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Job hunting after a DUI?

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MoreMatureNow

Junior Member
What is the name of your state? Florida
I was wondering if any one knows if a DUI (1st and LAST conviction) can be "erased" from your records by hiring a lawyer or any other means. I wanted to try and find another job but I'm not sure what to say if the application asks about criminal records of any type. I know I have to be honest, but chances are that I wont get hired. I was already working at the job I'm at now when I got my DUI and they never found out about it so I managed to keep my job, thank goodness. I know I made a terrible mistake. One that I will never make again. I learned my lesson the hard way. I did probation and paid all the fees and had my license suspended, etc. etc. etc. But now I would like to move on. I realize the implications of driving drunk, not just the danger to myself but some one else who would have no control over the harm I could cause while driving drunk, an innocent person. You see, I have kids now. I have "grown up" quite a bit. Not that immaturity is an excuse for driving drunk. I consider myself a responsible person who just wants to provide a better life for my kids future. Suggestions? (My DUI was 5 years ago)
 


BigMistakeFl

Senior Member
BigMistakeFl

Hey,
I'm going through the same thing, right now, right here in Florida too. The DUI stays on your record and you can't get it erased. If a job application asks about it, you can either disclose it in case they really do a background check, or don't disclose it and hope you get away with it. Chances are, in today's workplace, background will be checked. You can always play dumb and say you thought of this as a traffic offense, nothing that could affect a job such as a theft conviction or worse. Don't know if they'll buy that though.

I'm finding that it's best to just tell a potential employer about it and they will either take me to tell me to shove off. If I were you, I'd keep the present job you have until you are hired elsewhere for certain. I don't have that luxury because I lost my job.
 

MoreMatureNow

Junior Member
Thank you very much for your reply. I guess I'm stuck where I'm at. I just wanted to see if I could get a higher paying job. Some system huh. I thought I had paid my dues when I paid all the fees and fines and did my probation time while picking up trash on the highways. I guess they aren't interested in trying to see you become a productful, responsible member of society. What's worse is my kids have to pay for a mistake I made because I'm stuck at a dead end job and can't even try to find something to make their lives better. I know you have to pay for the mistakes you make, but for how long? Well, I'm sorry to hear you lost your job. I hope you can turn the situation around and have a successful life. Thanks for your input.
 

cbg

I'm a Northern Girl
Speaking as a 25-year HR professional, most employers are not really all that concerned about a DUI unless the job requires driving. I wouldn't advise applying for a job as a truck driver or a delivery man, but other than that a single DUI five years back is just not that big a deal to most employers. I don't think you're *stuck* at all.

I'm not discounting the folly of driving drunk. I'm not trying to say it wasn't foolish - it was. But you are clearly aware of the dangers and appear to have truly learned your lesson. THAT is what is important to employers. Most of us realize that people are human and occasionally make mistakes. What we are concerned about is whether they are capable of learning from their mistakes. If you have, and if you are honest about what happened, the DUI should not be much of a deterrant to employers at all.
 

BigMistakeFl

Senior Member
BigMistakeFl

Thanks for writing, from an HR standpoint. As for the original poster here, I would say "go for it" and try to find that higher paying job. Don't stop looking and trying to better yourself. Just don't quit the job you have until you have a definite job waiting, and you are certain that they have completed all the interview process such as background searches. That's why I think it's better to just disclose the DUI, explain it, and let them either accept you or deny you.
 

MoreMatureNow

Junior Member
Thank you all very much. I will definitely stay at my job for now. Afterall, any job is better than no job at all. But I will also keep trying to look for other jobs with better pay. CBG, you are right I have learned my lesson and I really am a responsible worker. Where I'm at now, my supervisors love my work ethics. I am a hard worker and very dependable. They depend on me to be self-reliant and take initiative. When they want a problem fixed, they come to me. I would hate to think how their opinion of me would change if they knew about my record. But I have the will to succeed for my kid's sake and succeed I will. Thank you BigMistakeFL and maybe CBG has given both of us some hope. Good luck to you. By the way, if a prospective employer calls my current job for references, are they allowed to ask my current employer if they know about my DUI? I know it's public record but, but is that allowed? I would like to be able to list my current job since I have been there several years and they do think highly of me. But I wouldn't want them finding out about my DUI. I only want to leave to find a higher paying job. Thank you.
 

BigMistakeFl

Senior Member
BigMistakeFl

I suppose they can exchange any information they want to. But if I remember how it worked in the personnel department of big companies for which I worked, we had sort of a double standard. When we were calling around gathering information on a prospective new employee, we tried to get as much on them as we could. But when other companies called us doing the same on a former employee of ours, we tried to say as little as possible.

Also, when applying for a new job, you can simply tell them not to contact your current employer for fear of jeapordizing your present job.
 

cbg

I'm a Northern Girl
Technically, a prospective employer can ask anything they want and a current or former employer can answer anything they want except any medical or disability information they may have on you. But trust me, no prospective employer is going to ask your current employer if the current employer knows about your DUI. It doesn't make any difference to the prospective employer whether the current employer knows or not. They have no reason to ask and no reason to care whether the current employer knows.

In fact, most prospective employers won't call your current employer at all without your permission. Many applicants don't want their current employer to know that they are looking for other work and a reputable employer will not call their applicant's current employer without explicit permission. (They MAY - it's not illegal - but it's common courtesy.)
 

ENASNI

Senior Member
cbg said:
Technically, a prospective employer can ask anything they want and a current or former employer can answer anything they want except any medical or disability information they may have on you. But trust me, no prospective employer is going to ask your current employer if the current employer knows about your DUI. It doesn't make any difference to the prospective employer whether the current employer knows or not. They have no reason to ask and no reason to care whether the current employer knows.

In fact, most prospective employers won't call your current employer at all without your permission. Many applicants don't want their current employer to know that they are looking for other work and a reputable employer will not call their applicant's current employer without explicit permission. (They MAY - it's not illegal - but it's common courtesy.)
This is direct from the hip From Human Resources

What I am saying is that you can count on this as the true legal thingamaginy

Everyone else had their say and their experience.. and I am saddenend that it comes to this..Love makes a child...Oy ,what comes after...
Good luck
Carry on
Do not dis on the cbg. I have a black belt and I know how to tie it
 

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