The New Leaf Workshop – held at WorkForce Center locations around Minnesota – is designed specifically for job seekers who are having difficulty getting a job due to criminal records. This 4-hour class combines traditional job search techniques with special strategies for addressing and overcoming barriers to employment. Topics include how, when and why to disclose your record, answer tough interview questions, how to talk to a potential employer about the Work Opportunity Tax Credit (WOTC) and Federal Bonding programs, and the “Ban the Box” effort.

Workshop attendees will learn:

• How to respond to questions related to your offense
• How to discover your unique job skills and talents
• How to write resumes and cover letters
• What to expect from a background check

Registration is required to attend the New Leaf Workshops. You can view upcoming workshops and register online. (Type “New Leaf” into the search feature to narrow your results.)

Master the Basics

For ex-offenders, concentrating on basic interview tips is critical to create a positive impression. As an ex-offender, if you do a good job of making a good impression, employers may see you as more than a “criminal.” They could view you as a confident and capable employee.

Below are some basic tips to help prepare for the interview:

• Anticipate questions that may be asked at an interview and prepare answers ahead of time. Do research and generate lists of potential interview questions. Once you have a list, you can prepare talking points that sell the skills you have that employers want.
• By practicing answers to interview questions, you become more confident, because you are very familiar with conveying your skills and strengths. The confidence you show while answering interview questions helps “sell” you as a capable employee.
• Show up early and be prepared. Showing up 10 minutes early tells employers that you are dependable and they can count on you to show up on time, if not early, when hired.
• Look professional. Image is everything. Dressing well shows employers that you take your image, as well as the image of the company, seriously.
• Be aware of non-verbal mannerisms or “quirks.” Some people have distracting behaviors when they are nervous, such as twirling hair, fidgeting fingers, or continuous smiling, to name just a few. Not only can such behaviors be distracting, but they can also portray things about yourself that you don’t intend to portray.

What About Your Past?

When it comes time to answer the interview question about prior criminal convictions, it is important that ex-offenders prepare and practice answers ahead of time. The more comfortable and confident you are with your answer, the less you’ll worry.

Here are some tips for ex-offenders to prepare for the difficult questions:

• Be honest. Employers appreciate honesty and many can tell when people are lying. Tell them what happened, but briefly.
• Omit technical terminology about the offense. Instead of stating “3^rd degree burglary,” you can simply say that they were charged with stealing. Employers know that stealing is theft or burglary, but by taking the actual offense term out, you maintain your honesty without sounding so negative.
• Keep your answer fluid. Briefly state the offense(s) and then move on to positive things, such as taking classes, work experience, and staying out of trouble. You can also talk about the life lesson you’ve learned and how it applies to work. For example, you could state that you now know how your behaviors impact the people you care about, and you understand how work-related decisions may affect co-workers, supervisors, clients, and the reputation of the company.
• Talk about the skills and experiences that apply to the position, even if they are skills developed while you were incarcerated. Use the job description to find out what employers want and convey to employers that your skills match.
• It may also be beneficial to bring up being eligible for the Work Opportunity Tax Credit and Federal Bonding.

And don’t forget to follow-up after the interview!

Translating Experience

Many ex-offenders don’t realize that a job inside prison is still work experience, and the skills obtained doing these jobs are important. Because most employers like to see an applicant with a steady work history, this work experience can be used on a resume to decrease, or even eliminate, gaps in employment caused by incarceration.

Take this example. If you worked as a janitor while incarcerated, your resume should include that work experience. Summarize your job duties on your resume, just as you would with any job.

Here’s what you might include on your resume:

If you need help thinking about your duties on the job, try O*NET, an online resource that lists the typical occupational tasks for over 800 different jobs.  (For example, here is the list of the tasks, tools and technology for janitors.)

Now Think About Skills

The tasks listed on your resume also demonstrate job skills. Using the example above, it you had a set amount of time to clean a certain area, you most likely used time management skills. If a floor buffer stopped working, you may have determined the cause of the malfunction and did some trouble-shooting to determine the problem and fix it. Consider how you can relate your experience to common workplace skills.

And don’t forget about soft skills. Job seekers, including those with criminal records, may be turned down for a job because they lack soft skills. While some of these skills are taught in school, most are learned in everyday life. Showcase your soft skills by adding them to your resume or talking about them in a job interview.  In the example above, the time management and trouble-shooting are examples of soft skills and often go along with job skills. 

Need More Help?

If you are a job seeker with felony convictions or other criminal changes, you can get help exploring your work options and skills with the new STEP AHEAD website. Many Minnesota Workforce Centers offer a New Leaf workshop to assist job seekers with a criminal record with overcoming obstacles to finding employment. Search for this workshops and register online.

Mark Schultz is an Offender Workforce Development Specialist at the Winona WorkForce Center.

Thousands of Minnesotans face these challenges every day. Approximately 6,500 individuals are released each year from Minnesota prisons, according to the Department of Corrections. Many ex-offenders have a hard time finding livable wages jobs partially because they do not know how to identify their skills or what their career options are.

STEP AHEAD: Career Information for People with Felony Convictions is a new website created to help ex-offenders with job search and career planning. The website uses data from ISEEK.org and the Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development, along with information from the Department of Corrections, the Minnesota WorkForce Centers and other trusted sources, to give people with felony convictions the information they need to make good choices.

The six career-planning steps in STEP AHEAD can be used by anyone who wants to find the right career fit, discover job-training options, or learn how to advance in his or her career.

Highlights of STEP AHEAD include:

• Assess Yourself: Identify work skills; Interest and values assessments
• Explore Careers: Job vs. career; Wages and other details for 500 occupations
• Create a Plan & Set Goals: Make SMART goals; Realistic expectations
• Expand Skills: Search for training options; Skills gained in prison
• Find a Job: Barred and restricted occupations; Connect with employers
• Manage Your Career: Overcome obstacles; Cost of living

All Minnesotans benefit from helping soon-to-be released inmates and ex-offenders to find useful career and job-training information. Employers can hire skilled, motivated workers they might not otherwise consider. Ex-offenders are more likely to find good-paying jobs to support themselves and their families. And local communities can welcome neighbors ready to live stable, productive lives.

Anyone with Internet access can find STEP AHEAD online. Residents of Minnesota State Correctional Facilities can access STEP AHEAD on their internal Offender Network. 

The Odds of Re-offending

Did you know that a report from the U.S. Department of Labor (.pdf) says that employed ex-offenders are three times less likely to commit another crime than unemployedex-offenders? Consider this:

• The National Institute of Corrections reports that 83 percent of offenders who violated probation or parole in New York State were unemployed at the time of violation.
   
• A study by the Texas Department of Corrections found that 74 percent of the people released from Texas prisons listed finding a job as their number one post-release problem.

The tie between employment and an ex-offender’s successful reentry into society are the same across the country, including in Minnesota. Employment is an important part of helping reformed offenders restart their lives. Securing a job affects a person’s:

• housing situation
• finances
• self-esteem and self-image
• social life
• ties to the community

The more positive factors, like employment, that an ex-offender has, the less likely he or she is to return to the negative influences that lead to the criminal behavior.

Benefits for Employers

In addition to contributing to their communities, employers who hire people with felony convictions can benefit financially. The Work Opportunity Tax Credit (WOTC) allows eligible Minnesota employers to reduce their federal tax liability by up to $9,000 per new hire. The tax credit applies to temporary, seasonal, or part-time and full-time workers.

Plus, if you hire an ex-offenders or other “risky” hire, you can apply for the Minnesota Federal Bonding Service, which protects employers against employee theft. Bonding covers new and current employees, and employers pay no fees for the service. The amount of insurance is usually issued at $5,000 and lasts for six months. According to the Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development (DEED), more than 40,000 bonds have been issued nationally, but only about one percent of those bonds have had claims filed against them.

A Second Chance

Finding a job helps ex-offenders to put their reformed attitudes and behaviors to good use to become productive members of society.

• For resources to help an ex-offender with job searching, check out ISEEK’s Employment Resources for Ex-Offenders section.
   
• DEED offers “New Leaf” workshops for ex-offender job seekers and anyone with a criminal record across the state. Search their listing of WorkForce Center workshops for upcoming New Leaf sessions, or call a local WorkForce Center for a schedule.