Welcome to 2009. This year is going to be a real challenge for the ex-offender seeking work. The news is replete with stories of the economic turmoil that we are facing. Over a Million and an half jobs are already lost with more to come. Those with limited prospects are being driven out of the job market altogether. Ex-offenders are some of the first to be let go in this difficult time.
This does not mean that ex-offenders are not employable it means that you as an ex-offender must be skilled in your job search and self marketing. This is not a time for half measures. It is a time for concentrated effort and determination. It is the skilled job seeker who will win out in this market despite some negatives in their employment profile.
There are few if any employment candidates that don’t have some negative impact data in their employment profile. Many of these candidates thrive despite such negatives as; being fired from a job, weak employment history, lack of skills, etc. The skill that is common within this group is that they understand how to market their strengths and not accentuate their weaknesses. Even an ex-offender can market themselves in such a way as to bring the things an employer wants to the front.
Right now it is important to understand what most employers are looking for in a prime candidate. In a skill rich environment like we have now, marketing your skills is not enough to engage the interest of most employers. You may have the ability to do the job but you are one in a field of many. Your skills are not going to be enough.
Employers are looking for to basic things from any prospective employee. Skill to do the job is obvious to most of us and we do a lot to market those skills with resumes and cover letters that inform the employers of what we can do for them. However, there is one other aspect employers seek in a good employee. Most employers look at the character of the employee as a determining factor in the hiring factor. Character can be summed up as an evaluation of a particular individual’s moral qualities such as integrity, courage, fortitude, honesty, and loyalty, or of good behaviors or habits. Character cannot be tough it must be acquired.
This can be tuff for an ex-offender to market if they do not understand how to approach an employer. It is obvious that most people look at criminal behavior as an example of bad character. Many ex-offenders try to explain the circumstances of the crime to an employer in an attempt to justify or rationalize the situation. The ex-offender may see this as a way to help the employer understand why the crime was committed. Along with a great many platitudes insisting that the crime will never happen again and that the lesson has been learned many ex-offenders feel that the employer will be likely to forgive the crime and hire them.
This is far from the truth. Most employers will not make an employment decision based on the word of an ex-offender that they have changed their ways and are going to make a good employee alone. Many employers have been burned by giving an ex-offender a chance only to find that they have become the next victim in a long line of victims.
The challenge the ex-offenders faces in reaching these employers is how to convince them of a true and lasting character change. There are several ways to approach this dilemma.
First of all time must pass from the time of the crime and the present. When you have committed a crime only a few months ago and now want to convince employers that you have changed it may be difficult for them to believe you. They have not seen you pass the test of time. The current time most employers accept is seven years from the crime. If you can remain crime free for a long period of time that is good evidence of change in your character. I am not saying that you have to wait seven years to get a job but it is a factor in getting better work. Don’t expect to get the best jobs after just being convicted of a crime.
Don’t give up hope yet, there are other things that you can do to show a character change. Remember just saying you have changed will not be enough for the employer, you must demonstrate change. Time is just one aspect and there are a lot of things you can do in between.
The next most important thing that demonstrates a change in character is action. It is not what you say that counts it is what you do that counts. All of the positive things done while in prison or if you have remained crime free and completed your probation successfully. Completing education goals and involvement in community and faith life are also ways that reflect change in a person. The type of people you are involved with show how you have changed.
Most of all how you account for your actions will reflect your character. Taking accountability for your crime and actions is a key to how others think of you. It is easy to slip into our storyline and “explain” how it all happened. Unfortunately the more you try to “explain” the more you tend to “excuse” and most employers are turned off by this. Employers do not expect perfect employees but they do value employees who are accountable for their mistakes and actions. It is far easier to correct a person who takes accountability than to deal with someone who is always making excuses for their actions. Own your mistakes and demonstrate to the employer that you have changed this is far better than words can ever be.
If you are interested in learning about how to increase the skills needed to market your character please go to my website at www.teamsaz.org and sign up for our next Character Building Workshop.
Steve Temple