Jobs for people with conviction records: where to find them

How to find felony-friendly employers near you

This guide does not list or label companies. CareerOneStop, the US Department of Labor's career site, says some companies hire many people with a record. It points you to local service providers instead, and some of them keep a list of area companies that have hired people with criminal records.[1]

Before you start, know where to get your record: CareerOneStop's State Resource Finder shows how, under its Documents and Vital Records tab. Have a list of your past jobs, training, and certificates ready too.[4]

The result: a short list of local employers that have hired people with records, a record you have read, and an answer you have practiced.

CareerOneStop's American Job Center Finder lists the centers closest to you. Reentry programs differ in what they offer, and CareerOneStop suggests contacting a few to ask.[3][2]

If the first steps do not work, try these:

For the rest of the search, see the Job search hub.

How to talk about your conviction with an employer

CareerOneStop's advice is to be honest up front. Never lie to an interviewer or put false information on your resume or application. It says a lie will disqualify you when the employer runs a background check or checks your references.[5]

To build the rest of your answer, see how to answer "tell me about yourself".

Federal jobs and federal contractors: the Fair Chance Act

The Fair Chance to Compete for Jobs Act of 2019 covers 2 groups: federal agencies and federal contractors. A conditional offer is a job offer that depends on the results of a background check.[7][8]

Under the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) rule, federal agencies may not ask you about criminal history before a conditional offer. That covers the application, USAJOBS (the federal government's job site), and the Declaration for Federal Employment form. It also covers the time before, during, and after a job interview.[7]

The rule applies to nearly every federal civil service job. Agencies must say so in job announcements.[7]

The agency rule has exceptions. It does not apply to these positions:[7]

The same law reaches federal contractors. It requires agencies to make it a condition of the contract that the contractor not ask about criminal history before a conditional offer. That covers any position related to work under the contract, and questions asked aloud or in writing.[8][19]

One provision covers agencies under the main federal procurement law. That law does not apply to the Defense Department, the Coast Guard, and the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA). A parallel provision of military procurement law covers contracts of the Defense Department and the military departments, the Coast Guard, and NASA.[8][23][19][24][21]

The contractor rule has exceptions:[8][19]

The contractor rule covers contracts awarded from solicitations (an agency's requests for bids or offers) issued after December 20, 2021.[8][19]

The law does not stop a check after the conditional offer. It changes when you are asked, not whether the employer may look.[7][8][19]

What federal discrimination law says about arrest and conviction records

Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 covers employers with 15 or more employees. The employer must have them on each working day of 20 or more weeks in the current or previous calendar year.[22]

It bars those employers from refusing to hire you because of your race, color, religion, sex, or national origin. The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) enforces it. A criminal record is not on that list, as the EEOC's guidance notes.[20][9]

The law still limits how records are used. An employer may not treat the same record differently for applicants of different races, national origins, or another protected basis. A policy can also be unlawful if it disproportionately excludes people of a particular race or national origin. That holds unless the policy is "job related for the position in question and consistent with business necessity," in the law's words.[20][9]

Even then, a policy can be unlawful if you show a less discriminatory alternative that serves the employer's goals as well. The employer must also have refused to adopt it.[20][9]

Until then, the guidance sets out how the EEOC reads the law:[9]

If you think an employer rejected you because of race, sex, or another protected basis, you can contact the EEOC at eeoc.gov.[4]

Your rights when an employer runs a background check

The Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA) gives you rights when an employer uses a background reporting company, says the Federal Trade Commission (FTC). The employer must tell you, in writing and in a standalone document, that it could use the report to make decisions about hiring you. It must also get your written permission first.[10]

You can say no to a check, but then you may not get the job. Report an employer that skipped these steps at ReportFraud.ftc.gov.[10]

Federal law also limits what a reporting company may include, and convictions have no federal time limit.[11]

This page covers federal reporting limits only, so check your state's law as well. The scope note below says what the page leaves out.

Federal law does not require a conviction to drop off a report after 10 years. These limits bind background reporting companies; they do not erase the court record itself. Sealing or expungement works differently: see the record clearing section below.[11][6]

Federal bonding and the Work Opportunity Tax Credit

The Federal Bonding Program gives employers a fidelity bond, insurance that repays them for losses from an employee's dishonest acts such as theft or forgery. The Department of Labor says the bond covers the first 6 months of employment at no cost to you or the employer.[12]

There must be a job offer with a start date before a bond can be issued, New York's labor department says. In New York, coverage starts at $5,000 and can rise to $25,000 if the employer justifies the higher amount in writing. Ask your American Job Center how your state handles it.[17]

The Work Opportunity Tax Credit (WOTC) is a federal tax credit for employers who hire people in certain target groups. One group is people hired within a year of a felony conviction or of release from prison for a felony.[14]

Ban-the-box laws: state and city rules vary

A ban-the-box law limits when employers may ask about criminal history, for example not until after a job offer. California's Civil Rights Department uses the name for its own Fair Chance Act. These laws differ by state and city in who they cover and what they require.[15][16]

These are examples, not a full list. The FTC notes that laws in your city or state might affect if or when employers can ask about criminal history. To learn your own rule, ask your state's civil rights or labor agency, an American Job Center, or a legal aid office.[10]

Clearing your record: sealing and expungement

Sealing and expungement are 2 different actions, but CareerOneStop says both mean most employers will not see the record in a background check. Each state sets its own rules on which records qualify and how those actions affect background checks.[6]

A lawyer can help you learn the laws and the process, and free legal help is available in many communities, CareerOneStop says.[6]

Ask the court that handled your case which forms it uses.