Jeff Altman, The Big Game Hunter discusses telling the truth about a conviction on an employment application when you apply for a job.
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I want to have a candid conversation with you. If you are someone who has a criminal record, dealt with the rest and talk with you about how to complete applications. I’m reminded of this by recent story from someone who represented for job who told me about a conviction he had years ago and the recent arrest or he accepted a plea deal even though he said he wasn’t involved with what was done, but got caught up in the events and his attorney advised him to accept the plea and know that within 6 months to be expunged from his record.
Now, he’s up for job and has to complete an application and is asked the question, “Have you been involved with a dishonesty that has not been expunged from your record yet?” My advice to him was to disclose it. Write a lengthy explanation for what occurred. Don’t line.
Why? It’s very simple. This is a firm that, like many, does background check and, in doing a background check, if they for the inconsistency with what you told that, namely, you have been involved in such an episode, the reality is that America hire you. If they find that out after you’ve been hired there going to fire you.
I’ve been involved with way too many circumstances where companies have found the outpost employment than a reference, a college degree, a whole host of things are falsified. The criminal stuff is always the most egregious to employer.
Imagine for 2nd you were hired for job and they find out a few weeks after you join that you were involved with some version of crime. They let you stay on board and while you are a stockbroker, for example, you still grandma’s life savings or trade them down to nothing. A lawyer get someone from the firm on the stand and goes, “You knew he was a lawyer and this is what happened! You tolerated.” Your insurance company won’t pay. There out the money. They just can’t accept the fact that someone who lied to them is on board.
In other words, you don’t want to be greeted by security at your desk, holding a box for you have all your stuff and escorted out the door. How do you explain that to your family? How do you explain that you kids or the friends or the parents that you got fired because you lied on an application?
Don’t do it.
If they’re not going to hire you, better off not to get fired after 2, 4 or 6 weeks and have the same result that you’re out of work. Except, that’s worse. After all, how do you explain that to the next employer.
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