Someone’s criminal history may be the first thing an employer considers when deciding to hire one applicant over another in South Florida.
Even in a healthy economy, getting a job can be tough. In an economy gaffed by COVID-19, getting a job seems nearly impossible as businesses struggle to stay open. Now, couple those struggling businesses with a pool of more than 33 MILLION people looking for jobs? That is a lot of competition you’re up against if you find yourself looking for a job in 2020. You need to do everything possible to make yourself “employable.” Sealing or Expunging your record may save your career and (believe it or not) is relatively inexpensive.
Let’s begin with a little anecdote to illustrate how important a clean criminal history is when you are applying for a job.
Let’s say Rossen Law Firm is hiring a paralegal to work an open desk we have. We received two applications. One from Tim and one from Rex. Tim and Rex both have degrees from the top school in Florida, nearly identical GPAs and the same amount of years in the field. But Rex has something Tim does not have.
Five years ago, Rex was caught speeding and then was arrested for having cocaine in his car. Now, we certainly do not believe it is the end of the world, but we work in Criminal Defense. If Rex was applying for a job elsewhere his criminal history could be a death knell. We would certainly review both applications without judgment, but if Rex and Tim are equal applicants otherwise – who do you think we would choose for the paralegal position?
The guy with the clean criminal history or the guy with a drug charge on his record? The choice is easy.
You want to do everything you can to maximize your chances to land a job (or keep your job) in this economy
"The U.S. unemployment rate hit 14.7% in April, the highest rate since the Great Depression, as 20.5 million jobs vanished in the worst monthly loss on record. The figures are stark evidence of the damage the coronavirus has done to a now-shattered economy. (...) In addition to the millions of newly unemployed, 5.1 million others had their hours reduced in April. That trend, too, means less income and less spending, perpetuating the economic downturn." - Miami Herald
You do not want to find yourself in the situation Rex is in. There will be plenty of highly qualified professionals who were laid-off during this pandemic, so you need to make sure the playing field is leveled.
Contact Us today for a Free Consultation regarding your criminal record and to explore what we can do for you!
If you are unsure if you have a criminal history, don’t worry. We will be able to help review your record to see what shows up when someone looks you up online.