If you have a criminal history you might find yourself thinking that all hope is lost with regards to ever being considered for gainful employment. While it’s true that certain crimes and infractions on your record may bar you from holding particular positions of employment, it by no means ensures you’ll have the door slammed in your face every time you go to apply for a job.
Your number one tactic is to be honest about your record. You might think you can lie on your application, but a thorough criminal background check can uncover a mark on your record thereby raising serious questions with an employer about your honesty and trustworthiness. You don’t have to go into exhaustive detail about the nature of your crime, but at the same time you don’t want to not mention it at all.
Being straightforward shows that you’re someone who isn’t afraid to admit past mistakes. The thing to keep in mind is that your criminal record isn’t the “be all & end all.” If the topic comes up in an interview, explain the steps you’ve taken since your offense to move on from it and insure a repeat offense won’t ever happen again.
There’s also the possibility to consider that you might have a mark on your record you’re not even aware of. Maybe it happened so long ago, you might not even remember the incident. However, it can make for some awkward interaction between you and your potential employer if your background check comes back with those results.
If there’s any doubt in your mind about any unresolved issues relating to court visits, criminal sentencing or other related matters from your past, get it checked out. You can visit the law enforcement institutions involved and request copies of your paperwork as a matter of public record. In some cases you might even find you’re able to petition to have certain charges removed from your record.
Another alternative is to consult a professional background screening service such as IAmScreened.com. For a reasonable fee you can have a team of verification specialists run a background check on you that can focus on a county, state and national level depending on what you feel is necessary.
We all make mistakes in life, but that’s not to say we can’t learn from them and move forward. If you have the right skills, attitude and life goals, make them known. An employer who sees tremendous potential, both as an employee and an individual, and one who is serious about moving on from the past will no doubt give them equal consideration with any other applicant.
It’s important to know that a positive attitude and honesty are your two most valuable tools.
