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CV Dilemma: Addressing Your Criminal Record
Kim Isaacs | monster.com
Individuals with criminal histories face numerous obstacles when seeking employment, so it’s important they make the one document that can open doors – the CV – as effective as possible. Follow these tips to ensure your CV is ready to go:
Don’t Reference Your Criminal Background
The purpose of a CV is to help you secure a job interview. For your CV to work, it must highlight your top qualifications for the position and demonstrate that you would be an excellent employee. While it’s important to be honest on it, revealing information about a criminal background is best handled in a face-to-face interview.
Many states prohibit employers from asking about a record but allow them to inquire about past convictions. (Check with your local emplyment office to determine what employers can and cannot ask you.) If the employer asks a legal question regarding your criminal history, briefly explain what happened, but keep it positive and don’t dwell on the past. Explain that you have learned from your mistakes and are currently interested in making a positive contribution to the employer’s operation.
If you are former military then you can of course briefly talk about your successful time there and your good conduct.
When completing job applications that ask about your conviction record, you must be honest. Select “yes” when asked if you have been arrested, and in the section that asks you to provide the details, write something like “will explain in interview.”
Highlight Related Training/Work Experience
If your criminal background includes prison time and you took advantage of training or work opportunities during that time, you may include these experiences on your CV.
Write the name of the facility in your CV’s Work Experience section. Treat this position as any other position and write about key skills you developed and any positive contributions you made. If you completed further education while in prison, write the name of the sponsoring institution along with the details of your training in your Education section.
Keep in mind that employers are less interested in your early career; prison-related activities from more than 10 years ago can be omitted.
Don’t Emphasize Unrelated Experience
If your work or educational experiences from prison are unrelated to your career goals, they should not be featured prominently on your CV. The most effective CV’S are targeted to an objective; your related experience and training should be the focus of your CV. You may, however, add an Additional Experience section to your CVand briefly list your prison-related work or training if you need to cover a big-time gap.
More:
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CV Dilemma: Job Termination and Your CV
CV Dilemma: Not Enough Experience
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CV Dilemma: No Degree
Lying on Your CV: What Are the Consequences?
