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Can felons land a job in this market? And how do they explain their criminal history on a job application?

The current job market isn’t always closed to those who have been convicted of serious crimes, but experts recommend that ex-offenders be forthright about the mistakes they’ve made, explain how they’ve turned their lives around, and be prepared to work their way up the ladder slowly.

“You may have to start low and prove yourself, but you need (to catch) a break,” said Corliss McGinty, president of human-resources consulting firm Soft Solutions in Greensboro. She has spent time as a volunteer working with women in prison and has spoken to ex-offenders about job hunting. “And you need to have a marketable skill. That’s one thing you have to emphasize: What can you bring to the company? What do you bring to the table?”

Get involved

But marketable skills may not be enough to help ex-offenders get a foot in the door. Nicholas Bright, career developer with the JobLink Career Center in Greensboro, has advised convicted felons. He urges them to connect with other people and volunteer in the community on the path to finding full-time work.

“You don’t get jobs by staying at home,” he said. “Meet people, join in, be a part of things.”

Volunteer work can also help ease an employer’s apprehension by showing that an ex-offender works well with others. Sometimes a volunteer assignment can lead directly to a full-time job, according to Charles Hinsley, manager of Goodwill’s Jobs on the Outside (JOTO), a program started in December 2008 to provide training and support for ex-offenders.

“If you volunteer, you have to take on the responsibility of reporting,” he said. “At a job you’re getting paid for, you have to be on time, so you look at (volunteering) the same as having employment where you’re getting paid. But in this case, it’s the reward you’re getting from the experience and from the potential of networking. And from the potential of maybe the employer that’s allowing you to volunteer may have an (employment) opportunity at some point.”

Have patience

In the current economy, it’s tough for anyone to find a job. Having a major blot like a criminal record makes that task especially challenging. Like so many others in the job market, ex-offenders need to be prepared to hear “no” more often than they’d like.

“Normally (having a criminal record) just sends up a flag, and most human resources people are not interested in hiring someone who has a felony conviction,” said Patsy Wiggins, president and chief operating officer of The HR Group in Greensboro, a firm that provides human resources services.

She hired a convicted felon about 10 years ago when she was working for a local manufacturer. The man she hired turned out to be a good employee.

“This one young man had written on his application that he had a felony and he would like to explain it to me,” Wiggins said.

The man was in his mid-20s at the time, and had been convicted of a felony when he was 17. He was riding in a car with a group who had robbed a convenience store. The man applying for the job did not actually take part in the robbery, but he went to prison for his connection to the crime.

“He said, ‘I’m not making excuses, I’ve done my time,’” Wiggins said. “I discussed it with the immediate plant director. I told him that we liked this young man and thought he had a lot of potential, and wanted to offer him a job. ... That’s the only time I’ve ever made that exception.”

It helped that the man was honest and direct about addressing his criminal history, Wiggins said. She added that while she wouldn’t hire someone who had committed offenses against children or “a really violent person,” she generally recommends giving ex-offenders a chance.

“A lot of companies probably shy away from hiring people with felonies, but I recommend taking it on a case-by-case basis,” she said.

Application protocol

Honesty is the best policy when it comes to disclosing felony convictions on a job application, but there is an exception. If a conviction has been expunged from your record, you don’t have to report it on an application, Hinsley said.

Other than that, consequences of lying on a job application are obvious, said Hinsley, who worked for years with the Illinois Department of Corrections before returning to his native North Carolina.

“I don’t know of any legal consequences,” he said. “I just know that it will come back once the company does their background check. You will then suffer that collateral consequence of not getting that position because you lied, you were not forthcoming.”

JOTO staff members encourage ex-offenders to be honest on an application and ask for an opportunity to explain their offense it in person.

“We simply tell them to answer ‘yes,’ and make a note, ‘Will discuss at time of interview,’” Hinsley said. “It’s letting them know, ‘Yes, I have this, but I want to have the opportunity to have a one-on-one (interview), so I can share with you, and you can get a sense of my commitment, my remorse, my changed behavior and my changed attitude, just so you won’t exclude me from the onset.’\u200A”

Ex-offenders also should disclose their criminal history whether they were convicted six months ago or 30 years ago, he said. Unless a conviction has been expunged, it will show up in a background check.

McGinty, like Hinsley, insists ex-offenders need to go into job interviews prepared to address how they’ve turned their lives around.

“I think the main thing is redemption, to show that you’re on a different path,” McGinty said. “They’re looking at you as a risk. You need to be honest, upfront. Really be sincere and say, ‘I have changed my ways,’ and (explain) how you have changed your ways. How has your behavior changed? How has your life changed because of your incarceration?”

Job-hunting tips

Bright has come up with a series of directions for ex-offenders looking for a job.

“First of all, they need to be able to explain what’s on their criminal record, and I go through how that can be done,” he said.

If the crime was a stupid mistake, a case of being in the wrong place at the wrong time, find a way to explain that, Bright said. A more serious or violent crime will require more explanation and be harder to overcome, he said. If the ex-offender has any connections in the community, Bright suggests getting a letter of recommendation, if possible.

When it comes to looking for jobs, a business in the community may be an easier nut to crack for ex-offenders than a national corporation.

“You need to target companies that are local, because when you send your résumés (to) where you do an application online ... you never get a call back,” Bright said. “You’re eliminated before you get to that point.”

Contact Eddie Huffman at 373-7335 or eddie.huffman@news-record.com.