Felons can find jobs by using resources to help with their job search on many websites, including:

Felonyrecordhub: Provides resources, a job search engine, housing options, and legal representation connections: FRH

2nd Chances 4 Felons: Provides links to staffing agencies and companies that hire felons: Check this website

15+ Tips To Get A Job With A Criminal Record in 2024: Includes job search and application tips, resume and cover letter suggestions, and more: Helpful Resources

Jail to Jobs- Information on job search assistance, housing, grants and more!: Good information here

Inmate to Entrepreneur: entrepreneurial ideas & assistance to help you start your own business: FITE

I'm not going to say that it's going to be easy but then, if you have a felony record you haven't exactly chosen the "easy way" regardless of what other people may call it. Felony criminal behavior comes with a huge array of consequences so there's nothing easy about living a criminal lifestyle. However, if you put half the amount of energy into seriously looking for a job to better your life as you did into engaging in criminal behaviors you've already got one foot in the door.

Looking for a job or looking to change jobs without a criminal background is hard enough. I know people who have put in anywhere from dozens to hundreds of applications within the last year only to end up feeling disappointed, disrespected and completely exhausted. Many of them do have criminal backgrounds that range from simple drug-related charges to other more serious offenses.

After talking with them and walking them through the process of updating their resumes to fit with the hiring trends, writing cover letters and Letters of Explanation regarding their gap in employment because of incarceration, helping them to understand the difference between hard skills and soft skills, learning to highlight what their transferable skills are (including the ones they learned while inside) and how to prepare for and approach the interview process, many of them have managed to find decent paying jobs.

I'm going to say up front that the one most important thing you need to prepare for your job search is a solid support system!! I cannot stress this enough. One of the major contributors to relapse and going back to old criminal behaviors is lack of a good support system. It's important to have people to champion you through a very difficult process. Considering that there are currently millions of people who are unemployed and looking for jobs and many that are looking to change jobs, your competition is incredibly tough. Having a support system whether it be family or friends (preferably those that are not engaging in criminal activity) can help you navigate some of the less pleasant aspects of searching for a job with a criminal background.

In addition, many cities have organizations that are their specifically to help provide support. I live in the greater metro area in Portland Oregon and I am providing a link below to provide an example of the kind of organization you need to seek out in your community. These organizations sole purpose is to help prevent relapse and criminal recidivism so you can get your feet on the ground, in the door and learn habits to help change your life into a healthy productive one for you and your family. They provide coaching, teach job search skills, help you develop the necessary tools you need to be successful in your job search regardless of your criminal background and help get you connected with Community Resources.

And remember, complete your profile here on Jobcase. There is a resource center that provides resume building tools with AI assistance as well as examples of cover letters. There is also a job search page that you can use to look for jobs in your area. In the biography section of your profile there is a settings icon on the right hand side that will allow you to refine the types of jobs you are looking for and the industries that match your job search efforts. Jobcase can send you emails for jobs in your area based on that information for you to follow through with.

There is light at the end of the tunnel and with motivation, determination and the desire for a better life you can achieve success.

If you are an ex-offender and have been looking for work without success, comment below and let us know what your barriers have been and what you have done to try to overcome those. If you have successfully managed to gain employment, please share your experience with other members of this group and tell us what insights you've gained and discoveries you've made along the way that might offer guidance & hope to them.

Portland Oregon Felons Resource

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