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How might a domestic violence conviction affect your job search?

On Behalf of | Jan 17, 2020 | Domestic Violence

It’s commonplace for many employers to perform background checks on individuals that they’re looking to hire for openings no matter what type of position it is. It, therefore, shouldn’t come as a surprise that a domestic violence conviction on your record may adversely impact your ability to land a job.

Employers tend to be leery of hiring individuals who have convictions for violent offenses such as domestic violence on their record. Having been found guilty of such crimes may give your employer the impression that you’re more apt to resolve your differences with someone by becoming physical instead of talking it out.

Administrators at the company that you’re looking to work for may worry about the health and safety of their employees if they were to hire you on as a worker. Your prospective employer may think that it would, therefore, be too large of a risk for them to hire you. They may particularly feel this way if your conviction is recent.

If you work in a field that requires you to maintain a professional license, then you may find it difficult to continue working in it. While it’s unlikely that your conviction will completely bar you from regaining or reinstating your license, it’s likely that you’ll have to sit out a waiting period and show evidence of your rehabilitation before having it reissued to you again.

You may still have difficulty in securing employment even if your professional license is reinstated. While a prospective employer may consider how much time has passed since your conviction, they may still be hesitant to hire you for a role in which you work closely with vulnerable populations such as the elderly or kids.

Employers may qualify for tax breaks for hiring individuals with certain criminal convictions. You may also be able to train for a new line of work if becoming gainfully employed in your previous one isn’t a possibility anymore. Tapping into your social network to see if any of your contacts know of someone who may hire you may be helpful as well.

While all this is great, nothing is better than not having a conviction on your record in the first place. An attorney in Gaithersburg can help you decide what defense strategy may be most appropriate for you to pursue in your Maryland case.