Fired for being a felon!

[Tracie]

I have been fired from my last two jobs for lying on my application. Both times I checked the box on the application that said "No I have not been convicted for a felony". Don't get me wrong I would love to be able to tell the truth and not fear rejection. But that's not how society works. The first job I was there for a year and a half before they ran a background check. Only because they had theft in another store. It wasnt fair to run them in one store and not others. WHATEVER! Anyway's my regional and district manager's were behind me all the way. After giving my story to the Corporate Investigator I was relieved of my duties 3 days later. I was manager of my own store. I had key's and combo to store safe and control of bank deposit's. And all was great until the "CHECK". Even my parole officer said it wasnt fair. I'm still not working, a year later. To scared to lie anymore. What are we supposed to do?

[deb]

Tracie,

I don't know what you should do...Others have talked about bosses and employers that are supportive and understanding of people who were in in the past....I hope someone comes along who can give you some ideas....((hugs))

Deb

[toi_ama]

My daughter doesn't lie on her applications and she still gets jobs. It's harder, but she seems to have pretty good luck with it. But the fact that a person lies on the application probably goes against their honesty and reliability just as much or more than being honest in the employer's mind.

[life2thesequel]

Pardon...

Like you said in the post (and not the title) you were fired for lying,...not for being a felon.

I don't know what the felony charge was, but if it was theft or deception related, ...they really do have a concern with the risk factor. To that extent, that's the world we live in.

I am really curious how you could be on parole and your employers NOT know you were a felon. What kind of parole officer doesn't introduce himself to the boss? Did you serve time on it, or just eat the felony conviction?

It seems unusual that a parole officer wouldn't be hot on your job and your home placement and otherwise meddling in your life.

Does your parole only require that you mail in a copy of a paystub as proof of continued employment?

Sorry you are out of the job you were doing so well (otherwise).. There should be some other place which will either not work with the Magic Question, or you may circumvent that with a Resume. Don't know how you'll explain the last job you 'left'.... but..

Good Luck.

[Ken]

Tracie,

Hey, harsh reality here and I am supportive of your struggle. But I have to agree with Life2 that your termination was for lying on the application rather than for being a felon. They may have hired you knowing the truth - or maybe not, but resume fraud or lying on an application form is cause for termination 'with cause' and difficult to defend anywhere.

I work in the staffing industry and have thought long and hard about this... I have a Partner getting out in a couple of years and we will face the same challenges getting work. I have no answers unfortunately that will be the magic pill for employment.... But, here are some thoughts....

You say that your Regional and District Managers were behind you? Can you get letters of reference from them? Maybe not on company letterhead but personal letters? Would they be willing to do this? This may help. Also, getting employment if often WHO you know - networking is the key. Who do these past managers know in the inudstry that they can contact for you? Often people 'forget' the very people that can help them the most? Can these people refer you to someone? Another company? Store? Would the same company be willing to give you another chance now that the truth is out in the open?

Who do you know? Talk to everyone - friends, neighbors, your church, your doctor, your dentist... everyone that you come in contact with. Use every contact that you make in day to day life as a potential for a job.

Use Temporary Help Agencies. A lot of agencies do background checks but a lot of the companies that they staff for do not require a background check. Talk to every Temp Agency in your town or city... Be honest with them and see what they say.

Here is another thought of mine. I am not sure if it has ever been tested and it may expose you more than you want to be exposed - so think it through before you actually do this.

With the Internet and job boards - Monster and the like... My thought is that you put out a 'plea' for employment exposing your past. (Don't go into details of the last situation because it suggests that you lied on your application) but expose your felony convictions in the first paragraph of your resume - expose the hardship that you are having getting employment - pull on a heartstring or two. My thought is that if you are this up front with the situation some employer may read this and want to help? There have got to be people out there that can relate. With 2 million people incarcerated in the US there have got to be a lot of employers that have a family member or friend that is incarcerated that will feel an obligation to help?

The downside to this is that you are exposed. BUT, with Monster and other job boards you can have a resume uploaded with a 'blind' address and contact information - just a button for the employer to click to send an email. This way you can protect your privacy of residence and family members around you.

I personally would do this. I would think at this point that it could not hurt???

Just thinking out loud...

[clubdubx]

When I was released I went through an employment agency. They know what companies do and do not have a problem with hiring x-felons. I was working for a great company within a week. A friend I made while on the inside was just recently released in CA. Goodwill industries have a record of helping x-felons get started again. She is working as a store assistant manager in just a few weeks of being there. They care about what you can do for them, not what you did prior. Check to see if there is one in your area.

Good luck. Hope things work. I have a great job and feel very lucky to be working with a group of people that do not care about my past. Yes I hear wise crack jokes, but I know they are not meant to be mean I just work with a lot of sise guys, but I am good at giving it back.

[lovinbilly4ever]

so tracie..whose falt is it that you lost your job.
you said and i quote "I have been fired from my last two jobs for lying on my application." DONT LIE. you either check the FELONY box & see what happens. OR you continue to get fired for lying. or just dont work!! i mean, obviously IF you have gotten fired from your last 2 jobs..are you looking for sympathy? are you looking for me to feel bad for you? are you looking for kind words? well, i DONT want to sound rude..but you wont get ANY of that from me.

i myself have 2 misdemenors (why does that look like its spelled WAYYY WRONG? lol)..and that cost me 1 job. which is FINE WITH ME. didnt want to work PERIOD! lol

(dont take what i saw the wrong way..) BUT. its not my fault you have felonys. and its not my fault you LIED, and it sure as hell is NOT my fault that you got fired. so, PLEASE i think you need 2 just TRY to check "THE BOX" and see what happens. ya never know UNLESS you try
good luck. bye

[Freya]

Tracie,

Job hunting can be a stressful thing for anybody, no matter what your education, skills and abilities and prior work experience might be.

The most important thing is to be prepared for the process.

Sit down and do a little inventory of your past work history and any volunteer experience you might have. Write a list of adjectives describing the responsibilites you had on the job and the types of personality traits required to do the job well. For example; if you ever worked as a Babysitter what were some of your responsibilites and what kinds of traits do you have that makes you a good babysittier? You may have been responsible for the safety and well being of an infant. Now this requires someone who is responsible and able to make sound judgements.

After you have done a complete inventory, it is important to put it all down in an organized fashion, a resume. Often times a resume is your first impression a prospective employer has of you. You want to sell yourself, all of those qualities, abilities and experience you posess that will be an asset to this new employer.

Now, the job application. Have your resume and a list of referneces prepared to leave with each application you fill out. On the application itself, write neatly, fill it out completely*, be honest and don't lie. *When you get to the question that asks if you are an ex felon or have ever been arrested for law violations, leave it blank. If a potential employer finds the rest of your application appealing and notices something in your resume they feel may be an asset to their company, you may be asked to come in for an interview.

If you are given the opportunity for an interview, go in prepared. Dress appropriately, have good hygiene, don't chew gum or walk into the interview with a coffee mug in your hands. Do a little research about the company you want to work for, know something about what it is that they do. Be prepared for all ot the standard questions most employers ask, and they will ask why you left that one particular question blank on the application. Now, this is your opportunity to be honest, forthright and provide the employer with the information requested. Often times by this point, you have had many chances along the way to have left a good impression. Some employers are willing to ex-offenders a chance. You might be surprised.

Give it a try and best of luck job hunting,

Aloha, Freya

[flygirlaa2]

Tracie, damn that sucks. I know you are feeling like you are stuck between a rock and a hard spot. I dont think you came on here and told us this personal information for us to criticize you. You know what you need to do and who am I to tell you? Hang in there and let us know who the job search goes.

I know where I work if you lie on an application, it has to be something that would have caused them not to hire you in the first place to get fired with cause. I work at a union job. In prior arbitration cases, if you lied about something that would not have made a difference in the hiring process, they cant fire you. Maybe you could train for a career that is union. Just a thought, you might not be interested.

[miz_pandora]

i started woking for a store chain (large one that biggens with a W) after i had been arrested but before i pled guilty to felony charges i worked there a year and half got promoted to a customer servie manager before they discovered i had pled gulty to a felony about three months after i started...they fired me on the spot for pleading guilty to a drug related felony. now i too have shell shock, im afraid to apply for jobs. i understand the fear you have too and wish i had some hopeful advice besides to keap your head up .

[Sunnie]

Good will industries hire ex felons.
Salvation Army
Home depot will as well, as long as you are honest with them, and or crime is not theft related.
It sounds like it's not a ex felon problem, that it's more a should I tell, should I not type of problem. and when it comes down to it,job honesty and reliability override all other past mistakes and such. YOu have been fired from two jobs for being dishonest. sounds to me as if you have not learned much being locked up. Now why not try being straight with everyone no matter who they are especially prostptective employers, it might just change your life!

Good luck

Ps, my job knows every bit of my past, and trust me it's NOT squeaky clean by any means. they hired me, because of my honesty.

Along with back ground checks,
Fingerprinting,
CPR/first aid, adult/children certification.
checking job references.

I thought for sure they would NEVER hire me. thank goodness I was wrong. but truthfully it was because I was totally STRAIGHT with them..left nothing for them to find out about.
And it was really hard to do, but the results are because of my willingness.

[Kalei151]

Hey Tracie, I'm sorry that you lost your job. This is a lesson learned. I too am a felon, and the judicial system considers my crime violent. I had a legally registered firearm in my possession, and I did 3 1/2 years for it. I just recently got a new job at which I did not lie about my being a felon. I answered that question by writing, "please see me regarding this question". I did not answer with a yes or no, and I did'nt lie. By that time, this employer was curious and called me for an interview. I explained myself, to her and also made it a point to let her know that I have changed, and I'm not that same person that I used to be. She thanked me for my honesty and said she would call me. I thought, here we go again, she's not going to hire me. The next day she called me and said, "I've got good news for you, your'e hired". Good luck in finding a new job, and just be true to yourself and grateful. I'm sure something will come up. I was out of work for almost 4 months, and my last job I worked for a little over 3 years, (since I was released from prison). Take care.

[poohzzgirl]

I too have had this problem in the past, only I didn't lie on any application. The job I wanted and had, asked to do a background check and I straight up told them what they would find. They decided not to hire me and I was really bummed.

As for the parole officer, I was on parole in Los Angeles county and my parole officer never ONCE came to or called my job!!! Not all parole officer's do. If you show that you are working and staying out of trouble, most of them will basically leave you alone. That has just been my experience.

Now, I have the greatest job in the world. I have voluntarily told my boss my situation and the only question I was asked was "Did you learn your lesson?" Nothing more has ever been said to me about the situation. There is also another person working there who did 10 years for a very serious charge. So there are people out there that understand we make mistakes and they don't hold it against us. So keep trying and I hope you find something. GOOD LUCK!!

Monica

[egs]

Recently I interviewed a man for a postion as a substance abuse counselor--he had over ten years experience and was a licensed professional. It was a good interview. I offered him the position and he accepted. He was told by the hospital recruiter that a background check would be done as part of the hiring process. Three felony convictions came up on the check. His application denied any felonies. He was not hired...not b/c of the felonies [all drug posessions] but b/c he lied on the application. Actually I want some clinicians who have this type of background [drug users w/prison time and CLEAN time] b/c most of our clients come from the criminal justice system and need to have positive models that demonstrate the possibilites for a successful future. Had the applicant told me the situation it could have been a win-win for all--him, the program, and most especially, our clients!!!!

[lulu]

LIfe said it well. It is best to tell the truth cause they will find out