I was convicted of a non-violent, non-drug related felony two years ago. I am currently enrolled at Columbus State Community College and I have been denied for every single work study position I have applied for. There have been several instances where the employer interviewed me (as many as two separate times for the same position) where I fully disclosed my conviction and the circumstances around it. Despite that, my work history and experience qualifies me for most entry level positions.
I have come to learn that it is not the employers that are denying me the position, but the school Human Resources. Apparently they go through a review process for any students that have been convicted of a felony and consider whether or not to allow them to continue the application process, regardless of the employer’s consideration.
At this point, I am at a loss. I am putting myself through school and I am trying to limit the amount of loan debt that I accumulate as I plan to pursue a master’s degree. I have set an appointment to speak with an HR representative next week, but I don’t anticipate them changing anything. While this meeting is pending, I wanted to seek out any assistance or ideas that someone might have. I know I am not the only student with a conviction. Are there really no options available to me because of my background?
Or try to find jobs (work-study or otherwise) where your record would not cause an employer to think that the job would enable or tempt you to reoffend? For example, someone with a conviction for a theft-related offense may have better luck applying to jobs where there is no handling of money, sensitive financial information, or easily stolen valuables.
Yes, I was going to give you the same suggestion as above – to seek out employment opportunities outside of the school. It is great you are on a much more positive path now – keep it up and good luck moving forward.
This may not be the only time a prior felony conviction impedes your employment.
Think long and hard about what field you’re getting your degree in. You do not want to go through the time and money to get a degree only to discover that you won’t be able to use it to actually be employed.
What major are you pursuing and what type of employment do you hope to have when you graduate?
I’ll pile on and say bypass the school’s work-study program. It’s surprising that the school would send you out on interviews knowing beforehand that a criminal record would disqualify you.
This also might be something to discuss with the head of financial aid. That person needs to know that students like you are finding it even more difficult than usual to pin down a workstudy job. Every work study dollar that students can use, is also money the college/university doesn’t have to find in its own budget to hire student help.