Inclusive hiring: New LinkedIn partnership helps job seekers with criminal backgrounds
Genevieve Rimer's journey from incarceration to becoming a college-educated social worker illustrates that there is life after prison.
And thanks to a new digital educational program that she’s leading at LinkedIn, Rimer hopes to prepare thousands of Americans with felony convictions for employment, a major step toward new opportunities and new identities.
“Job Seeking With a Criminal Record,” a free LinkedIn learning program, launched earlier this month on the business networking site. The module includes short video clips that aim to help people with felony convictions gain confidence, craft resumes and learn how to apply their skills to future jobs. Rimer served as the instructor for the educational video, believed to be the first of its kind to assist formerly incarcerated people with gaining these skills.
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In Tennessee, more than 471,000 residents have lost voting rights due to felony convictions, ranking second out of 50 U.S. states. Also in Tennessee, about 96% of people with felony convictions return to work — in Davidson County, it’s 95%, said Carissa Miniard, a corrections administrator for the Tennessee Department of Correction.
Past can haunt applicants
Rimer said questions about past actions or convictions can create anxiety when job hunting, from the search to the interviews.
She would know.
About 20 years ago, Rimer wanted to be a teacher, but knew she couldn’t because of a prior felony conviction. Because of this, she felt she was viewed as who she once was, not the person she became.
"I remember when I first came back from incarceration, I felt like I wore the scarlet letter 'F' on my sleeve, for failure," said Rimer, who now serves as the director of inclusive hiring at the Center for Employment Opportunities in Los Angeles.
"I felt like everyone knew about my convictions and people were embarrassed that someone that was part of their circle had a conviction."
She attended California State University, Los Angeles, earning an undergraduate degree in social work. Still, she could only secure temp work as a social worker. So she sought a master's degree, hoping employers would take notice of her credentials.
With a graduate degree and experience, Rimer found work.
Building confidence
Rimer wants people and business leaders to know those who are incarcerated can develop job skills that are transferable outside of prison. An inmate can one day work in multiple fields with educational programs offered in Tennessee prisons.
For example, she says, an inmate that started as a dishwasher and was later promoted to kitchen manager at a prison, feeding hundreds of people daily, can easily translate to America's restaurant industry.
"I would love to hire that person if I owned a restaurant," Rimer said, "because not only do I know the skills that they've learned, but they were able to practice these skills in prison."
Pushing for fair employment opportunities
As Rimer and others champion inclusive hiring rights, one major victory has been the so-called "Ban the Box" bills, measures adopted around the country that bar employers from inquiring about past criminal histories on job applications.
"When I came back from incarceration, Ban the Box really wasn't a thing," Rimer said. "It was just getting started. Every time you would go and try to apply somewhere, it would ask you your name, your date of birth, your address and if you've ever been convicted of a felony, like in that first little section."
At Tennessee prisons, the Department of Correction teaches inmates skills from trades to tech jobs, Miniard said, allowing them to increase the chances of one day gaining outside employment reintegrating into society.
Five things to know
When discussing criminal records, be concise and honest.
Create a strong resume, whether you lead with work experience or focus on skills.
Analyze your skills. What are you good at?
Use sites like LinkedIn to network. Sometimes it's about who you know.
Use the Society for Human Resources to find jobs that use fair chance hiring practices.
Getting easier for felons to find employment
Things have changed, though Rimer said employers can still do more to create better futures from troubled pasts.
Job sites like LinkedIn and Indeed now offer fair employment filters that show employers with a history of hiring strong job candidates with prior convictions.
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“We can always do better," Rimer said. "I feel like for employers that are really interested in hiring people with past convictions, they don't have to do it alone.
"It's super critical employment not only give someone the ability to support their family, but it's a new identity. They're employed, they're workers. They get to put on their name tag and their name tag says their name, not their prison ID number.”
Reach reporter Craig Shoup by email at cshoup@gannett.com and on Twitter @Craig_Shoup. To support his work, sign up for a digital subscription to www.tennessean.com.
This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: LinkedIn program helps job seekers with felony convictions find work
