The pandemic gave a heavy blow to the global economy. According to credible data sources like Statista, the global unemployment rate exceeded 6 percent in 2020, with over 100 million jobs lost. Gradually, people are starting to find work again. And if you have arrest records, it might be a bit trickier to land a job. However, these viable tips below should help with your job search.
Be honest and open.
The general eligibility requirements are tricky if you have a criminal record. But not submitting the complete details of your situation on an application form isn’t the best way to go. Today, businesses have several resources to perform background checks on potential employees. Beyond assessing your capacity, they may use the white pages reverse lookup tool GoLookUp to double-check your personal information, including your full name, cell phone number, and home address.
The white pages reverse lookup tool searches public records and databases for detailed information by keying in an unknown number. The last thing you may want to show up in the search results is your criminal history. Therefore, it pays to go all out. Rather than hiding the latest information about the arrest, pay careful attention to what the laws say about employment for felons. According to the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, employers must seek your authorization before performing a background check. The fair credit reporting act also mandates employers to assure employees that the background search result alone cannot disqualify employees in their job hunts.
Be realistic with expectations.
The U.S. laws are clear on how employers ought to treat employment-seeking felons. Some industries may be entirely off-limits to people who served a jail term, but no need to get anxious. You still have many choices, and there are some well-paying small jobs like cargo van driving. However, such companies will require drivers to use the road in a safe manner. Most driving companies also take the time to familiarize a potential employee with a driver’s responsibility and other key areas needed to operate efficiently.
Contact your old employers.
New employers with zero knowledge about your past may not look beyond the section on the application form that marks you as a felon. Old employers operating in flexible hiring industries may give you a listening ear, especially if they were impressed with your work ethic and efficiency before your sentence.
Therefore, one of the best ways to integrate yourself into the work world can be a tryout with old employers. However, this is not always easy, as felons may face several stereotypical treatments from coworkers and business leaders. An effective way to navigate the old environment as a felon can be sensitizing colleague workers about the hardships and how they can make life better for people like you. Some of them may not know better.
Improve your soft skills.
The world is very much interconnected, and there are more opportunities for disadvantaged groups to access employment. The gig economy is gradually increasing in adoption. There are several benefits you may enjoy if you opt to upskill yourself. With several free online educational resources today, leveraging such opportunities has become even easier. Take social media management, for instance. With print technology bowing out to new media technologies, knowledge in the digital publishing process can position you for the numerous social media and content creation jobs available today.
Don’t let people discredit you.
First impressions always count for potential employees, but job seekers with a criminal record may need to be even more careful. Always remember that employers already have a lot to discredit you due to your jail past. Breaking protocols, rules, and not satisfying requirements may not help your situation very much.
