How to Get a Job With a Criminal Record

For some reason, many ex-offenders will approach job hunting in a haphazard and disorganized fashion, and then when they start to receive the rejection letters will put their lack of success down to their criminal record. Whilst it is true that there are certain occupations from which ex-offenders are excluded, there are equally as many occupations where ex-offenders can and do gain employment.

Of course it isn't going to be easy finding a job when you have a criminal record, of course you're going to have to work harder to prove yourself than other people. But the reality is that with planning, forethought, preparation and solid advice, you CAN and will get a job.

If you're serious about getting a job, you'll need to acknowledge that you have a lot of work to do. Not just when it comes to searching for vacancies, and not just when it comes to completing application forms and preparing your CV or resume, but also when it comes to looking at your strengths and weaknesses, skills and experience, and areas where you can improve and develop. 

Imagine that you already have a full time job, your job is to obtain employment, you work for five days a week, eight hours per day, and today is your first day.

An evaluation of your skills and experience is very important, but an evaluation of your strengths and weaknesses is vital if you're going to succeed.

Sometimes out of sheer desperation, reluctance to face up to the reality of their situation or simply because they don't feel that they have anything else to offer, many ex-offenders will make the mistake of pursuing occupations and careers which are not only inappropriate, but also unrealistic. 

It doesn't matter how many convictions you have under your belt; one or a multitude, you have a criminal record, which may well exclude you from your previous occupation or a field where you would like to work. You could, of course, lie about your convictions on your application, and the temptation to do so might be overwhelming when you feel that your options are limited, but this is an extremely bad idea, we'll discuss why later on..

When considering which occupations are deemed inappropriate for ex-offenders, there are the obvious ones such as those within the Criminal Justice System. But also, you must consider the relationship between your offence and the job applied for. It's highly unlikely that you'll interview successfully for the position of a mechanic, if your offences are related to driving or cars. Nor can you work behind the counter in a pharmacy if you've been convicted of possession or possession with intent to supply. Nor should you want to, you know where your vulnerabilities lie.

A prime example of those who will often pursue a career which may be unrealistic or ill-timed, comes from those who are recovering from alcohol and substance misuse. After becoming drug and alcohol free, many ex-offenders will decide that they want to help others who are experiencing similar problems, particularly when they discover that it's possible to gain such a role, even if you have a criminal past; the possibility of becoming a drug/alcohol worker suddenly becomes very appealing.  

Whilst wanting to help others overcome their situation is admirable, it may not have the best outcome for you. If you have been considering this line of work and you are a former user, you may need to do a little soul searching and ask yourself some very difficult questions. You will also need to be brutally honest when it comes to the answers. 

What do we mean by transferable skills and skills for employment? Well, transferable skills are those which you may have obtained in your working life, or whilst in prison, which can be used in other roles and occupations. Or, skills which you may have obtained in your personal life, but can be used in your professional life. For example, you might use a computer at home, and can, therefore, transfer that skill to your working life.

Skills for employment is a very broad term, it can involve time management- making sure you're always on time for work, learning to take instructions, or sometimes just having the ability to get along with people and being able to resolve problems in a mature and reasonable way. The term can also refer to particular skills which may be needed to perform the job undertaken. For example, you will need a clean driving licence and the ability to read a map to become a taxi driver or courier.

Before applying for jobs, it's really important to think about your existing skills, and, where appropriate, about acquiring skills which could help you to secure employment. Such as carpentry skills, or computer skills.

After all, how could you possibly sell your skills to a prospective employer if you haven't even considered what they might be?

Many ex-offenders struggle when they are asked to consider their existing skills. That might be because they have an extensive criminal record, have served dozens of prison sentences and may never have held down a legitimate job. If this applies to you, fear not, because during those prison or community sentences, and even whilst engaging in criminal activity, you have put to use a number of skills and probably acquired new ones along the way. 

Reflect for a while; think about all the prison and community sentences you may have served. Did you work whilst in prison? Did you take part in educational courses? Did you workout in the gym, or take any courses related to physical fitness or training? What about courses relating to your offending behaviour, you must, at some point, have taken part in those? Have you ever been a prison listener? Have you helped other prisoners with literacy issues read and write letters? 

Think about all the things you may have done in the past, and then consider which skills are needed to carry out those tasks. 

Working whilst in prison not only requires organisational ability, but the ability to work as part of a team. Furthermore, you will also have needed the ability to follow directions. In fact, in some prisons, work is only allocated to those who are deemed trustworthy- the trustees, they can be relied upon to complete a task effectively and with minimum supervision. A prison listener, must of course, be a good listener, and helping other prisoners with their letters requires good communication skills and patience. Take a look at all those skills..

Well organised.

Works well in a team.

Able to take and follow instructions carefully.

Effective worker.

Task oriented.

Requires minimum supervision.

Listening skills.

Communication skills.

Patience with others.

For ex-offenders who have previously enjoyed a career, a professional life, the transition to joblessness because of a criminal record can be devastating. Initially, some people can't see past the fact that all their training and education can no longer be utilized in the career of their choice. But the good news is, that skill set may be highly valued in a different role, a role where your criminal record is not as important as the experience you bring to the job. 

Obviously, the number of professions where skills, experience and qualifications overlap are far too numerous to mention here. However, this is a really important exercise to undertake- you need to think about where your skills and education might be valuable, even if, albeit, in a completely different role.

A number crunching account with a criminal record may not be trusted with other people's money again, but they'll have more than enough experience to teach arithmetic to adults, or deliver courses about using spread sheets, or write an e-book about tax law. Did you notice that those roles involve working with adults, or making your own employment?

Although not always the case, in the UK many of the jobs that are exempt form the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act (we'll come to that soon) involve working with vulnerable people and children, or belong to one of the professions. However, there are a number of roles which involve working with adults who are not considered vulnerable, and who may require knowledge and expertise which you can provide. 

It doesn't matter which country we look at, the percentage of offenders and ex-offenders with poor levels of literacy and numeracy is always extremely high. Getting a job when you have a criminal record is no easy task, but if you struggle when it comes to reading and writing you have an additional barrier to employment. One that you CAN, if you're prepared to do little work, overcome. 

Having interviewed hundreds, if not thousands, of offenders who claim that they 'cannot' read and write, not once, not on any occasion, have I found that they actually cannot. You see, most adults who believe that they are illiterate are misinformed. They CAN read and write, just not very well. 

Poor literacy and numeracy skills are in no way related to levels of intelligence. There can be many reasons why an individual may have problems when it comes to reading and writing, which include; a learning difficulty such as dyslexia, poor attendance at school, and lack of confidence, yes confidence. If you were ever told at school that you were stupid (poor teachers will often blame their students for their own shortcomings) it is highly likely that you may have stopped trying to learn and therefore avoided situations where you had to read or write.

It might be that a friend or family member is reading this article to you right now, which also shows that despite your difficulties, you are seeking information with the intention of bettering yourself. In other words, you already have the desire, and the ability, to learn. 

Addressing your reading and writing problems can seem like a daunting task, but it doesn't have to be. Ask yourself, what is it, exactly, that you'd like to be able to do; sign a birthday card, read your mail or the morning paper, how about completing a job application yourself?

Set yourself one goal which relates to reading and writing, then take it from there. 

There are a number of free community courses where adult learners can improve their skills. If you have an internet connection and a friend who can help, a quick search will reveal all the resources in your area. If you don't feel ready to attend a course at this time and you have an internet connection, or access to the internet, try BBC Skillswise English and Maths for Adults. It doesn't matter what your level of literacy or numeracy, this free online course uses pictures, video and sound to take you through the course, and it's a great place to start.

There are many occupations where your criminal record will be considered less important than your skills. The building trade, driving jobs, motor mechanics to name but a few, are less inclined to care about your convictions when they need your experience.There are a shortage of skilled tradesmen in the United Kingdom because, over the years, we have paid less attention to training apprentices than we might have, and now, kids leaving school with 5 GCSE's grades A-C do not want to pursue those occupations. 

The problem is, not only does it take a couple of years to qualify and become competent in such roles, but there is also a cost attached to most courses. If you're trying to get by on benefits, then paying £500 or more for the course of your choice will be practically impossible, unless of course, you have a family who can afford to loan you the money. 

This is where the Prisoner Funder Directory can help. The directory offers a list of charities and resources whose aim is to help offenders and ex-offenders reintegrate into the community. Resettlement includes employment and education, and there have been many instances where individuals have managed to secure funding for training, education and help with the costs of employment. 

If you have convictions but have never served a custodial sentence, then there are other charities which may be able to help. If you are still in contact with your Probation Officer, you could ask them to apply to Nacro on your behalf (the application must be supported by your PO) for help with training and education costs. If you are no longer in contact with the Probation Service, then take a trip to your local library and ask for a copy of the Employment Grants Directory and the Educational Grants Directory.

Take a pad and pen with you, because these are reference books and it is unlikely that you'll be permitted to take them from the premises. Both books contain the names and addresses of literally hundreds of charities that grant funds to many different groups in society, including ex-offenders. Each charity will discuss who they will consider for funding, for what purposes they grant funds and also how much they will award. 

If you need help to compose an application for funding, read How to write and application for a charity hardship grant.

If, for some reason, you are having difficulty finding either of these books, follow the link to Amazon.co.uk where used, inexpensive copies of these and similar books can be obtained.

Without a shadow of a doubt, the disclosure of criminal convictions on an application form or at an interview not only fills many ex-offenders with dread, but can also be a minefield when it comes to knowing what must and must not be disclosed.

The first reaction is often to mislead; to tick the box which says no and continue the deception at the interview stage, if it gets that far.

Nevertheless, if you live in the United Kingdom, and gain employment after lying on your application or at the interview, there is a strong possibility that if you are caught you will be charged with another offence. The offence is known as  Gaining Pecuniary Advantage by Deception, which may result in another custodial sentence. You need to be clear, not only about when to disclose, but how. 

To summarise, when you are asked on an application form, or at an interview, whether you have a criminal record, you must disclose any conviction which remains unspent. If your conviction is spent, then you are not required to disclose unless the vacancy is exempt from the Rehabilitation Act. If the post is exempt from the Rehabilitation Act, it will clearly say so on the application and you will be left in no doubt. 

If you have unspent convictions, and you have not been asked whether you have any criminal convictions, you are not legally required to disclose. However, if, at some later stage, your employer discovers that you have an unspent conviction, he may feel that you have been dishonest because you didn't offer the information, and might, therefore, terminate your employment.

This may seem unfair, but unless you've been employed with the organisation for more than 12 months, and can prove that you were dismissed because of your criminal record, even though you may never have been asked about it, you will have no form of recourse whatsoever. It is far better to offer the information when you have unspent convictions, even if you have not been asked.

There is, absolutely, a right way and a wrong way to disclose your criminal convictions. Firstly, you must take responsibility for your offences, you have been convicted of them, and you own them. If you claim that it wasn't your fault, or that you were wrongly convicted, you are basically telling a potential employer that you have learnt nothing and that you have not changed. If you're going to go down that road, kiss goodbye to the job now.

However, you can talk about mitigating circumstances. You will have heard your solicitor talk about mitigating circumstances in court. Basically, mitigating circumstances are an explanation as to why you behaved the way that you did, and made such poor decisions. 

It may have been because of immaturity, problems at home, drug/alcohol abuse, that you were easily influenced by others, or, quite simply, because you were unable to solve problems. This is also the point where you get to blow your own trumpet; talk about how much you've learnt since committing the offence, how much you've matured and developed, how you are now able to approach problems from a completely different angle. You could also talk about how you now realise that there will always be consequences for your actions, and how you want to keep on the straight and narrow and stay out of trouble. 

When you're asked on your application about your offences, tick the appropriate box and write 'please see attached sheet'. On a separate sheet of paper, disclose your convictions and then talk about how you've changed (as we've already discussed)

For an example of how you might disclose your convictions in writing, see Nacro's How to disclose.

Watch the video beneath, and all the possible scenarios that may follow when you do, or do not, disclose your offences. There's also an excellent example of how to talk about your convictions at an interview. 

Obtaining references can be a particular problem for some ex-offenders, and the likelihood is that you will be asked on the application form for the details of two or more referees. It might be that you are able to supply references from people in your personal life, or not. 

If you do have a former employer who is willing to give you a good reference, then name them. However, if you're struggling to come up with names of referees, then think about the professionals that you've worked with whilst serving your prison or community sentences, or the professionals that you've worked with after your order ended.

You could always contact your former Probation Officer, or contact the prison if you can think of a Prison Officer, chaplin, housing worker etc. who may have worked with you and might be willing to provide a reference. Or it might be the case that you're working voluntarily with the drug/alcohol team at the present time. You could also approach them. 

Of course, each one of these workers will only provide a reference in their professional capacity. However, any prospective employer will know that if you have a criminal history, then you will have worked with Criminal Justice Professionals. And when you think about it, who better to talk about the progress that you've made, and how far you've come!

If you've read this rather long article to the end, and if you intend to take the advice offered, you're already in a better position than many of the others who might be competing for the same job as you, even if they do not have a criminal record. Watch the video beneath to discover why. 

Good Luck!