Second Chances - The Barrier of the Background

The economy is difficult for everyone…young and old, male and female. Thousands remain unemployed and are seeking stable employment here in Denver. Competition is steep and employers spend time sifting through emails and paper applications seeking the most qualified applicant. So what happens when there is something on your resume, application, or job history that poses as a significant barrier? The dreaded criminal background check.

There are many people out there worthy of employment, yet a mistake in their past, can be the component that hinders their actual marketability. I spend countless hours working to provide individuals with a criminal background (misdemeanor and felony level) a listing of places that are hiring each week. Their battle and my own lie within finding companies/employers willing to hire and work with individuals who have a criminal history.

The reality is, your background does impact your ability to obtain employment. It does prevent individuals from obtaining specific jobs. Criminal charges pose a challenge to an employer, as the nature of the charge can put them at risk; from a business standpoint. Yet, there are places throughout Denver that do work with helping men and women obtain employment in lieu of their backgrounds.

Often times, employment agencies/staffing agencies can be a significant source of information and often have connections with agencies that may be willing to work with criminal histories. Although positions are sometimes temporary, this gives the employee an opportunity to get their foot in the door and demonstrate their abilities and overall work ethic; possibly showing the employer/company that they are more than a charge listed on a piece of paper. One such agency is the Job Store, which offers various types of employment from warehouse work to clerical work.

Colorado Workforce Center offers employment services. There is information regarding the federal bonding program, which can add as an incentive to a potential employer, as it provides bonding insurance coverage to individuals with a criminal background. There is information on the Work Opportunity Tax Credit which is designed to offer incentives to those high risk hires. A link below provides various information on assistance out there in Colorado for those with a background.

As noted, having criminal charges within your background, does not make for an easy journey on the road to employment. However, there is hope. There are people working for you and working to give you that second chance. Second chances do exist and are out there; take advantage of the services at your disposal. They could give you that push you need and the opportunity to prove that our choices do not always define us.