Individuals make mistakes. Sometimes these mistakes lead to criminal misdemeanor charges. However, will a misdemeanor charge keep you from getting hired by an employer?
The reality is that any past criminal charges can affect a person’s ability to get a job. However, that does not mean that a person with a prior misdemeanor is unemployable. Yes, you can get hired with a misdemeanor on your record, though you may have to do some extra explaining to your prospective employer if they ask about your criminal history or conduct a background check.
When it comes to criminal charges, misdemeanor offenses must absolutely be taken seriously. If you are facing a misdemeanor offense, you should work with a skilled Houston defense attorney who can help you build a solid defense and work to get the case dismissed.
It is not always possible to get a case dismissed, and individuals can certainly be found guilty of a misdemeanor offense in Texas. However, this should not mean that they are unemployable. First, we want to examine some of the most common misdemeanor offenses in Texas:
While these types of charges must undoubtedly be taken seriously, they are relatively minor in the grand scheme of criminal offenses. They are not felony offenses.
However, even though a misdemeanor offense may not be the worst possible scenario, a guilty conviction could affect a person’s future employment.
A misdemeanor could prevent you from getting a job, though this will not be as likely as a person who has a felony conviction on their record. Most background checks will reveal that a person has been charged and convicted of a misdemeanor. It is important for individuals to know exactly what a potential employer will see when they run a background check, and most applications ask if a person has been convicted of a crime.
Employers are much more likely to disregard misdemeanors if the offense occurred quite a while ago in your past or if they occurred when you were underage. However, you may still have to explain the misdemeanor to your employer. When you are trying to get a job, your employer needs to know that they can trust you. They will likely look at what type of misdemeanor you were convicted of, how long ago it happened, and whether or not the particular charge is related to the type of employment you are seeking. For example, if you are working to obtain a job as a delivery driver or a commercial truck driver, hey DUI is certainly going to hold more weight than a shoplifting charge that you received when you were 17.
If you have previously been convicted of a misdemeanor, you need to be ready to tell your employer about the situation surrounding the charge. We encourage you to be honest about all information disclosed and be prepared with an explanation about the criminal record and how you have changed your life since the conviction.
If you were charged with a misdemeanor, but the arrest did not result in a guilty verdict, it may be possible to have your misdemeanor expunged from your record. We encourage you to reach out to a skilled attorney who can help you with this process.