CHICAGO, September 27, 2012 – While having a run-in with the law can have long-term repercussions for job hunting, a new study from CareerBuilder shows organizations are open to giving people second chances. Fifty-one percent of Human Resource managers reported that their organizations have hired someone with a criminal record.
The study, which was conducted by Harris Interactive© and included more than 2,000 hiring managers nationwide, also looked at what job seekers with criminal records can do to help their chances of getting hired.
“The number one recommendation hiring managers have is to own your past and focus on what you learned from it to grow professionally and personally,” said Rosemary Haefner, Vice President of Human Resources at CareerBuilder. “You also want to stay active. Taking classes, volunteering and tapping into social networks can be good ways to help overcome obstacles associated with job hunting with a criminal past.”
What can job seekers with criminal records do to make themselves more marketable to employers? Hiring managers recommend:
· Be up front and honest about the conviction and stress what you learned from it – 68 percent
· Be willing to work your way up – 48 percent
· Stay positive – 46 percent
· Prepare while you’re in prison (take classes, get a degree or vocational training) – 39 percent
· Don’t apply to jobs where your record would automatically disqualify you – 31 percent
· Volunteer – 31 percent
· Take freelance or temporary assignments – 26 percent
· Consider joining the military – 18 percent
· Start your own business – 16 percent
· Monitor what is said on social media – 13 percent
Survey Methodology
This survey was conducted online within the U.S. by Harris Interactive© on behalf of CareerBuilder among 2,298 U.S. hiring managers and human resource professionals (employed full-time, not self-employed, non-government) ages 18 and over between May 14 and June 4, 2012 (percentages for some questions are based on a subset, based on their responses to certain questions). With pure probability samples of 2,298, one could say with a 95 percent probability that the overall results have a sampling error of +/-2.04. Sampling error for data from sub-samples is higher and varies.
About CareerBuilder®
CareerBuilder is the global leader in human capital solutions, helping companies target and attract their most important asset - their people. Its online career site, CareerBuilder.com®, is the largest in the United States with more than 24 million unique visitors, 1 million jobs and 49 million resumes. CareerBuilder works with the world’s top employers, providing resources for everything from employment branding and talent intelligence to recruitment support. More than 10,000 websites, including 140 newspapers and broadband portals such as MSN and AOL, feature CareerBuilder’s proprietary job search technology on their career sites. Owned by Gannett Co., Inc. (NYSE:GCI), Tribune Company and The McClatchy Company (NYSE:MNI), CareerBuilder and its subsidiaries operate in the United States, Europe, South America, Canada and Asia. For more information, visit www.careerbuilder.com.
Media Contact
Jennifer Grasz
773-527-1164
Jennifer.Grasz@careerbuilder.com
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CareerBuilder Media Contact
For all media inquiries and interview requests, contact:
Jennifer Grasz
(P) 773-527-1164
(E) jennifer.grasz@careerbuilder.com