I have a job interview at a large medical practice tomorrow 
ADDED BONUS: telling them I’m a felon.
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There are some other members here who have had to deal with that. I wish you the best of luck, hopefully the employer will give you a chance.
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Nope. Ive always worked for myself. Ive only had to explain one time and that company knew me. I was told its up to one doctors opinion. He’s looking for the right fit
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Hey Corin,
I’m a felon twice over and I went through a job search 10 years ago in sobriety.
It took me a lot longer to find a position than it had before, 18 months. I worked with a head hunter (and an AA friend) to get my resume and cover letters in shape. Even at that, I was a hard sell with two felony DUIs.
My experience was that it was not a good idea to bring up my record, or my alcoholism, in a first interview. I made that mistake two or three times. I had three or four second interviews. And almost every time I brought it up, I could see the recoil on the interviewer’s face. In a couple cases they couldn’t get me out the door fast enough.
I had two interviews with my current employer. At the end of the second one, they made me an offer, contingent on passing a background check. At that point, I told them that I am a recovered alcoholic (my choice of wording on this was carefully considered), sober five years and continuing to work on my recovery by active participation in AA. And that when I was drinking I’d had several arrests for drunk driving and related charges and I had two felony convictions. If they still wanted me, I’d accept their offer. They said they would think it over and get back to me. I’d been interviewed by my boss and the CEO. They talked with the company president and the lawyer and decided to accept me.
Later my boss said that he appreciated my honesty, that I could have simply rejected the offer or tried to hide my record but I didn’t. And he didn’t want to hear about my “problem” ever again. I’ve only mentioned it twice since, once when I was so stressed that I allowed myself to romanticize the idea of a drink and complain to him that “they” were making me want to drink. The second time was when a fellow employee made the paper for a DUI, and I offered to be available to speak with them if the managers involved agreed.
I’m in a middle management position and always have been while at this company.
I guess my message is that I learned to hold my cards close to my vest, and that the reaction I get from others may have nothing to do with me. Being honest in a high stakes situation was scary, but it was also really good for my sobriety.
Good luck to you!
Dan
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I agree with SinceIAwoke
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Well it’s a sticky situation
While I’m not a felon, working in public safety requires a rather clean record, and I’m far from squeaky clean. And I have to disclose whatever they are gonna find
I’m huge on integrity, but I also learned you need to play your cards right, like since I awoke said, you can disclose it when you need to.
IMHO alot of convicted felons should not be felons, we preach that the justice system is supposed to be rehabilitative and corrective,yet we make it so difficult to get on the right path
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This might be helpful
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Good read. Thank you
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Hope it goes well!!
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Sorry it took me so long to respond. I wanted you to know you made me feel alot better. Your right 
. I dont have to be transparent immediately. I like that. Ive always been one to put all my cards on the table in the past. I am now way more cautious. And I’m really proud of you for hanging in there for that 18 mo. That’s a good amount of time.
BTW, my interview got moved to tomorrow. Somebody will take a chance on me, I believe that… let’s see what happends.
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How long ago
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2014 I think. It happend in 2012 but went to court for 22 months before I was charged.
@dalex77
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I know most jobs go 7 years back but the judge withheld adjudication on my case I wish you the best of luck
Still there is alot of time there.
Unless the job clearly states felony convictions are a DQ, you should be in the clear,
Other things to weigh in on, the charge, and what gave you done since, in some jurisdictions what is a felony, is a misdemeanor.
Ex Pa has 3 grades of Felony convictions. Where as Va has 6. Most of what VA calls a felony other states refer to as a misdemeanor charge.
If I recall you said your originally from GA, they are pretty strict. So it’s a YMMV thing, so if you tactfully place it in there and can justify yourself with proof of accomplishment after the incident. It can be a non factor
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Good luck in your interview Corin! 
Breathe, get yourself grounded. You’re a good person with a lot to contribute to the company that hires you.
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I used to hire people for a home care company. We always did background checks. If someone had a conviction we did a risk assessment and used our discretion. We would ask “how does this impact on their ability or safety to do this job?”. Always helps if you are up front and have a prepared answer. 
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That must have been a long 22 months. But in your rearview mirror, right? Knock it out of the park today.
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22 months equaled 22 court dates for me. Im glad we are talking about all of this because I just realized how much I’ve went through and survived. I haven’t thought about that period of time in my life in quite a while. More to be grateful for. Thanks SIS.
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Good grief…and is there any wonder the court systems are backed up??? And YES…you survived it. And more! Here you are years later, sober and ready for your next challenge. Positive vibes for you today. Let us know how it goes. 
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