These days there are very few companies who hire employees without doing a basic criminal background check.  Spending a few dollars up front to filter out candidates who could potentially cause big problems later just makes sense. 

So what if you’ve been convicted of a crime?

As Darlene said in her recent post about the “have you been fired” question, it’s always best to be honest.  If you’ve been convicted of a crime, it’s best to answer that question honestly on the application.  Here are a few reasons why:

1. Most companies have a no-tolerance rule against falsifying applications.  It’s better to never accept the job than to be fired from it after you’re all settled in.
2. Just because you answer “yes” to the crime question does not mean an automatic exclusion from the candidate pool.  Usually an employer will want to know more about the circumstances before making a decision.  For example, they’ll likely ask if there were weapons involved or if the crime was of a violent nature. 
3. There are certain jobs where any felony excludes the applicant.  Some direct patient care jobs in hospitals are like this.  So, depending on the career you are in, it may be worth really fighting to get the conviction expunged.  Be sure you have proof if the conviction has been expunged.
4. Just because they offered the job does not mean they did not discover the conviction.  Background checks can take a while and many companies will extend an offer before they get the final report. 

If you work in a large organization that posts jobs internally for employees, you may not be aware that many employers (including mine) automatically send a notification to your manager every time you apply for an internal position.

Being transparent about your job search is almost always best. If at all possible, try to sit down with your manager and explain to him/her that you’ll be exploring other options and wanted to let him/her know so that they don’t hear about it from somebody else, first. Managers know that their employees need to act in their own best interest and that includes pursuing other job opportunities. But, if they suddenly get an email stating that you’ve applied for another job they may feel insulted and caught off-guard. So, let them know if you can. Trust me, they’ll respect you for it. However, if you are in a situation where you are not comfortable letting your manager know that you are applying for jobs within the organization, you can minimize your risk.

If possible, find out who the hiring manager is and contact him/her directly. I’d recommend calling over sending an email because it’s harder to tell someone no over the phone than it is in an email. When you call, let the hiring manager know that you are interested in the vacancy and you work within the organization and wondered if you might send your resume directly to him/her rather than submitting it through Human Resources. You won’t be the first person to have asked them this. If they say yes, great! If they say no, well, at least you tried.

I was in this situation when I applied for a job in my current organization. My current boss (then the hiring manager) was happy to work with me directly because she understood that I was applying for a job which I was minimally qualified for at best. She agreed that it would be unnecessary to alarm my manager since my getting the job was such a long-shot. Now, five years later, I’m in the same situation again. I applied for a very interesting position with an affiliate orgainzation last week. The hiring manager was happy to accept my resume and we even chatted for a few minutes about the position. This too will be a long-shot as I do not have as much management experience as the listing requests. But, I was glad to have spoken to the manager directly before she saw my lack of experience because now we’ve developed more of a relationship. I’m hoping that she’ll invite me for a courtesy interview, even if she thinks I’m not qualified on paper. Remember, getting the interview is the hardest part, sometimes. Wish me luck!