The list from this website has been updated. Click above on New Beginner Friendly. Currently there are 120 New Beginner employers. Click on Jobs for Felons for this list. Click on the Guide for some great tips of job searching for New Beginners.
I especially appreciate the comments on the blog at exoffenders.wordpress.com
Here are my 2 favorites (edited for content)
Sippo says:
I feel as though most of you are full of garbage and just aren’t trying seriously. You just want to sit back and blame the system for your problems when in reality you are your problem. I have felony convictions too and have had no problem finding employment. OK, maybe some, but not that much for God’s sake. It’s not the end of the world. We have to try a thousand times harder now. We have to be a thousand times better than our competition now that we have these stupid black marks on our records. Did you guys ever just sit back and think.. Maybe it’s me? Maybe I’m an ugly, unshaven, toothless, dirty loser with no self-control or motivation? And you’re blaming your felonies and the govt for why you can’t get hired places.. No no no mi amigo… it’s you.. Get up at 5! Take a shower! Kiss your lady and hit the bricks! Hard! Only you can control what happens to you! Make your own luck! You CAN do it! Don’t let yourself get discouraged! Get mad! Just don’t get so mad it makes you want to sit on your rear and brood about how messed up the system is! Take that anger and turn it into something positive! We’re all mad.. Probably mostly mad at ourselves for messing up because now our life’s ten times harder than it was before. Now we have to work more than ever before. Yeah it sucks… It sucks soo bad, but it’s the truth. Are you going to let that fat Governor of yours ruin your life? Really? Or are you going to show him that you don’t give a darn what he thinks of you and go out there and provide for your family? Make your wife and kids proud of you! Let them know that they didn’t make a mistake by sticking with you all this time.. Through all the stuff you’ve put them through. That you ARE worth it. Because you ARE! Forget your felony! DO THE WORK! If you walk five miles into the woods you gotta walk five miles back out! Ya dig?
AND GREAT TIPS FROM CHECO3:
Go to your city hall find out about employment workshops, which includes resume/ interview skills development. Go and meet with employers in person ( dress nice and smille), just to introduce and leave a good impression. Take an application or if it’s online still stop prior and let them know you are interested. You are competing against thousands of people in your area who don’t have any “criminal” records so make your encounter with employers be a pleasant one. DO TRY!
I’m currently residing in CA. I see a lot of mixed feelings on comments that are left which I think is good for people so they can gain different perspectives. One thing is for sure, the only one who is going to pull you out of a rutt is yourself. I see a lot of people leaving comments like ” Walmart doesn’t hire felons, period”. Well that might be true but are you going to take somebody else’s word that lives thousands of miles away or try and fail and maybe gain some new knowledge by going out there and trying. For instance I have been turned down from many interviews as well as offers the minute they knew I had a record ( TWO DUI’S/ RESISTING ARREST). This is a very serious offense in the area I live. None the less, through preparation, follow up, and good personality I managed to get hired with a great company who does do background checks but the manager over looked it due to my personality. There are people out there who give second chances. We made the mistake, not society. Although it is unfortunate how the system is set up, it is what is and it is up to us to discover how we will come back from our mistakes. It will be extremely difficult, if you fail at job searching take this approach…well I keep getting turned down and still on square one after several applications and many months. Well, have you learned anything? By this time you should have learned how to develop a good resume, some typing and communication skills.
Good luck to everyone.