Seeking Employment and what to expect!
“According to the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, 92% of all Employers conduct a Background and Criminal check either prior to or after a Employee has been hired.”
Most of the vital information for this article can be found at the following link: http://www.eeoc.gov/laws/guidance/arrest_conviction.cfm. However there is no Governmental based source of data that is determining the current state of affairs when it comes to a RSO attempting to find a job. Therefore without any specific information available on what can happen when a RSO applies for a job, I decided for this Column to put my own theories to a test and apply for several jobs in my area.
I received a call-back from a large Furniture Distributor expanding into Florida for a Associate Office Position. Although I have no previous experience in working in a Office setting, I decided to accept an Interview. Their Company Application was surprisingly short and they did not ask for a Resume. However the Application did require a answer for the question; “Have you ever been Convicted of a Crime and if so What were the circumstances and outcome? I answered in detail and explained my current RSO status. The Supervisor explained that their current policy would prevent myself from working for their Company however she needed to get a ruling because their Background Checks go back 5 years and my crime happened long before that. Three days past and I received a Letter from the Company Headquarters stating again their no-hire Policy regarding Felony Convictions and Sex Crimes. I asked the EEOC for help and they stated that Individual Corporations although compliant with Equal Hire and Rights Guidelines can institute their own Guidelines when it comes to Convicted Felons and Crimes of a Sexual Nature. I told both the Employer I was a not a Convicted Felon but it did not matter because of my current RSO status.
So I must concur that nearly every RSO that applies for a job with a Company that conducts a Background Check will most likely be disqualified from ever working for that Company. But I did find out there are a few things we can do to help our chances of finding gainful employment. You may ask a potential Employer if they can conduct a Background Check within the State they are doing business therefore limiting the access to your information on a National level. If you have friends that work for the Company you are interviewing with, you can ask for Letters of Reference which go along way especially from employee’s wishing to stake their reputations on your own!
RSO’s are limited to what kind of jobs they can do many times not only in relation to your crime but also by State Statutes and City Ordinances. Working in Schools and anywhere there are Children and Teens may be impossible to overcome those Laws. Working in the public eye may also be a big problem and for large Companies that refuse to risk their own reputation on hiring a RSO.
For myself long after I was Sentenced and during Supervised Probation is when I was required to Register as a RSO. For many of us part of my Probational Control Rules was to be Employed. And each Month my Employment was checked. Today, over 85% of RSO’s in the State of Florida are listed as Unemployed. The rules of each County Probation Department now gives relief for RSO’s simply because even the State understands and acknowledges the difficulty in finding work.
Can the State help me find a job” “Are there Organizations to join that will get me work? “Is there a list of Employers in my area that are willing to hire a RSO?
After exhausted research in the questions above, I find that I have not yet found a resolve. The FDLE told myself, I would most likely have better luck moving to another State. Although there are many SORNA reform groups and Organizations such as FAC, most do not list jobs nor have a job resource list to draw upon. And frankly I do not know of a single major Employer that willingly would hire a RSO in my area.
The struggle to find a decent job, make a living and prosper in a Society of hate for the RSO is a incredibly difficult one and I wish I could offer more concrete solutions here. Working for yourself is one, but that has its drawbacks when potential Clients realize your RSO status and decide to go elsewhere with their business. You may get lucky and find a friend that owns their own business and is willing to take a chance on you. You can try working from home but most of those jobs solicited on the Internet are Scams. For myself, I have been in and out of Employment for years now and especially lately since my RSO Flyer is Distributed to the public across the Nation on every Sex Offender Website there is. Most of us are in trouble financially and being out of work with no hope for employment can cause a terrible emotional toll.
The RSO in America must realize that whatever job or position they held prior to your crime is now completely gone, swept away by a Government at both the State and Federal levels that just want us to disappear from existence. I have not heard of one single success story of a RSO with a current active status becoming successful, gaining employment and going public about it.
If by chance there are such stories to be told, please do not hesitate to tell FAC and if you happen to be a Employer willing to give us a chance, please leave a message at the FAC e-mail link below.
Comments can be made to: info@floridaactioncommittee.org