I am in looking for a new job. I have a DUI. I also have a misdeamor on my record. My credit is trashed. Anyone have any luck finding a professional job with the same problems?
Are you planning on being bonded? Working w/ lot's of $$$? Credit/Backgroung checks are commonplace for working in risk areas (finance, casinos, banks) but not as common in other areas. Remember - you must give permission for someone to pull your credit report...
Dont feel bad...I messed up when I was 18...got a felony theft for stealing $4000.00 from my employer. I did 2 years in prison, and now I am almost 29, have decent credit, a good job in an administrative position of trust making 36k and I am getting my bachelors degree (which my company is paying for) I was honest with them when I was hired 3 years ago. It worked
In 12 years of working for major corporations in a professional capacity I have never had my credit checked by an employer. As I recall, they only ask about felony convictions on applications.
Try running for Congress - the incumbents would make you look like a Saint. Kidding aside, none of the above disqualifies you from most profssions, including that of a Lawyer. The million dollar question is - what are your educational and professional qualifications? Those would limit you a lot more than what you posted above.
Re: Re: Am I unemployable? My educational and professonal qualifications do fit within the guidelines of the positions that I am submitting my resume for. I am applying to a major mortgage co. for an A/P Supervisor position. I am also applying for other positions within the company. I would really like to get my foot in the door, so to speak, because this company is a good place to work. They only hire employees for permanent positions (unlike many others who just fire or layoff when they are finished). They have good benefits including tuition reimbursement. I am about 95% finished with my BA and want to pursue my MBA within the next year or so. I would rather have someone else foot the bill for the MBA! Do you think that the credit situation, misdemeanor, and DUI would disqualify me for positions that require an MBA? I am so worried. Things are not good right now and I really need a better job!
Re: Re: Am I unemployable? A.. Stop worrying.. B.. DUI basically equals.. A traffic ticket C.. Misdemeanors can be anything.. from spitting on the sidewalk in front of a cop to jaywalking.. I have never seen a employer that is not affiliated with the government ask about misdemeanors. Now if your going for any type of job within government or state.. Then yes, they have been known to ask about misdemeanors.. D.. I have yet to see a company pull a persons credit report. If they were too, I would suspect that you would be working hands on with allot of cash. E.. If they ask about a criminal background.. Say NOPE, as 99% of employers want to know about felonies.. Dont volunteer to them you have crap credit or messed up and drove drunk.. F.. If anything will stop you from getting a job, it will be your self-confidence.. Work on that.. The other things you have mentioned are nothing more than excuses you will give yourself when you walk out of a interview with no hope of landing the job due to your confidence being so low, and looking like a ass in the interview.. G.. Best of luck..
Re: Re: Am I unemployable? I applied for my current job about 6 months after we had filed a CH13. I had not started any type of clean up at that time so I would assume my scores were in the low 400's across the board. In the application package there was a form to sign authorizing them to pull my credit. I signed it because I felt I had to. I debated and debated if I should come clean about my credit UP FRONT before they pulled it. I finally decided to let the process take it's natural course and assumed that I would not get the job. Guess what? They NEVER pulled the credit even though it says in 4 separate places in the applic package that they will. I don't know why they didn't, but I don't think it is very common unless you are going to be bonded.
Re: Re: Re: Am I unemployable? Maybe you have misunderstood me.... I do not have low self confidence. I am an aggressive and proud woman (that's what everyone that knows me says anyway!!!). I am in one hell of a financial funk. I need a really good paying job NOW. I stand to lose everything I own, including home and car. I don't want to waste my time on a potential employer who is going to look at something that happened five years ago and turn me down for employment. Most applications that I have filled out say "Have you ever been convicted of a anything other than a minor traffic violation." This is where the misdemeanor and the DUI come into play. The misdemeanor is violence related (and no I didn't do it! But I had a public not-defender who through me to the wolves). If you have a misdemeanor, you are usually asked to explain what the charges were. I don't want to be perceived as a drunken, violent person with pissy credit! That's just not who I am.....
Re: Re: Re: Am I unemployable? I'll just keep my mouth shut and hope that they don't actually do the background check. Thanks for all the advice guys. Much appreciated!!
Re: Re: Re: Re: Am I unemployable? 1: Good. Keep it up and show a positive attitude 2: Bad time in the economy to be desperate. Good jobs can take 6 months or more to land. Ever think of putting two part-time jobs together to equal full time income? 3: You won't know that's the case till you find it out the hard way. I have never seen a help wanted ad say "those with misdemeanors, DUI's or bad credit need not apply". 4: Nothing illegal about not answering that question. If you are asked about it you can play dumb and ask them to explain what they mean by it.. "Gee, I got a parking ticket once, is that what you mean?" Let them explain what they are looking for "No, we're looking for any felonies or crimes which would affect you being bonded..." "no problem - nope, none." 5: Only if you volunteer that you had one. See #4 above. 6: Do the above and you won't.
Re: Re: Re: Am I unemployable? The dings you described shouldn't disqualify you from this type of position unless the company has its own policies abiut them. A company THAT insensitive to human errors s probably not one whose corporate environment you would really want to be part of anyway. I used to work for a guy whose attitude was "you get 5 sick days a year - you better be sick enough to go to a doctor, and heaven help you if you uare out sick 6 days". I saw people get fired for Appendicitis, pregnancy, a broken leg and cancer.
Re: Re: Re: Re: Am I unemployable? Fired for appendicitis? That's awful! Whatta prick. You are correct in that if they are that picky, I wouldn't want to work for them anyway. The problem is that my present employer is just finishing a large job and is going broke (not my bad accounting, he sucks the company dry by taking money out of his draws to do improvements to his home instead of paying the bills. I can't pull money out of my a** to pay his bills). I have considered going back to my server position, but the only days you make money anymore (they are going down the tubes also) are Friday and Saturday and they have so many people on the floor now, that it severely cuts everyone's tips. I am going to register with all of the employment agencies around that handle accounting positions and keep up my independent search. Hopefully, I'll land something soon. There are a ton of large companies around the area where I live, but it seems that most are doing poorly (shocker, huh?). Sigh....
Re: Re: Re: Re: Am I unemployable? Was just a thought. If you are considering going back to a server position, have you considered working for a hotel? I currently work at a Holiday Inn. Only myself and one other server. Of course the resturant I work in is pretty small. I would check it out and see. Like every resturant, they have their busy and slow nights, but so far I've managed to make some pretty good money. Andi
Re: Re: Re: Am I unemployable? I don't have much to say except that I refute the above assertion. I got my credit report pulled when I applied for a position with Cingular ... and no, I was not applying for a position that handles cash ... it was for an IT position, basically desk work. Did not get the job, anyway.
Re: Re: Re: Am I unemployable? www.monster.com www.hotjobs.com Thats a couple of good ones, that keep their stuff up to date.
Re: Re: Re: Re: Am I unemployable? Thanks. I've been to monster.com, but not hotjobs.com. Will give it a go!
Re: Re: Re: Re: Am I unemployable? You might also try some of the accounting temporary agencies like Accountemps. I have known several people who did this, most had fairly steady work and eventually you'll hit it off at a company and they'll decide they'd like to have you permanently. By this time, they know you and your work and aren't as likely to be put off by the things you mention. And you'll be making money and "trying out" jobs while you're finding something permanent. You can keep looking on your own and quit if you get another job. And, that still leaves Friday night and weekends for server jobs as a little extra pocket money or to supplement when you don't have a temp job.
Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Am I unemployable? I've temped through Accountemps before. The first experience was good, and the second bad (but not really their fault). Overall my experience with them was pleasant. I have to make sure that I am close enough to do the server job though. I will only want to work at one restaurant (non franchise, historical with lots of charm...and good money). I've tried serving at others but it seems you have to tip out everyone that you came into contact with you that night..it's ridiculous. Some places only pay their bartenders the same as servers (2.50 I think). Then they make the servers tip out 15% of their bar sales. WTF! For that I would tell the bartender to run the stinkin drinks to the table. It's like your doing THEIR job. I think they do this at O'Charley's. Alot of franchises make you tip out the bussers, or bus your own tables, hostess, bartender. That's three people eating your tips. AND it's money they don't claim and the restaurant doesn't have to pay (in wages or taxes). OKAY..I am talking myself out of the serving job....
Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Am I unemployable? Wow!! I can't believe they'd make you tip the bartender. Most of the people who sit at the bar and drink are probably tipping twice what your customers are. I'd think the bartender should share with you! My only "waitressing" job was my very first job, working at the soda fountain at Woolworth's (they still had both Woolworth's and soda fountains back then). I didn't get much in tips, but I was paid the same as the cashiers (not all waitresses were, but I was). But it made me realize what servers go through. I hope I never have to do it again, but I thought that at the better restaurants you could make decent money. I never realized you had to split it so many ways. And then the IRS imputes an income of some percent, I forget what it is. Sounds like you'd barely make that if you worked in one of the franchise places.
