How to get a job if you have a misdemeanor

Getting a job is not easy. Often it’s a process that can feel like it goes on for months. Having a solid resume and background is great, but it’s just one part of the whole picture. Ultimately, you need to get noticed by recruiters and figure out ways to set yourself apart. That alone can be a daunting, nerve-wracking aspect of the whole experience.

For those who have a misdemeanor conviction, the job hunting process can be even more difficult. Truthfully, whether or not a misdemeanor impacts your job prospects really comes down to the employer. When a conviction comes up in your background check, some employers may choose to look past it for any number of reasons, while others might take it into consideration. 

If the question comes up on a job application about having a criminal record, honesty is always the best policy. However, if you have a misdemeanor and the application asks about felonies, you can answer no and it will be the truth. Go with your gut when it comes to how forward you want to be in the application process.

Thankfully, there is data to suggest that many companies already have experience hiring people with convictions. Two-thirds of those surveyed for a recent SHRM study said they’d hired convicts before, and that the experience was the same or better than with people who didn’t have a criminal record. 

Of course, there are certain industries that will have strong policies against criminal records. Others, though, won’t have specific policies or rules against hiring people with criminal records. In some cases, it’s also about the specific crime. Industries like skilled trade (construction), digital media, art and design, and office administration are generally not too strict about backgrounds. 

In an industry like skilled labor, which is currently experiencing a serious shortage, there could be great opportunity to fill roles that aren’t currently being filled. With potentially more flexibility on criminal backgrounds, starting a career in construction and skilled labor may be a viable option for many people who have misdemeanors.

At the end of the day, it might also be a good option to explore entrepreneurship. And while starting a business in the U.S. isn’t necessarily as easy (statistically speaking) as some other countries, there’s always enough room in the business market for a great idea to flourish. 

As with anyone going after a job opportunity, honesty is always the best policy. But it’s just as important to know how much to disclose and what to keep private. After all, we all have a right to some discretion. But being open in a way that makes sense for whichever part of the process you’re in might be the difference between getting an opportunity or not. At the end of the day, being a great candidate for a job should be the goal—your criminal record is just a small hurdle to jump that is best done with transparency.