MEGA - Drug/Legal issues impacting school/job

[Cyc]

I've also never been asked for a background check in either College or University here.

 

[silverman]

I am pretty pretty sure that a question regarding criminal background will be asked on most university applications. Even my current community college asked me such and had me email them a page long explanation. they then had to meet with a board within the school before they could allow me to attend class.

and keep in mind that this was before that Jared Loughner asshole.

Fortunately, i have been collecting notes of recommendation from my employers as well as my drug court counselor from 2 years ago. i am hoping that this will be enough to offset the big "F" tattoed on my forehead.

A quick rant

If i am denied admittance based upon my criminal background then i will be validated in my long running suspicion that this country is set up to cater to only very small amount of people while systematically marginalizing the groups that they consider undesirable. I mean, seriously, what the hell would they have me do? if i am blocked from bettering myself at every step of the way then how will i ever contribute a goddamn thing. How is it in anyones best interest to keep people like me excluded from living a productive life even when we have poured our hearts into trying to be better?

If this doesn't work then i see no other options. I am trying so hard to not get discouraged and disheartened with the arduous journey that is surley before me. but the realities of my situation certainly have a way of extinguishing my optimism. so many things to be unsure about... what if this is all for nothing?

 

[kaywholed]

I've also never been asked for a background check in either College or University here.

RMC is the only school I know that does that.

 

[ektamine]

Om3n420, are you still around?

Has anything panned out for you yet?



I am in a similar situation, with a few differences, and I am located in California. I have a similar record to yours, except I may be able to get the felony expunged in either a year or 5 years. I am having a terrible time finding a job due to a combination of the economy and the felony. I plan to start my own thread seeking more personalized advice, but I'm also interested to hear how things are going for you?

 

[ektamine]

Seeking advice – Getting a Job with a Felony

Hey. I'm in a bit of a situation here, and could use the help and/or advice of anyone with similar experience or knowledge.

I live in California, I am young (20), unemployed, and haven't really been doing anything with my life since about a year ago, when I got a felony possession of a controlled substance (LSD) charge. Since then I have been out of school and out of employment, living in a studio apartment off of savings. My savings are coming to an end in about 2 months, and I will probably be homeless if I don't find a job by then. I completed high school through CA's version of the G.E.D., the C.H.S.P.E. I do not have any kind of degree or trade. I have been taking community college courses prior to all of this. I have a decent work history with experience at multiple businesses as both a barista and and a busboy. Previous employers will give good references.

So far I have been following my usual procedure of going around town and just handing out resumes everywhere, usually introducing myself to the manager in the same move.

Nothings catching. What should I do? Where else can I look? If you have any personal stories please share them.

tl;dr: I absolutely need to find a job, or I will be on the street soon; Felons (specifically drug felons) – How and Where have you found work?

 

[theotherside]

Ok I don't have a felony but I know plenty of people who work full time jobs with felony drug charges.

Go to a staffing company....take a typing test for office work/heavy lifting/forklift....plenty of options
If you can't find a good staffing company in cali then come to Houston....we have too many jobs that pay less than 30,000 a year and not enough that pay more.

 

[maybeimamazing]

haha I'm in Houston too. AND i've had two felonies & 2 dui's. the good thing is, you're young, and ppl will give you a chance if you're honest with them, and don't do it anymore...OR AT LEAST DON'T GET CAUGHT! winkwink.
i got my record sealed for the felonies, so they don't show up at all. i had a lawyer but you can just petition the court in which you were found guilty. it won't go away, esp. if you plead guilty, or did probation. so, it's not an ex-pungement, but it's the next best thing. so you can rent an apt. and pass a background check . HOWEVER, if you get in any further trouble, the "sealing" won't matter to law officials. see?
also, i would suggest becoming the best at whatever it is that you do so that they will want you. i'm a restaurant mgr. and hire ppl all the time with all kinds of prolems. i had a 19 yo black kid who could hardly write start as a busboy, and b/c he's so hard-working quick, honest, charming, AND honest, he promoted to bartender, and i'm considering him for lead bartender w/in 6 months or so. he probably makes 700 a week, and he just turned 21. oh, he didn't have a record but he was into all kinds of crazy shit, and now he's doing amazing. and he just bought a car, not a mercedes, but it runs, and he did it all by himself.
so...you see, it can be done. have a good attitude, and just never give up. hope this helped ! peace
ps and yeh, we do have lots of jobs in this area...

 

[ektamine]

In 100% honesty I have nothing keeping my anywhere at the moment, nothing to lose and everything to gain, if I had the money to get me started somewhere until I got hired I would just up and move somewhere that has a lot of jobs. My city here in NorCal has a completely still job market at the moment. There's the usual luck of the draw positions opening up when people leave/get fired/promoted etc, but with all the competition my resume just isn't holding up so far... idk.

haha I'm in Houston too. AND i've had two felonies & 2 dui's. the good thing is, you're young, and ppl will give you a chance if you're honest with them, and don't do it anymore...OR AT LEAST DON'T GET CAUGHT! winkwink.
i got my record sealed for the felonies, so they don't show up at all. i had a lawyer but you can just petition the court in which you were found guilty. it won't go away, esp. if you plead guilty, or did probation. so, it's not an ex-pungement, but it's the next best thing. so you can rent an apt. and pass a background check . HOWEVER, if you get in any further trouble, the "sealing" won't matter to law officials. see?
also, i would suggest becoming the best at whatever it is that you do so that they will want you. i'm a restaurant mgr. and hire ppl all the time with all kinds of prolems. i had a 19 yo black kid who could hardly write start as a busboy, and b/c he's so hard-working quick, honest, charming, AND honest, he promoted to bartender, and i'm considering him for lead bartender w/in 6 months or so. he probably makes 700 a week, and he just turned 21. oh, he didn't have a record but he was into all kinds of crazy shit, and now he's doing amazing. and he just bought a car, not a mercedes, but it runs, and he did it all by himself.
so...you see, it can be done. have a good attitude, and just never give up. hope this helped ! peace
ps and yeh, we do have lots of jobs in this area...

Your story brings me some hope. As manager, would you (honestly) have hired the 19 yr old if he was the same but had 1 felony drug conviction (for a personal amt. of LSD)?

Also, provided I keep my shit together from now on, I can get my felony expunged in 5 years, because I'm on a drug diversion program. But thats a long time down the road so it doesn't matter much now.

 

[The Chemist]

I'm 20 an a felon too. Never put on an application that you are. explain in interview, if they ask. I tend to be like a lawyer when it comes to my criminal history, if nobody asks me, i am not going to divulge information that could be potentially detrimental.

The CA job market is tough, what i've found is: Sales jobs (telemarketing, door-to-door), and Landscaping are my best bets.

My record usually does not dissuade employers from hiring me, what is more important is how one presents him/herself and such information if requested. More often than not, my words and qualifications overshadow any doubts a prospective employer may have about me.

 

[ektamine]

^ Awesome, its good to find someone in a similar situation.

I've never had a sales gig, and I'm not sure I'd be any good at it because I tend to suck at conversation that doesn't come natural. As in I can small-talk with customers / coworkers all day comfortably but if I'm told to make a sales pitch I get super anxious which would effect my abilities.

Landscaping I could do, although I imagine it would be tough as a long term thing. I did roofing for a little while a few years back and hated it, quit, although fuck I'd take it in a second nowadays. All my experience really lies in the restaurant business and the coffee industry, so I feel like I probably have the best chance there.

So when you say that you don't put it on applications, what if the applications ask?
A lot of them around here ask you to check 'yes' or 'no' to whether you have ever been convicted of a felony and if so to briefly explain.

Do you just put 'no', or have you never come across that?

 

[ektamine]

I've been thinking that at local small business, specifically in the restaurant business, if I just lied and checked 'no' on the felony conviction question (on the application) most places wouldn't even bother to do a background check for their entry level positions.

I'm not sure if I'm right, but I don't think any of my last jobs did background checks on me, or at least I didn't know about them.

 

[The Chemist]

I've been doing Landscaping since i was about 14, unprofessionally, and recently got hired on with a commercial outfit.

My felony nearly discouraged them, but I also have nearly 7 years of experience, and know a lot about doing remodeling and masonry, also construction. Basically I have a lot more exp than most people my age, and my work speaks for itself.

If apps ask, i simply put "no", even if they ask for an explanation. I let my work and qualifications speak for me. First impressions are everything, i've had employers check my record, and look at me in disbelief. they hired me thinking i absolutely was not capable of such things.

I have: Mis. Car Theft
Agg Burglary (no weapons, people inside sleeping though)



EDIT: many people in our spot start their own business for the reason they are in your predicament.

 

[ektamine]

EDIT: many people in our spot start their own business for the reason they are in your predicament.

Yeah, I plan to do this eventually, right now I just need to get back on my feet in any way possible.

I've been doing Landscaping since i was about 14, unprofessionally, and recently got hired on with a commercial outfit.

My felony nearly discouraged them, but I also have nearly 7 years of experience, and know a lot about doing remodeling and masonry, also construction. Basically I have a lot more exp than most people my age, and my work speaks for itself.

If apps ask, i simply put "no", even if they ask for an explanation. I let my work and qualifications speak for me. First impressions are everything, i've had employers check my record, and look at me in disbelief. they hired me thinking i absolutely was not capable of such things.

I have: Mis. Car Theft
Agg Burglary (no weapons, people inside sleeping though)

lol I like how stealing a car is a misdemeanor but possession of a few tabs of LSD or a few mushrooms is a felony.

 

[maybeimamazing]

heck yeh i would've still hired him, he's an awesome guy, and tho i'm a little older, i have empathy and understanding on my side. that's true what the last guy said to not put everything on an application, as other ppl see those, even if they're not supposed to. you can always write a little side note "will explain in interview" no problem there. while a lot of places say they'll check, they don't always. i have hired many ppl with convictions, some work out, some don't. hell, i'm a drug user/addict myself, how can i be such a hypocrit?
and the thing about sales it takes years to develop a real "gift of gab", even for a natural. i majored in journalism/speech communications in college BECAUSE i was so inhibited, scared, shy to speak in front of ppl.. that is the number 1 fear of most ppl. so what i did was to throw myself into th fire, and dammit if i didn't come out on the other side a VERY good speaker. Sales is so important, b/c that's what you do at a job intrview. it's ok to "push the envelope"....evryone who has gotten anywhere in life does it. that's different than a bold faced lie!!!
so, you're young, you'll be ok, generally if ppl like you, they'll give you a chance. so capitalize on yur strengths...if you're a barrista, cool: then yur job is to make the best and fastest double espresso soy latte out there, you got me?
sorry if it's a dumb question, but do you have any family who can help you ?

 

[The Chemist]

Yeah, I plan to do this eventually, right now I just need to get back on my feet in any way possible.



lol I like how stealing a car is a misdemeanor but possession of a few tabs of LSD or a few mushrooms is a felony.

I had a good lawyer (public defender, no less) that got my other felony car theft dropped in exchange for taking the Agg. Burglary as a felony.

 

[ektamine]

I had a good lawyer (public defender, no less) that got my other felony car theft dropped in exchange for taking the Agg. Burglary as a felony.

Nice, yeah I've been with a (amazing) public defender too, was told early on by a few people in the system (I used to serve the drug court judge coffee every morning at my coffee shop before I got the conviction – knew him by name and knew his daily coffee :D) that unless I could afford and wanted to pay for a SUPER (expensive) good lawyer to go for a public defender because most of them were better than the low-cost private lawyers anyways due to greater experience with avg. drug cases.

heck yeh i would've still hired him, he's an awesome guy, and tho i'm a little older, i have empathy and understanding on my side. that's true what the last guy said to not put everything on an application, as other ppl see those, even if they're not supposed to. you can always write a little side note "will explain in interview" no problem there. while a lot of places say they'll check, they don't always. i have hired many ppl with convictions, some work out, some don't. hell, i'm a drug user/addict myself, how can i be such a hypocrit?
and the thing about sales it takes years to develop a real "gift of gab", even for a natural. i majored in journalism/speech communications in college BECAUSE i was so inhibited, scared, shy to speak in front of ppl.. that is the number 1 fear of most ppl. so what i did was to throw myself into th fire, and dammit if i didn't come out on the other side a VERY good speaker. Sales is so important, b/c that's what you do at a job intrview. it's ok to "push the envelope"....evryone who has gotten anywhere in life does it. that's different than a bold faced lie!!!
so, you're young, you'll be ok, generally if ppl like you, they'll give you a chance. so capitalize on yur strengths...if you're a barrista, cool: then yur job is to make the best and fastest double espresso soy latte out there, you got me?

Heh, you sound like a great manager to have – maybe I will come out to Houston :D.

so, you're young, you'll be ok, generally if ppl like you, they'll give you a chance. so capitalize on yur strengths...if you're a barrista, cool: then yur job is to make the best and fastest double espresso soy latte out there, you got me?

Thanks, man. This is basically what I've been doing, but I guess its just a tough market right now, and I'll just have to keep trying.

sorry if it's a dumb question, but do you have any family who can help you ?

Help me how?

I do, I live in the same city as my parents, my dad owns his own business but doesn't have enough work (hes in construction/engineering) coming through to hire me. They've been helping me just to get by recently and we stay in touch.

My moms an artist, not really any work there.

 

[maybeimamazing]

hey again, glad i could help. you never know what tomorrow's gonna bring. just keep doing the next right thing, something willwork out....contact me again if you need to: don't mind at all...funny i'm an artist too, and a writer, i'm currently writing a book, hopefully published w/in a year. trick is: do what you love, and you'll never work a day in your life! something like that,,,, oh, btw, i'm not a man, but it's cool!

 

[KevinKostner]

Om3n420, are you still around?

Has anything panned out for you yet?



I am in a similar situation, with a few differences, and I am located in California. I have a similar record to yours, except I may be able to get the felony expunged in either a year or 5 years. I am having a terrible time finding a job due to a combination of the economy and the felony. I plan to start my own thread seeking more personalized advice, but I'm also interested to hear how things are going for you?

Well guys, there's either a federal program or maybe it's something exclusive to Illinois where if companies hire a felon they get a tax write off and your bonded for up to $5,000. So essentially there's little risk for the company, they get a tax write off and if you steal they are reimbursed. I've got a couple felonies and found a job relatively easy, albeit just above minimum wage.

 

[Cyc]

Cyc... I think it's a good guess that somebody on probation or parole is expected to work and hold down a job or else be going to school or volunteering. The point is that they cant be hanging around on the streets with no way of supporting themselves financially. All that's required is to prove to your PO that you are employed. You can provide check stubs or whatever. But the PO doesn't need to "oversee" an employment relationship. He just needs to know there is one.

OK, when you mention school or volunteering it starts to make a bit more sense.

The reason this baffled me, is because I thought employers in the US screened heavily for those who have a criminal record. It seems to me like law enforcement wants it both ways. They want to help employers mitigate risk, by telling them who not to hire, but also require those same undesirables be employed.

 

[rincewindrocks]

They want to help employers mitigate risk, by telling them who not to hire, but also require those same undesirables be employed.

yup, you got it. another way the man keeps us down. you want to be better, but you arent allowed to. catch 22

in the same sit btw. cant find a job either. relying on financial aid from school and the 'rents to help me out, and both suck. got about $5 to my name right now