AUSTIN – Thanks to the Internet, it’s never been easier to search for a job.
Landing an interview – let alone an offer – is harder than ever for applicants with criminal records since the Internet also puts those at employers’ fingertips.
Job-seekers with checkered pasts, facing automatic disqualification, “don’t even have a chance,” said Josh Gravens, chairman of state chapter of Citizens United for Rehabilitation of Errants.
A lawmaker from Dallas says making it easier to find work for ex-cons and others with criminal backgrounds will reduce the chances they’ll get in trouble again and boost the state economy.
Rep. Eric Johnson, a Democrat, wants government employers to wait until they’ve interviewed applicants before asking if the job-seeker has a criminal history. Private sector employers – or government jobs requiring contact with children – aren’t affected.
Johnson submitted a separate bill to keep state agencies from blackballing people with criminal records who apply for professional licenses that are unrelated to their offenses.