Unfortunately, employers often rescind job offers because they judge candidates on their criminal history. Naaim had that same experience. Honest Jobs helped him eliminate the need to explain himself over and over again, and he found a job where he was accepted right away. Watch his story:
Read the full interview with Naaim here:
What was a your job search experience before you found Honest Jobs?
Naaim: “I was using Indeed and just other job boards and temporary agencies. I got hired through one of them. It was funny because they did a background check with me through the temporary agency. They knew about my background. They knew what was going on. I let them know when I was going through the temp agency. I worked a day at the new job and then they called me. They said they needed to do an assessment and told me they couldn't hire me because of my background. It wasn't even the job - it was temporary agency who said I couldn't be placed to work through them.
There's a bunch of jobs that try to get me to come in and do an interview, but they just don't hire felons. I just started letting them know before anything, “Hey, if you guys don’t hire felons, I can't come in for an interview”. There are more people who are not willing to hire anybody with a criminal background. And then the jobs that I found that were hiring people with a criminal background, a lot of them were factory jobs. Like almost 90% of them are factory or warehouse jobs.”
What was your job searching experience like after you found Honest Jobs?
Naaim: “I was on Honest Jobs probably for a good two weeks before I got the first job. I got contacted by Diamond Metals, got a call from them, told me they want me to come in for an interview. I told them that I have a felony and asked if that’s okay. They told me that they don't do any background checks or drug testing, so that's fine. Then I went in for the interview, talked about it, and they told me, "Take the weekend, think it over, see if you like the job.” Monday I let them know I wanted the job and then the next day I started.”
Tell us about your new job!
Naaim: “So right now I’m saw operator, I believe the starting pay was $15. After 90 days, I'll be eligible for I believe all their benefits, including their 401k. I think almost 80% to 90% of the people there have some sort of criminal record.”
Would you recommend Honest Jobs to other formerly incarcerated job seekers?
Naaim: “Yeah. Because you don't have to go through the process of putting all your information in, the employer contacting you about an interview, and then you still have to let them know that you have a criminal background and then they say no. Then, you waste all your time searching for that job, applying for that job.”