Okay, so you don’t hear this very often. And frankly, neither do we. But we work with a client that has been successful in the past in hiring “white-collar” felons. They believe that everyone deserves a second chance and under the right circumstances, these people have been tremendous for them.
What is most unbelievable is that they have had almost an impossible challenge of being able to hire them. At the times they hired these people, they discovered them by pure accident. It wound up working out so well for them that they are now intentionally trying to find them and just plain can’t seem to.
In their two years of advertising, placing ads in all the online sites, Indeed, CareerBuilder, Zip recruiter, etc. they have not received ONE candidate. They have called and contacted all of the organizations that are supposed to help felons find a job after they have paid their dues… and not one response…not ONE !!!
Now, it is true that they are looking for a fairly narrow set of skills. It is a sales job, mostly commission driven, they prefer a degree (but could live without it). It is a very professional atmosphere and requires a long-term commitment. They explain all of this in their advertisements. But still…not ONE candidate.
It is a very professional atmosphere and by the nature of what the company does they’re not particularly worried about theft. They won’t hire violent felons and really need people with a business acumen. So, they will admit that what they are looking for is fairly narrow. But not ONE applicant in two years of searching???
The state run and nonprofit organizations who supposedly help these kind of folks have been useless. Our client has almost badgered them for two years and not ONE candidate. Some of the people in this organization make more than $100,000 and there are no gimmicks or hidden “gotchas.” They do require a series of psychological tests, but they haven’t even had a chance to administer them!
What’s wrong with this picture? How is it that a very substantial business, that has been around for a really long time with lots of people making lots of money would have such a hard time finding people who are willing to help people “bounce back” from their mistakes if they have truly repented, paid their dues and are willing to work really hard at a great sales job.
So, our client has contacted us. And of course, we’d love to help and we will certainly try.
But it made us wonder why it’s been so hard for them. Admittedly, they’re looking for a fairly narrow type of candidate. But those kinds of people have a very hard time finding a job because most companies won’t consider any type of felon.
So, if any of you readers out there know of a “white collar” felon who has a great sales personality and is willing to go through a fairly rigorous interviewing process, ask them to call me. The job isn’t easy and our client is very picky, but they offer a second chance and a second –to-none opportunity. There’s even ownership in the company possible.
My number is 214-515-7613.
