to give you a shot. However , if it was the type of offense that wouldn't go over well in prison , if you know what I mean , you will most definitely have a tough road ahead in seeking employment. As someone that has been in your position , the best advice I could give is to be completely honest with your prospective employer , and let him decide if your past is of concern to him. Contrary to what you may think , I have found most employers to be more than willing to give someone in our shoes a chance. If you find one of these people , give them all you've got on the job , which not only validates his decision to hire you , but might also smooth the way for the next man who is trying to better himself. Best of luck !!!

[absrbrtek]

Depends on what the conviction is for. You can possibly get it expunged in most cases if its a first offence and its over so many years ago.

[no8no3]

It's probobly not a past conviction thats haunting you, but the lack of experience. We do a lot of prison work, and have hired two guy's in the recent past that are parolees. This is looked upon with favor from the state, and we get some guy's that we already know from the facilities.

These guy's were both convicted of drug related offenses and were never considered dangerous to begin with. There is some additional paperwork to consider, and reports to be made to the parole officer. Both recieved hvac training while inside, and worked in the physical plant as their jobs.

Dont expect a lot of sympathy from the big company's, They mostly cater to the guy's that havn't been caught yet.

Experience can compensate for past transgressions, I sat in on an interview a while back, for a good tear-down man who stated a prior conviction for theft. My service mgr. looked at me funny, and then asked him "so, how many accounts can you bring with you?"......

[cmoore1]

It was drug related, however, I've been on a straight path since. I worked at a company and was promoted as a Forman/ Supervisor for 4yrs which is now shut down, when that happened I went to school the following 2wks for HVAC and have not found work since. I am dependable reliable & I get the job done.

[mdp]

One time non violent crime, as long as you can test clean we'd give you a chance. People make mistakes in life as long as you learn from them.

[Frank_G]

I have sympathy for your predicament, but what is an employer to do?

Here in Texas the law requires that anyone going into a residence have a background screening. If we hire someone with a cloudy background and that person should commit a crime, we'll be liable.

I believe you'll have to look for work in an industrial setting.

Frank