Many people with a criminal record come to us and ask “Are there any jobs that would hire a felon?”

The short and reassuring answer is – Yes, of course there are companies that hire people with a felony!

The long answer is that you need to know what type of work you have the best chances of getting, because MANY jobs are not open to Felons.

When you are out looking for work, your first instinct may be to apply for a minimum wage job at a local retail store, such as Walmart, Costco, Home Depot, etc. or a fast food chain restaurant, such as McDonald’s or KFC.

You may be disappointed and shocked when all of these places turn you down.

Why is this happening?

What you need to understand is that most minimum wage positions (under $11-12 per hour) are actually not felon friendly!!! This is because in most of these jobs, be it retail or food service, you will need to have direct contact with customers. Companies (big and small) get very nervous about this and don’t want to run the risk of exposing their clients to a felon.

Even if its been 10 years or more since your conviction, many of these jobs will turn you down, even though on their applications they state that they are an equal opportunity employer.

Having said this, you should still APPLY to all positions in the area, where you would be qualified to work, because many large box office stores do give felons a chance at employment.

Jobs Best Suited For Felons

Now you may wonder – are there jobs where I have a stronger chance of being hired with a felony?
Indeed, there are! Any job where you don’t have direct contact with customers is a better fit for a felon. The good news is that these jobs usually pay better ($12-30 per hour) and usually require some technical skills and/or knowledge. For example, many factories like to employ felons, because these companies take advantage of the federal tax breaks they receive from hiring a felon.

Don’t worry, your opportunities are not limited to factories alone. Other positions such as a truck driver, electrician/plumber apprentice, building/roofing contractor, taxi driver, food or package delivery, construction and trade jobs, data support/analyst, etc may be available, if you have the right skills and are willing to learn.

Also, if you have higher education you will be more likely to land a job despite your felonies. Mostly because those with an education have a broader range of skills and past professional experience.

If you don’t have an education, we strongly recommend taking classes at a local technical college or trade school. Many offenders that we know are taking engineering classes. Within a year they are working in a factory making around $15-17 an hour. We have seen this time and time again.

Here is a list of employment opportunities to consider

• Freelance Jobs for Felons
• Roofing Jobs for Felons

The best part is that most of these jobs have NO BACKGROUND CHECK! As you may have already discovered, failing the criminal background check is the SINGLE factor that prevents most felons from finding decent paying employment, or any job at all for that matter!

Small Businesses That Hire Felons

It may come as a surprise, but many small owner operated business are often willing to give felons another chance. Of course, this depends on what your past crime is, the circumstances around it, as well as your overall knowledge and skills.

As you will see from the list, these business are usually professional trade or construction companies, that are always looking for new workers. The owner wants to see someone honest, very hard working, punctual, and eager to learn new skills.

If you are willing to get on the job training, eventually you can get a much better paying job at this or a different (larger) company as a foreman or project manager ($30+ per hour).

• Lawn care
• Welding
• Truck Driving
• Delivery
• Painting
• Heating & Cooling
• Roofing & Siding
• Hanging Drywall
• Pet Grooming
• Landscaping
• Plumbing
• Brick or Tiling
• Construction
• Basic Yard Work
• Cleaning – Home and Commercial
• Hi-Tech Freelancing
• Online / Internet Marketing

Large Companies That Hire Felons

This is an updated list of large private corporations and government agencies that have a track record of hiring people with felonies (no sex offenders or violent crimes) for entry level positions.

• Aamco
• Ace Hardware
• Allied Van Lines
• Allstate Insurance Company
• American Greetings
• Andersen Windows
• Apple Inc.
• Aramark
• AT&T
• Avis Rent-A-Car
• Avon Products
• Baskin-Robbins
• Bed, Bath & Beyond
• Best Western
• Black & Decker
• Blue Cross & Blue Shield association
• Braum’s Inc.
• Bridgestone
• Budget Rent-A-Car
• Cambell’s Soup
• Canon
• Carl’s Jr.
• Carrier Corporation
• Caterpillar Inc.
• CDW
• Chili’s
• Chipotle
• Cintas
• Community Education Centers
• ConAgra Foods
• Dairy Queen
• Deer Park Spring Water co.
• Delta Faucets
• Denny’s
• Dole Food Company
• Dollar Rent-A-Car
• Divizio Industries
• Dr. Pepper
• Dunlop Tires
• DuPont
• Duracell
• Embassy Suites
• Epson
• ERMCO, Inc.
• Family Dollar
• Firestone Auto Care
• Flying J
• Frito-Lay
• Fruit of the Loom
• Fujifilm
• General Electric
• General Mills
• Georgia-Pacific
• Golden Corral
• Goodwill
• Grainger
• Greyhound




• Hanes
• Hilton Hotels
• Home Depot
• IBM
• IHOP
• In-N-Out Burger
• Jack in the Box
• K-Mart
• Kelly Moore Paints
• KFC
• Kohl’s
• Kraft Foods
• Kroger
• Longhorn Steakhouse
• Lowe’s
• LSG Sky Chefs
• McDonald’s
• Meijer
• Metals USA
• Miller Brewing Company
• Motorola
• The New York Times
• Olive Garden
• Quad Graphics
• Pactiv
• PepsiCo
• Phillip Morris Inc.
• Pilgrim’s
• Red Robin
• Rubbermaid
• Safeway
• Salvation Army
• Sara Lee
• Sears & Roebuck Co.
• Shell Oil
• Shoprite
• Sony
• Subway
• Toys “R” Us
• Trader Joes
• Tyson Foods
• Uhaul
• US Steel Corporation
• Volunteers of America
• Walgreens
• Wendy’s
• Wyndham Hotels
• Xerox

If this article has helped you out in anyway please share it on your social media or email it to other felons that you may know. Together we can find good work and get a fresh start in our lives!