Welcome to the Beyond the Box Blog hosted by the Connecticut Pardon Team.
Beyond the Box is an initiative that would require employers to fully consider a job applicant's qualifications before requesting a background check on that applicant.
Beyond the Box would not eliminate background checks on applicants, but it would allow applicants with background issues a fair chance to compete for jobs that they might otherwise be immediately rejected for.
We look forward to hearing your thoughts and comments on this blog.
Thank you!
Connecticut Pardon Team, Inc.
Monday, October 27, 2008
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2 comments:
People with background issues from the ancient past should not be punished for all of eternity. This is a good idea.
I have been in this situation several times in the past, over the last 10 years.I have the experiance, knowledge,and professional training in a few different fields of business that I have worked hard for over the past 10 years. It is always on my first informal interview,when you fill out the job application at the employers location,and they alwaws have a 5 minute q & a , as they hold your application in their hand. I always pass this with flying colors as I have the experiance, training, certificates or what ever it is that is required for that job. A few examples are, I owned and operated my own pizzeria here in Westhaven in the past.I applied for a job, not as a manager, but as a $8.00 an hour pizza maker at a national pizza chain.In the (application hand over interview with the manager ) he was delighted that I not only could make pizza, but I would be able to move from station to station with the knowledge of what must be done at all the stations.A week later, the usual letter,"sorry but you don't meet the requirements for this job" I know that becaust I have a 10 year old drug arrest , and no jail time was required, that I wouldn't be able to work in some different types of jobs... but to make pizza? Seven vears ago I joined the Operating Engineers Local Union in Hamden.This is a heavy equipment union.They have classes and certifications that you can take to improve your skills or just to learn before you go onto a construction site.I took several classes over the past 7 years,and was certified in thoes areas. Just as recent as 2008 I applied for a job in North Haven.This was no engineering job of good pay, this was just a $12. an hour job driving a small truck. You needed 3 different types of certifications and licenses to do this as the material was hazardous and dirty. Nothing that I was excited to do ,but I tried to bump up my dollar per hour earnings.So here we are, at the same old informal application hand over interview, for the 200th time in 10 years. He asked me for the basic 3 certicications so he could make a copy for my file. As I handed over the 3 that he asked for, I also handed over additional ones that were required sometime in the future for advancement within the company. He was delighted and said "Wow I wish that more guys would come through my door with all your certifications and endorsements" I gave him the following CDL-B license,Air brakes, Hazmat, Tanker Taxi, Public service endorsements, DOT medical card, Hazwoper 40 emergency response training, OSHA 10 health and safety training, Forklift training, Confined space safety training, (and the big one) a TWIC clearance, which is issued by the TSA Transportation Security Administration, through Homland Security Administration. I was finger printed by lazer, eye scanned by lazer,a drug test submitted, background check by Local,State and Federal authorities... All of these licenses I submitted , just to drive a truck carrying a hazardous substance like asbestos from a construction site to a land fill. Well 2 weeks later, again the same letter, sorry but you do not fit the job discription that we are looking for,but we will keep your application on file for 1 year. So this is another example of no matter what you do after your arrest to improve your life with further education, training, and experiance, employers will still look past you for someone with little or no education,training, and experiencs. As long as that person has no criminal record, the door is open for a job, and advancement within the company is unlimited...So in closing, I see that because I sold drugs 10 years ago and it did not require jail time,I cannot be trusted to make pizza ,or transport garbage to the local dump. sincerely, J.L.
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