The Importance of a Good Cover Letter

Posted on December 2, 2011 by Jobs for Felons

The Importance of a Good Cover Letter

The unemployment rate for convicted felons is exorbitantly higher than the unemployment rate for average citizens. Felons often have an extremely difficult time finding work because they have to meet with prejudice and fear from potential employers. You can help to assuage some of these fears and eliminate prejudices by attaching a great cover letter to the front of your resume.

What is a Cover Letter?

A cover letter is a document that is attached to the front of the resume and is written specifically for the job for which you are applying. Unlike a resume, every cover letter that you send to a potential employer will be completely unique from other cover letters you have written. The cover letter’s purpose is to tell the employer why you are interested in his or her company, briefly explain your goals and skills, and inquire about an interview.

How to Write a Great Cover Letter

The best cover letter will be brief and to the point. You don’t want to overwhelm your potential employer with too much information or a rambling stream of consciousness writing style. If your cover letter is too long or convoluted, an employer may discard it without reading it. You should try to be unique and interesting in your cover letter. You can mention your felony or choose to save that information for the formal interview. However, if you choose to mention your felony in your cover letter, you will definitely stand out as a memorable candidate. Just be sure to explain the conditions of your felony and assure an employer that those actions are a part of your distant past.

Proofreading

Another very important part of completing your cover letter is proof reading. While this may seem like common sense, many consumers fail to proofread their cover letters before they send them to potential employers. If your cover letter is filled with grammatical errors and spelling errors, this will reflect poorly on your abilities and may make an employer second guess whether or not you are worth hiring. You should proofread thoroughly to avoid these mistakes.

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Making Yourself Irresistible to Employers as a Felon

Posted on November 29, 2011 by Jobs for Felons

Making Yourself Irresistible to Employers

Convicted felons deserve a chance to make something of their lives just as much as any other citizen of the United States. If you are a convicted felon, however, you may have met with serious resistance as you begin your job search. Some employers are hesitant to hire convicted felons because they feel that employees with a criminal history pose a risk to the company or the business. There are many felons, however, that have left their past indiscretions behind them and are looking for ways to make serious changes in their lives. If you want to get hired in spite of your criminal history, you need to start by making yourself irresistible to a potential employer.

Your Resume and Cover Letter

The best place to start when attempting to make yourself irresistible to an employer is with your resume and your cover letter. These documents are used to communicate all of your education, work experience, skills, and personality traits to a potential employer. Your resume is a chance for you to list all of your accomplishments and thoroughly show why you would be a great candidate for a job. You don’t have to worry about humility or modesty in a resume: employers want to know all about your qualifications. Your cover letter is a personal letter addressed specifically to a potential employer. In your cover letter, you can explain why you are interested in a particular position and why you believe you are the best candidate for the job.

Your Interview

The interview is your chance to shine. When you interview face to face with a potential employer, you must show the employer that you are confident, charming, and capable of relating to new people. The interview can make the difference in a job application.

Your Job Performance

After you have secured a position, your work has only just begun. From the moment that you begin working for a company, you need to work with an incredible sense of ethics and motivation. You have to prove to an employer that they made the right choice, so that they will never second guess their decision.

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Making Connections for Job Hunting Success

Posted on November 27, 2011 by Jobs for Felons

Making Connections for Job Hunting Success

If you are a convicted felon, you’ve probably experienced the frustrating process of trying to find a job. You send in a great resume and provide glowing recommendations. You complete a perfect interview and the employer is beaming as you walk out the door. Then, however, comes the background check. When an employer checks your background and that felony pops up, your chances for landing your dream job might slip quickly down the drain. The problem for many employers is not that they are prejudiced against felons or criminals or necessarily that they believe you will have a relapse. The issue is that they must protect the integrity of their company by effectively managing risk. Many employers simply feel that hiring a felon is too great a risk. However, by making connections in the business community, you can prove to an employer that you are a wise decision instead of a risky one.

Be Friendly and Meet New People

Business networking is a very important part of landing a job. If you fail to network you might find that you have no resources to go on when you begin your job search. Networking allows you to get your foot in the door and can help you to stand out positively amongst a crowd of job applicants. If you want to start networking, the first thing you need to do is get friendly. The friendlier you are and the more willing you are to meet new people and form new relationships, the more likely you are to make a connection that will help you in your career.

Remember Names and Faces

Meeting people will get you nowhere if you cannot remember the names and faces of people you meet. Establish a mnemonic device that will help you remember names and faces and recall where you met specific people.

Don’t Be Afraid to Name Drop

When you interview, don’t be afraid to drop a few names and let a potential employer know that you are connected. Even if you are a felon, if you have a personal relationship with an employer’s associate, that may be enough to tip the scales in your favor.

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Interviewing Well To Get the Job

Posted on November 25, 2011 by Jobs for Felons

Interviewing Well To Get the Job

For felons, getting a job can be a frustrating and embarrassing experience. However, it is possible. All you need to do is learn how to interview well.

Be Straightforward About Your Past

As a felon, the best thing you can do to ease the fears and remove the prejudices in the mind of a potential employer is to be up front and straightforward about your criminal history. When you talk freely about your criminal history, you can assure a potential employer that you have used your incrimination as a learning experience. You can even use this experience to create an incredible and memorable interview. Employers like to feel as though they are giving opportunities to their employees. After all, companies are started by big dreamers, and those big dreamers want to see you reach your full potential as well. If you are honest about your criminal past, you can easily remove the concerns from your potential employer’s mind.

Practice Your Interview

If you get nervous in face to face interviews, the best thing you can do is practice on a regular basis. You can use the internet to find sample questions that often come up in real life interviews. You can print off these sample questions and prepare a few thoughtful responses to questions like this. You can also practice an interview with a trusted friend or family member. Have your friend come up with several questions that you will not expect. Then, practice coming up with answers off the top of your head for these questions. It is important to remember to be calm and not rush through your answers. Take your time, and something will come to you.

Dress for Success

The way you dress is a very important part of getting a job after an interview. If you dress in an appropriate manner for the job, you will be more likely to receive the job. A good rule of thumb is to dress slightly more formal than the job would require. So, if most people in the office are wearing slacks and a polo shirt, you might consider wearing a tie.

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Developing New Skills with Coursework with a Felony Conviction

Posted on November 19, 2011 by Jobs for Felons

Education with a FelonyDeveloping New Skills with Coursework

For a convicted felon, getting a job after being released from prison can be a very difficult and frustrating task. Many employers are hesitant to hire felons for open positions because they mistakenly feel that they or their other employees may be in danger by being in close proximity to a former criminal. You can help to tear down these prejudicial barriers by taking educational courses that will show an employer how serious you are about changing your life.

Take a Business Course or Attend a Conference

An excellent way to improve your chances of landing your dream job is to educate yourself with a business course or a lectureship series. Not only can you learn a great deal about the business community, but you can also impress a future employer by taking courses about business and business ethics.

Take an Art Class

One great way to pad your resume and increase your chances of getting a great job is to take an art class. Even if you are not considering a career in any field that has to do with the arts, an art class can communicate a variety of positive attributes to a potential employer. When an employer sees that you have taken an art class, he or she can assume that you are devoted to challenging yourself and creating new opportunities in which you can succeed.

List Your Education On Your Resume

When you have taken various courses in business or in the arts, you should pad your resume with this information. Employers like to see that potential employees take their education seriously. When you list various educational courses and experiences on your resume, an employer will assume that you are serious about accomplishing your goals and continuing to learn throughout your entire life. Even a convicted felon can get hired in a great position by listing extra coursework and educational classes on his or her resume. An employer will see these classes and assume that a felon has made drastic changes in his or her life and is determined to stay on a path toward success.

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Discrimination Protection for Felons

Posted on October 19, 2011 by Jobs for Felons

Apparently Wisconsin protects felons in their Fair Employment Act.

Under current law, employers are not allowed to refuse employment or to terminate an employee based solely on criminal history unless the nature of the crime directly relates to the circumstances of a job.  Convicted sex offenders may not be eligible to work with children; individuals with theft convictions may not work a cash till.

There are some state representatives in Wisconsin that feel the current law, which was formed in 1977, puts a burden on employers, and creates potential legal-grounds for individuals to sue companies if they are refused employment or fired.

It seems the best way to stop recidivism is to provide felons with gainful employment. There is already a severe stigma attached to those of us with a felony.

Read more about Wisconsin’s bill for felons here.

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Employment for Felons

Posted on June 13, 2011 by Jobs for Felons

If you are considering employment for felons, moving to the trucking industry offers more benefits than you might think. Due to a shortage of truck drivers, many carriers will employ felons to pull loads across the country. With more than 70% of the country’s economy is delivered by trucks, more truckers will continue to be needed as the economy grows. In other words, the trucking industry plenty to offer interested candidates. Consider the following benefits to being a truck driver.
o Great pay
With a national shortage of drivers, companies are willing to give bonuses and increased wages for truck drivers, especially for long-haul truckers. Companies also pay substantially more for reliable, safe drivers because they are rare. In fact, they can earn more than some college graduates. Another bonus is that unlike some companies, they are usually guaranteed pay raises as they add years of experience and are more willing to hire felons.

o Benefits
Most trucking companies offer great benefits for their employees. Benefits for truck drivers may include medical, dental, vision, prescription drug coverage, life insurance and pension plans. Drivers can also receive paid holidays and days. These benefits rival many large companies, including some members of the Fortune 500 category.

o Bonuses
Trucking companies offer bonuses for the applied loads or travel distances. Bonuses also can be administered safety records or longevity of a company.

o Flexibility
A flexible schedule is available to truck drivers through many carriers. Drivers can also decide what kind of cargo that would haul. They can choose between local trips, long distances or the cross country trips. Some companies even allow pets or children to enter traditionally solo travel.

 

o Changing Scenery
Truckers can see most of the U.S. while they work. The scenery constantly changes and there are usually points of interest to see along the way. Is your office view as good as a trucker’s view? Becoming a truck driver can be a great way to start seeing and doing.
o Job Security
Truck driving provides job security for felons looking for employment. It also promises a secure job market because trucking companies always need drivers, particularly if you have a few years of safe driving under your belt. A job is as secure as you make it.
o Teams
Working as a team with a spouse or colleague gives truckers a way to earn a higher income on long runs. Teams receive bonuses for making faster deliveries and can earn over $100,000 per year.
With benefits better and above some office jobs, a career as a truck driver may be the right move for employment for felons.

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Apartments for Felons

Posted on June 11, 2011 by Jobs for Felons

Looking for apartments for felons is difficult. You can be sure that the management company that runs the leasing office will do two thing. Run a credit check and a background check. It’s become so much more easier to run backgound checks because of the availability of criminal background data. If you have a misdemeanor on your record there is a good chance it will not be picked up in a background check.

Why do apartments conduct criminal background checks? Well the number one reason is so they can protect other tenants who live in the same community. If other tenants find out there is a convicted felon living in their community they could deem the community as unsafe. When people feel that the apartments are unsafe, they leave. That means less money for the apartment complex. When occupancy rates drop, revenu drops.

How do you get an apartment with a felony conviction? The first step is to go talk to the office at the apartments and inform them of the incident. Let them know in advance of your background without them having to do any digging. This is a sign of good will and will create trust with the apartment complex.

Something else you can do that will help you get an apartment as a felon would be to get references. Find reputable people that you know from the area who either know you or are willing to put their reputation on the line for you. If they are willing to write a letter for you this will help even more. Just have they say that you are a responsible and law-abiding citizen. These letters can mean the difference in whether or not you get the apartment.

Having a felony will create a great challenge in finding the apartment of your choice. You might only be able to find an apartment in a less than desirable area of the city. Another option is to rent from a private landlord. Only rent from someone who owns the building themselves. They are way more lenient and less “corporate” when it comes to who they are willing to rent apartments to. You might also be able to avoid a credit check when you rent from a private landlord.

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Driving Jobs for Felons

Posted on June 8, 2011 by Jobs for Felons

Even with a felony offense, you should at least apply for a driving job. The possibility exists that you could still get a driving job as a felons.

Most driving jobs for felons consist of trucking jobs. You’re going to have a little more trouble finding one of these jobs because you are a felon. However, just call a few trucking companies and see what they have to say. Explain to them your situation and be completely honest about your offenses.

Some trucking companies are going to give you a NO right out the gate. Some are going to need more information. A lot of companies want to know exactly what crime you were charged with, and how long ago.

Most companies are going to tell you the same thing;

“No, having a felony does not automatically disqualify you from applying.”

When they tell you this answer, your best option is to show up in person. Show some sort of charisma when you go in to apply. Let them put a face to you. I’m sure you look horrible on paper. However, when they get to meet you and find out you’re a real person their attitude towards you will become a bit more humane.

Having a felony is indeed a challenge. It’s going to be a challenge for the rest of your life. Even simple things like finding an apartment as a felon will be challenging.

The point is to never ever give up. (Jimmy V Quote) You will be faced with frustration every single time you apply for a job as a felon. Things will get better as long as you stay on the right path. Keep pushing forward and learning new skills and you will prevail.

One of the more important things about getting a driving job as a felon is this… You must have a clean driving record. A clean driving record is 10 times more important than your past felony convictions.

The best way to find out how you are doing as far as your driving record is concerned is to get insurance quotes from multiple companies. This will give you an idea as to how crazy your driving record is ranked.

You can get a free quote from multiple insurance companies and see for sure how well you stack up. The best company for getting multiple quotes for free is Quote Sonic. With Quote Sonic you can see exactly how well your driving record is viewed by multiple insurance companies.

=>Free Auto Insurance Quote

Getting quotes from multiple companies will allow you to see yourself exactly how the trucking companies see you. The trucking companies are the ones that will be hiring you and they WILL pull your driving record. So will the auto insurance companies. So the best way to see your driving record for free is to get a quote from Quote Sonic.

 

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Florida To Give RX Drug Help To Released Inmates

Posted on June 8, 2011 by Jobs for Felons

Florida Department of Corrections announced Monday that provides a prescription drug discount cards to recently released prisoners, through a partnership with a company which specializes in helping ex-offenders get medicine.

The cards, which will be provided by Recovery Health Network, will offer up to 75 percent discount on prescription drugs, certain tests and imaging services.

The discount cards will always be free, and Trade said in a statement Monday that recognize more than 54,000 pharmacies across the country. The card has no expiration date or limit on the number of recipes and Trade Department said it would work for “all prescribed by a doctor” drugs.

“One of our goals is to match recurring prisoners and offenders with the necessary resources,” said Florida Department of Corrections Secretary Edwin Buss. “By order these cards in the hands of criminals on community supervision and detainees the right when they are released, will help with the cost of medicines they need. “

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