Jobs With a DUI Conviction

By: Ex-Cop Cory Yager and AVVO Superstar Larry Kohn, Criminal Lawyers Atlanta GA

DUI jobs may be barred by the job application you have to fill out. In the Age of the Internet, criminal background checks through public records can reveal any bad things that are related to criminal charges. But, many small businesses with entry-level opportunities make hiring decisions with little or no background check if no company vehicle is being driven.

Driving jobs with DUI on record will be scarce. Federal guidelines do not totally prohibit obtaining a CDL (commercial driver’s license), so long as it is a first time DUI. But eligibility is one thing and comparing a cost analysis may cause a trucking company to not hire any driver with a prior D.U.I. Because insurance companies will substantially boost a company’s motor vehicle liability rates if employees whose work involves driving are operating their trucks, cars or buses after a drunk driving conviction.

Pre-employment background checks will almost always inquire about a DUI offense. With the more desirable employment opportunities, with larger pay checks, job candidates are almost always required to “self-report” their prior arrest or conviction records. Be honest, and don’t get fired by falsifying your application.

Jobs for DUI offenders are never posted in that manner. So, an applicant who must report a DUI charge is going to have to approach employment opportunities prepared to be rejected or told to reapply after enough years have passed. This may be since the date of conviction or when probation ended after conviction. So, our short answer to the common question, “can a DUI affect your job,” is YES.

Some employers (e.g., Uber driver or Lyft, commercial motor vehicle companies) may hire a person after a good number of years have passed, so long as only a first offense DUI is at issue. This also assumes that it was a misdemeanor DUI (driving under the influence) conviction or nolo contendere plea. Finding a job after a DUI heavily depends upon the openness of each business’s leadership.

A DUI felony can greatly affect your job prospects, but some states have first offender act treatment for which your criminal record may be restricted. Many employers ask whether you’ve been convicted of a misdemeanor or felony, and most who ask run background checks to help them find the right candidates. If your chosen career doesn’t involve much driving, handling sensitive material or dealing with children, your employer might be understanding about a DUI conviction.

While in some government jobs DUI may not disqualify you, a pending DUI-DWI or one for which probation is still active usually will postpone or deny your application. DUI and security clearance are at opposite poles when it comes to high-level or confidential positions.

Yet, in his second term, President Obama, backed an initiative to create more employment opportunities for those with driving while intoxicated or prior felony convictions was undertaken. The Fair Chance Pledge calls upon American businesses to “eliminate unnecessary hiring barriers for individuals with criminal records.” This is a voluntary movement, and not a federal law that protects jobs.

In the last 40 years, the United States military has altered its willingness to accept new recruits like they did during the draft while the Vietnam War needed conscripts. The armed forces in our current volunteer military need every soldier or sailor ready for deployment, when needed to all corners of the globe. In those days, you could become an attorney or doctor after an impaired driving conviction.

Job hunting with a DUI can be frustrating. The following tips may assist you to overcome resistance or objections from potential employers.

1. If the case is pending or you are already suspended or revoked from driving, your chances will be the slimmest, since he or she will worry about you getting to work reliably.
2. Showing rehabilitation can come in multiple forms, so see which of these 5 tips you can verify:
   1. Prove successful completion of your treatment program for alcohol abuse or drug addiction;
   2. Supply the hiring manage or employer with proof of graduating from an accountability court intensive probation program;
   3. If you are (and have been) attending AA or NA to help you maintain sobriety, perhaps get a letter from your sponsor on your long-term success;
   4. If you have been on an alcohol interlock device or have been subjected to random tests of urine, breath, blood or even hair or fingernails, try to get proof of staying clean;
   5. Be ready to explain the lapse of judgment that led to your arrest and subsequent conviction of DWI-DUI, if you had a “situational” driving incident that may ameliorate the mere fact that you were convicted. A low blood alcohol level in a zero tolerance state as a teenager seems to be more forgivable.
3. Bring character letters from those who knew you before, during and after the DUI;
4. Offer to be subjected to random screens, if that will sell the employer on your sincerity.
5. If your community service was with a well-liked and well-known charity, try to get that non-profit to write a letter about your good work and attitude.

Our law office in Atlanta is set up to fight DUI cases because marvelous things can happen if the criminal conviction can be avoided. Georgia law prohibits ever expunging a DUI, so our law firm has always approached these cases to win.

Many states restrict employers from asking about arrests when you were never convicted. Hence, our lawyers in Atlanta want to fight to get a DUI reduced to reckless driving or a lesser traffic offense. If you have a pending case in Georgia or any other state, our Atlanta lawyers for DUI defense will do our best to guide you to an experienced and skilled criminal lawyer near me, for your court location.

Call our law group 24/7, at (404) 567-5515. The free lawyer consultation may be your answer to not having to apologize for having a prior DUI and limiting your job options. Larry Kohn, Cory Yager and veteran DUI Guru Bubba Head are ready to help.