One of the many things that is wrong with America.

In order to cull as many uneeded details as possible we will simply say i was laid off from a job 3 weeks ago.( the only reason i was able to get this job was because i knew the owner of the company ).

Since then i have applied to 7 different places that have called back for an interview and subsequent background check and drug test forms. As always i pass the drug test but back in 1997 i was convicted of a low class misdemeanor assault charge. It was not domestic related and was simply a fight between 2 able body men. I guess since i won i got the assault charge. In retrospect i should have just let him beat me up. In any event all 7 of these jobs have then refused to grant me a job when this shows up on my record.

The 8th place i applied to actually gave me a low level job which they then revoked after the corporate office instructed them to let me go. I worked there for 4 days.

Dont get me wrong, im not shirking responsibility for what i did or trying to downplay the severity but honestly...it was NOT that severe. It was a simple fight that i happened to get charged for. It did not involve money, drugs, weapons, theft, or any other character flaw type crimes that would be understandably a reason to refuse someone a job.

Not only that but it happened 11 years ago and is the ONLY mark on an otherwise spotless record. I dont even have a speeding ticket before or after then. Nothing at all. Completely clean.

Why am i, in this day and age, in a time so distantly removed from that otherwise situational charge being denied an honest hard working living? Why are they refusing to let me go to work and do the right thing?

I paid my court costs on time. I did my probation on time and filled every requirement along the way. I dont do drugs and regardless of where i work i always give my best.

How is it fair?

At this point, failing to be able to even get a small, low paying low level job, what am i suppose to do?

Do they want me to go rob a gas station or sell drugs to pay my bills?

It sorta makes me think how many thousands if not millions of people are out there commiting crimes simply because they have been refused the chance to live a normal life. Sure there are a lot of legit criminals who would be one anyway, but it doesnt change the fact that our crime rate is to a fairly certain degree, higher than it would be if such a thing as a "second chance" actually existed.

( which it obviously doesnt ).

I have through many hundreds of hours came to the conclusion that getting the charge expunged is for all intents and purposes impossible in the state it happened in.

There really is nothing i can do at this point other than get lucky and find a job that is either so crappy that they dont do a check or become self employeed ( which is impossible with no money which is impossible to get without a job which is obviously impossible to get with an 11 year old misdemeanor charge).

Does anyone else think a first time offender clause of sorts is in order?

Like if you do something (sans murder, crimes against children, drugs or weapons ) and after the grace period of X amount of years it drops off.

You only get one charge removed in one lifetime and any future charges will also make the old charge show up again.

I dunno. What is happening to me just doesnt seem right.

1) are you asian ?

If you answer with yes you can sew all those companies.

I think its like that in a lot of places, I have lived in different places in America and in Europe. I think that its peoples' nature to blow thing out of proportion. One thing I noticed that is mostly prevalent in America, is that people are very afraid of each other. To the above poster, I doubt he knows much about what it is like to live on your own, just got his first job and just bought his first pair of shoes. Now he thinks he is a man..

I think it has to do with making yourself valuable, like education. If somebody with higher qualifications applied to a job, and this kind of person was difficult to find, past misdemeanors have less weight.. Maybe i'm wrong, but it just seems to make sense.

You have to find your own job. Everything is not handed to you in life. LJS9502_basic

Did you even read the post? Like at all?

So im suppose to just keep looking for a job indefinitely while being bankrupted and treated like a criminal the entire time? Over something that small and something that long ago.

If you truely think that is fair i dont really have anything else to say.

One thing I noticed that is mostly prevalent in America, is that people are very afraid of each other.

CM3000

What? Nope...not true at all.:|

[QUOTE="LJS9502_basic"]You have to find your own job. Everything is not handed to you in life. Alter_Echo

Did you even read the post? Like at all?

So im suppose to just keep looking for a job indefinitely while being bankrupted and treated like a criminal the entire time? Over something that small and something that long ago.

If you truely think that is fair i dont really have anything else to say.

Yes...you do keep looking for a job. Prospective employers ask about felonies...not misdemeanors.

I think its like that in a lot of places, I have lived in different places in America and in Europe. I think that its peoples' nature to blow thing out of proportion. One thing I noticed that is mostly prevalent in America, is that people are very afraid of each other. To the above poster, I doubt he knows much about what it is like to live on your own, just got his first job and just bought his first pair of shoes. Now he thinks he is a man..

I think it has to do with making yourself valuable, like education. If somebody with higher qualifications applied to a job, and this kind of person was difficult to find, past misdemeanors have less weight.. Maybe i'm wrong, but it just seems to make sense.

CM3000

Im certified in pretty much every possible area that has anything to do with my field. If there is anyone more qualified to do what i do i havent heard of him.

[QUOTE="LJS9502_basic"]You have to find your own job. Everything is not handed to you in life. Alter_Echo

So im suppose to just keep looking for a job indefinitely while being bankrupted and treated like a criminal the entire time?

Would rather I gave you some cardboard and a sharpie?

[QUOTE="Alter_Echo"]

[QUOTE="LJS9502_basic"]You have to find your own job. Everything is not handed to you in life. LJS9502_basic

Did you even read the post? Like at all?

So im suppose to just keep looking for a job indefinitely while being bankrupted and treated like a criminal the entire time? Over something that small and something that long ago.

If you truely think that is fair i dont really have anything else to say.

Yes...you do keep looking for a job. Prospective employers ask about felonies...not misdemeanors.

You changed your text as I quoted. Changes everything. Yeah unless you had a felony they don't check. You can get a felony for some pretty minor stuff. My freind told me that he stole a bunch of porn once and it was almost a felony because of the amount of money involved

[QUOTE="Alter_Echo"]

[QUOTE="LJS9502_basic"]You have to find your own job. Everything is not handed to you in life. LJS9502_basic

Did you even read the post? Like at all?

So im suppose to just keep looking for a job indefinitely while being bankrupted and treated like a criminal the entire time? Over something that small and something that long ago.

If you truely think that is fair i dont really have anything else to say.

Yes...you do keep looking for a job.

Thanks captain obvious. Yeah i have to keep looking and yeah i'll probably eventually find a job doing something im overly qualified for and for probably 20% of the money i should be making.

Im not asking you what i should do from here, im simply asking if people actually think having this done to you is fair and just.

I kinda wish i had actually done a crime that i stood to gain something from like knock over a bank or something. Hell i could have buried the money, done the 20 years and be ok. Would have been better than this.

It's always about why America is not a good place. Why can't it be about some other nation? You need to work hard for a job because they don't come to you.

I believe alot of innocent people have been falsely accused and outcast.peppersfan2

Misdemeanors unless serious/repeat offenders are usually dropped/plea bargained. I don't buy that.

[QUOTE="Alter_Echo"]

[QUOTE="LJS9502_basic"]You have to find your own job. Everything is not handed to you in life. LJS9502_basic

Did you even read the post? Like at all?

So im suppose to just keep looking for a job indefinitely while being bankrupted and treated like a criminal the entire time? Over something that small and something that long ago.

If you truely think that is fair i dont really have anything else to say.

Yes...you do keep looking for a job. Prospective employers ask about felonies...not misdemeanors.

Um yeah thats like totally wrong and stuff. Every firm i have been to so far asks in exact words "Have you ever been convicted of A CRIME" this is pretty all encompassing. Sure i could omit my charge and hope they dont run it but thats no less risky than putting it on there.

C'mon, lighten up look at all the criminals who made it in life, Tony Montana, Tommy Vercetti, Carl Johnson, the bad guy from Dudley-Do Right.

ya. you're gonna be fine.

It's always about why America is not a good place. Why can't it be about some other nation? You need to work hard for a job because they don't come to you.

filiwian

[QUOTE="peppersfan2"]
I believe alot of innocent people have been falsely accused and outcast.LJS9502_basic

Misdemeanors unless serious/repeat offenders are usually dropped/plea bargained. I don't buy that.

Which only furthers my point. If most of them as you say are simply dropped then how is it fair that 11 years later i cant get a ******* job?

You pretty much said everything i needed to say but in fewer words.

[QUOTE="LJS9502_basic"][QUOTE="peppersfan2"]
I believe alot of innocent people have been falsely accused and outcast.Alter_Echo

Misdemeanors unless serious/repeat offenders are usually dropped/plea bargained. I don't buy that.

Which only furthers my point. If most of them as you say are simply dropped then how is it fair that 11 years later i cant get a ******* job?

You pretty much said everything i needed to say but in fewer words.

I'm good with brevity. I don't know why you can't get a job.....are you sure the misdemeanor is the reason? You can work for governments with misdemeanors.

[QUOTE="peppersfan2"]
I believe alot of innocent people have been falsely accused and outcast.LJS9502_basic

Misdemeanors unless serious/repeat offenders are usually dropped/plea bargained. I don't buy that.

[QUOTE="Alter_Echo"][QUOTE="LJS9502_basic"][QUOTE="peppersfan2"]
I believe alot of innocent people have been falsely accused and outcast.LJS9502_basic

Misdemeanors unless serious/repeat offenders are usually dropped/plea bargained. I don't buy that.

Which only furthers my point. If most of them as you say are simply dropped then how is it fair that 11 years later i cant get a ******* job?

You pretty much said everything i needed to say but in fewer words.

I'm good with brevity. I don't know why you can't get a job.....are you sure the misdemeanor is the reason? You can work for governments with misdemeanors.

Yeah im sure. I always get response letters from the background reporting agency saying something to the effect of "due to findings in your criminal background check, so and so is forced to resend the offer of employeement or end current employeement"

Always, everytime. Its the only thing wrong with me that could explain it. Im spotless otherwise and extremely overqualified for what im trying to get work doing. I highly highly doubt that anyone else as qualified as i am has ever applied to the places i have applied to ( and subsequently been denied ).

Im spotless otherwise and extremely overqualified for what im trying to get work doing.Alter_Echo

Overqualified in what way?