7 Strategies for Getting a Job: Getting a job is the job

Getting a job after incarceration is one of the most difficult challenges a returning citizen faces. Difficult – but not impossible! So let’s overcome the obstacles using my 7 strategies for getting a job.

Since nearly 30% of the population has some sort of justice impact, more and more employers are willing to hire people that they haven’t considered in the past.

In my experience, smaller companies and “mom and pop” businesses tend to be more willing to hire people with an imperfect past. Many large corporations have policies that are inflexible when it comes to giving someone a second chance. But that is slowly changing.

Getting a job isn’t hopeless, and these strategies can help make this difficult task easier. 

As an employer before my own incarceration, I never hired anyone with a criminal history.

I have a unique perspective on what employers are looking for in job applicants, and how someone can convince an employer to give them a second chance. I just think about what someone would’ve had to do to convince me to hire them. 

Most people believe in second chances. Your challenge is to convince others that you are ready for your second chance. I am passionate about preparing people for a second chance, which is why I write blogs, books, and have my website, YouTube channel, and online courses in addition to my public speaking.

The strategies I present below work (but aren’t miracle workers) and should supercharge your job search. 

STEP 1: MAKE GETTING A JOB YOUR JOB UNTIL YOU GET A JOB

This isn’t profound advice, but it is the most powerful strategy to help you stay focused, especially if (when!) the process takes longer than you want or forces you to apply for more jobs thought you thought you should have to.

It’s also the one that trips even the best of us up. Putting in long hours every day for no pay and a lot of rejection is not fun. But success doesn’t require a lot of yesses, it only takes one!

Job searches suck, but if you survived jail or prison you can survive and do anything! You just need to stay focused and keep pushing, even if (when) things don’t go your way. 

If you want to work a full-time job, give your job search your full-time attention time-wise. 

1. Schedule a block of time for your job search, like you would give an employer for a job, and don’t let yourself be distracted during that timeframe.
2. Don’t wait to feel motivated to apply for jobs, because that will never happen, especially if (when) you get a more “no’s” then “yesses.” 
3. Remember that even people without a criminal history have a tough time finding a job sometimes, so don’t give up. 
4. At the risk of sounding like a cliché, each “no” gets you closer to a “yes.” Getting a job is just a numbers game – the more jobs you find to apply for, actually apply for, and follow up with makes you more likely to find an employer that will hire you. 

This first step sets your mind in a positive direction and fuels the necessary steps to keep at it until you’ve succeeded. It’s why it’s step 1. I am convinced it’s the most important.

Want to jump to the head of the class and get every tool in my toolbox for getting a job right now? You can download them and they’re completely free. Just click here, enter your e-mail and download today.