Ex felon in hvac

[Swokhvac]

I have a felony for fraud about 3 years ago and am working to try and turn my life around and provide for my family. I’ve been looking at the trades and hvac really peaks my interest. Any advice on what route I should I take (trade school or working) and should I try commercial or residential? What are the business owners thoughts on here on hiring an exfelon with an otherwise spotless record.

[pecmsg]

Depending on the situation
Contact a local near you
http://www.ua.org/locals
Apply for the apprenticeship program.
In house maintenance is another route.

Be advised all these programs are 4 & 5 years. You will get paid to learn but very little to begin.

[CEAS-AC-TECH]

Commercial will be your best bet.

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[oldguy1949]

You don't say where you live. In my state, employer must do criminal background check and submit to our Dept of Licensing for approval if felon. It gets sticky in residential.
When I was an employer, I probably would pass on you. I felt my tech had to be able to work in all situations. New construction would be a place especially on large commercial sheetmetal crews.

[Swokhvac]

I like in Oklahoma...no such requirement exists..background checks are optional if an employer wants to do one

[JCN]

A lot of it depends on the employer and the situation they are in. Most of the large corporate companies will not hire a felon. Period. Residential is going to be tough as well, due to the direct interaction with the customers in their homes. As others have said, try to catch on with a commercial construction company and work your way up from there. Once the felony is over 10 years old, with no other incidents, then things get a little easier.

On a side note, we recently interviewed a guy that would have been a sure hire, except for a somewhat minor drug conviction that was less than 5 years old. It was an immediate stop. HR would have pulled the plug quickly during the hiring process if we hadn't during the interview.

Good luck to you and kudos for turning your life around. It will be a tough road, but others have done it. Keep your head down and do all the right things for your family.

[unonut]

I have a felony for fraud about 3 years ago and am working to try and turn my life around and provide for my family. I’ve been looking at the trades and hvac really peaks my interest. Any advice on what route I should I take (trade school or working) and should I try commercial or residential? What are the business owners thoughts on here on hiring an exfelon with an otherwise spotless record.

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[Swokhvac]

I’m hoping to work for a smaller company and go through the apprenticeship program and work my way up to contractor..I feel like more doors will open that way

[BBeerme]

Really depends a lot on what your felony was for. Fraud doesn't show good character. But the circumstances in a court of law could put a lot of us there. Really depends if you set out to defraud another, or if you made a mistake of judgement.

I asked my employers a couple of years ago if they would hire a felon, 'cause there was this guy a few doors down who couldn't get a job. And they said they would draw the line at spousal abuse.

Where I live, there is a huge demand. Maybe not so much where you are.

[BBeerme]

For what it is worth, on this call today, everyone left for lunch. We're talking maybe 25 people. Big room. Open work space. Nobody there. There were wallets, cell phones, and other personal items on the desks.

No way was I going to touch a single freakin' thing. I did move a coffee cup with water in it since I was going to remove a ceiling tile. And I put my clip board over the keyboard. But that was it.

For what it is worth, been doing this over 35 years, and never had a customer complaint. At least with respect to property or theft of any sort.

[Swokhvac]

There is a demand here in Oklahoma and I am willing to move. My fraud was brought upon by an ex wife with a vandetta. But if I had been a better record keeper it would have never happened. It happened at a business that I used to own..all my customers loved me and even wrote letters to the judge in support of me. I was never accused of stealing from and person just a government entity with the letters I.R.S

[BBeerme]

Then you come clean with your respective (prospective) employers. Tell it like it is. If you try to skirt around the details, it'll bite you in the butt.

There is a demand here in Oklahoma and I am willing to move. My fraud was brought upon by an ex wife with a vandetta. But if I had been a better record keeper it would have never happened.

[Swokhvac]

The job that I have now I was completely honest with them and they were very accepting of the circumstances.

[pageyjim]

There is a demand here in Oklahoma and I am willing to move. My fraud was brought upon by an ex wife with a vandetta. But if I had been a better record keeper it would have never happened. It happened at a business that I used to own..all my customers loved me and even wrote letters to the judge in support of me. I was never accused of stealing from and person just a government entity with the letters I.R.S

Being honest with any future employer is a must. I have known employers who would give people a second chance. This was in both commercial and resi companies. One fired someone on the spot after he found out they weren't totally up front.

The IRS usually can tell the difference between fraud and negligence. If I was in the position of giving you that second chance your description above would make me have second thoughts. Not keeping the best records is not fraud and it might be best to take responsibility and not blame the ex. That is my advice, just being honest.

Good luck!

[unonut]

Honesty is the best course of action here. 1st if you are caught not telling the truth your chances are zero. If you are honest 100% with your employer then they can work around what ever your felony was for. It does limit you for your ability to work at different places. So if a company’s largest customer is government then your chances are zero. But you can work onsite at most facilities with your conviction. Only convict I know of that never has a chance in any trade if kiddy fiddlers. Most people would be surprised to find out the number of felons on a job site. I have worked with convicted murderers and thieves at large corporations. Don’t think that because you have that conviction it stops your ability to work in this trade. Check with your local unemployment office for programs. There are even programs that are designed for people in your situation. Some up here say that they would never hire a convict but they would also reconsider based on your resume also. References can be your best friend here. We all make mistakes but it’s what we do after that shows who we truly are.
Good luck

[Swokhvac]

I just want to say thank you everyone on this site for the encouragement. I have been looking at the different trade and even truck driving and the hvac guys are the most helpful and encouraging out of all of them.

[pageyjim]

One might be surprised at how many jobs in govt might be open to you. Starting your own business again if able is also a good option. Many websites also suggest truckdriving as an option as you seem to already know.

If you decide to go with hvac I think smaller to midsize companies may be the best fit.

Again good luck!

[crazzycajun]

There is a demand here in Oklahoma and I am willing to move. My fraud was brought upon by an ex wife with a vandetta. But if I had been a better record keeper it would have never happened. It happened at a business that I used to own..all my customers loved me and even wrote letters to the judge in support of me. I was never accused of stealing from and person just a government entity with the letters I.R.S

They hate competition it’s their job to steal
You could run for public office
Good luck

[Swokhvac]

I will be able to start my own hvac business here in Oklahoma..the only thing holding me back is getting the required experience to obtain my contractor license

[pecmsg]

I will be able to start my own hvac business here in Oklahoma..the only thing holding me back is getting the required experience to obtain my contractor license

And 10 + years experience!