Qualities That Employers Should Look For When Hiring Felons
The United States is considered as a country with millions of inhabitants with a criminal record and the number is still growing even up to this day. Hence, it has become one of the major issues that the government is trying to address. Aside from the concern of safety and welfare, there is an underlying problem that the government is facing when it comes to felons or those people who committed a crime in the past and are now given a chance to start over. It is about the hiring policies or process of companies towards these people.
For some companies, hiring a felon is not a good idea as there are some risks that may lead to trouble in their company. Aside from the fact that they prioritize the safety of their current or existing workers, they also need to ensure that the company is free from any danger. On the other hand, there are companies that believe in the power of second chances and that every felon must be given a chance and new opportunity to leave this past behind and have new fresh start.
If you are one of the employers who believe in second chances, it is important to know what factors or traits to consider when hiring felons. To help you out, this article will go through some of traits that employers should look for when hiring felon applicants.
Hardworking
One of the main traits that you should look for when hiring a felon is his or her dedication to work. This normally applies to anyone who is applying for a job. Hardworking employee is truly a valuable asset of a company. So when hiring someone with criminal record, dedication is the number one consideration. While it is not true and applicable in all cases, some studies show that most of the felons are really hardworking. Most of them compelled the law due to economic factors. And since they experienced how hard it is to be in prison, they learned to be enduring and to work hard instead of committing crimes. Hence, as an employer, you can easily know if a felon is hard worker by asking his or her motivations and goals in life. The bigger the motivation, the hard worker the applicant may be.
Reliable and Punctual
Another traits that you should look for in a felon applicant are reliability and punctuality. These two traits are usually paired together because they both deliver great results. A reliable employee is well adjusted to operating on a routine. Usually, this is a coping machine used to establish integration. In prison, prisoners have their daily routine and each task has scheduled time. From eating their meals, to taking a bath to doing their daily responsibilities, all of which have schedule to follow. Hence, this develops their value of punctuality. So when hiring a felon, make sure to ask how he or she can demonstrate punctuality at work.
Committed
Commitment is very crucial in all companies. Usually, it serves as one of the major values that employers look for when hiring employees. And this is no different when giving a chance to felons. More than just his or her skills and knowledge about the work, he or she should also have strong commitment to work. This will determine whether he or she is passionate to the things he or she is doing in life. Just like the value of hard work, one of the best ways to test the commitment of an applicant is to ask about his or her motivations and goals in life. An applicant with realistic goals and is very willing to achieve them is usually highly committed to his or her job.
Felon With No Extreme and Re-Curring charges
While it is not advisable to depend solely on the criminal background of the applicant when hiring employees, one of the less risky ways to hire felon is to check the criminal record in an inclusive manner. If your company wants to hire felons but still concerned about the underlying risks, you may choose felons without recurring and repeating cases in court. If a felon who is applying in your company has several crimes committed, then it could be a red flag already. Yes, we want to give felons a chance, but we should also consider the safety and protection of your current employees and the company’s welfare as well.
Generally, careful consideration and selection are needed to hire the best employee. You can also get some help from staffing agencies from http://jobsthathirefelons.org/staffing-agencies-for-felons/. This agencies provide you with the quality staff for your company. They also help felons who want to have a new start by giving them decent jobs and career growth and opportunities.
