Some of the biggest companies in the world will hire people with criminal records.
Written by Ellen Glover
Getting hired with a criminal record is often difficult. Fortunately, a growing number of policy and legislation changes have made it harder for employers to deny someone a job based solely on their arrest or criminal record. And several companies have been open about their readiness to hire people with prior felony convictions.
While federal law does not explicitly protect applicants from discrimination based on their criminal record, the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission does offer some guidance on this subject — encouraging companies to consider the individual applicant, the nature of their crimes and how these offenses relate to the performance of a particular job.
Several states and cities have also enacted Ban the Box legislation, which limits employers’ ability to ask about or gain access to an applicant’s criminal record. And hundreds of companies have signed the Fair Chance Pledge, a 2016 initiative that aims to reduce the barriers to education and employment formerly incarcerated people typically face.
The following is a roundup of tech companies that are open to hiring people with felony convictions, based in part on research done by career resource site Zippia and Relaunch Pad, a site that offers re-entry support for formerly incarcerated individuals.
Health platform firsthand serves people with mental illnesses. It offers a peer support network, social and medical support alongside community resources. The company’s operations are both digital and physical, with guides available for in-person support. In keeping with its inclusive ethos, firsthand says it hires people with felony records, looking at each applicant on a case-by-case basis.
Google is known for its high salaries and employee benefits. And over the years, the company has done a lot to foster educational and employment opportunities, including offering free tech bootcamps and signing the Fair Chance Pledge. According to its careers page, it also considers qualified applicants regardless of their criminal histories, so long as they have the relevant experience and training.
Not only does Microsoft consider ex-offenders when hiring, but it has confirmed hiring them in the past. In addition to supporting the Ban the Box initiative and being Fair Chance Pledge signator, the company has been known to post job vacancies on felon-friendly job boards, and even mentions that it accepts applications from people with criminal records on some of its job descriptions.
While IBM does not appear to be officially part of the Ban the Box campaign or the Fair Chance Pledge, it does not ask about criminal background on its employment application. And while it has been confirmed that the company does hire people with felony records, it is done on a case-by-case basis in which the specific nature of the crime and the responsibilities of the role are closely considered. IBM is also known for sponsoring H-1B visas and proactively recruiting veterans.
Apple is currently confirmed to hire people with previous criminal convictions, though that wasn’t always the case. Its policy states: “We welcome applications from a wide range of candidates, including those with criminal records.” Like many companies, Apple still conducts background checks on applicants, but claims it will request a criminal records check “only where this is considered proportionate and relevant to the particular role, based on risk assessment of that role and the relevant legislation.”
