How to get a job after being in prison? Divine intervention?

19lottie82

Scuffer wrote: »

Any prison sentence will appear. I may as well just say what it was so people know. It was for 4 counts of possession with intent to supply. My girlfriend at the times brother asked me to carry a "bag of green" into a musical festival for him and paid me to do so upon going in there was a sniffer dog, i tried to run and was caught by security. The bag of green turned out to be over £2000 worth of A and B class drugs. As for Asia, its a nice thought escaping where nobody will judge me but i'm on license so it isn't possible.

Did you have anything on your record previous to that? 46 months seems a very harsh sentence for a first offence?

Ah ok just read you served 22 months of that. Still seems a pretty harsh sentence tho, compared to a couple of people I have known in similar situations.

I as someone else has suggested, can you not set up some kind of business by yourself?

Kayalana99

Hello OP.

Just jumping in, you say in your earlier posts you don't include the fact you've been in prison on your CV because you won't get interviews - I think this is a mistake personally.

If people aren't willing to see past that then what is the point wasting their time and your time - what I would do is include it on your covering letter - explain what happened, put your thoughts down i.e you realised you made a mistake but you are looking to move on and improve ...something worded a HELL of a lot better - but that gets the employer thinking ...hey this guy may of been in prison but he's got a good head on his shoulders...

Worth a shot?

nick1986_2

Hey Scuffer,

As others have said it is worth considering signing on at the JobCentre, if you really have an issue with being paid Job Seekers Allowance then you can make a claim for National Insurance Credits only and you still attend the JobCentre as normal to "sign on". The reason I say this is there are a few decent organisations out there that work with people referred by Job Centres to get them back into work regardless of the circumstances but it hugely depends on what JobCentre you sign on at in my experience, some are pro active in getting people back to work, some aren't.

I was unemployed for 2 years a way back now (combination of ill health/lazyness/other reasons!) and the longer the period of unemployment got the harder it got to explain it away in interview so don't give up just yet, your doing good so far I reckon. I attended a course provided by A4E after a referral from the JobCentre and that progressed into a voluntary and finally a full time paid job with the council. It wasn't much fun and I felt I should be doing better but its a means to an end. Worth a try I would say.

Also that does seem like a harsh sentence based on a few people I have known in the past convicted of similar offences but you have done your time now and fair play, everyone deserves anouther chance mate and someone will give you it.

*I wouldn't mention the prison thing on my CV but if asked which you almost certainly will be then tell the truth, yeah you might get away with it for now if they dont do the right checks or whatever but you dont want to be looking over your shoulder all the time in case someone finds out, right?*

sniggings

Kayalana99 wrote: »

Hello OP.

Just jumping in, you say in your earlier posts you don't include the fact you've been in prison on your CV because you won't get interviews - I think this is a mistake personally.

If people aren't willing to see past that then what is the point wasting their time and your time - what I would do is include it on your covering letter - explain what happened, put your thoughts down i.e you realised you made a mistake but you are looking to move on and improve ...something worded a HELL of a lot better - but that gets the employer thinking ...hey this guy may of been in prison but he's got a good head on his shoulders...

Worth a shot?

many people fail to get interviews that are qualified for the job, have years experience etc you may get the one in a million employer that thinks admitting you have been to prison is worth giving someone a chance but in general I would say it's bad advice to include it if you do not have too, far too many people applying for jobs, to be giving the employer a reason to stick your application in the bin.

zugzwang

My 2 cents...

I think you just need to get something. A college course, voluntary work, anything that gets you doing something with your life. Working for a living would be ideal, but anything that gets you out the house is a start.

The prison issue will fade as time passes. Doing something will put it further in the past. The gap on your cv will no longer be the last thing you did and easier to play down.

The jobcentre will try to get you a job. IMHO you have a responsibility to yourself to let them try.

So sign on. The money is there for exactly someone like yourself. You've paid for your mistake so stop punishing yourself.

Use it to rebuild your life- which means making friends, finding new things to do, being happier I hope and eventually paid opportunities will come from the people you meet.

Scuffer

Thanks to everyone who responded with advice, i cant reply to them all individually but i will write a cover letter explaining my 2 year gap and accompany it with my CV because what i have been doing currently has failed so i hope if i get an interview with them knowing my situation then it would be less of the bombshell it has been when previously asked.

For the person who advised me to lie, thanks but no thanks. I would like to keep what little dignity i have left and not become even worse of a person.

The person who asked if i was American, well my mother is American so maybe that is where my Americanisms come from.

Scuffer

19lottie82 wrote: »

Did you have anything on your record previous to that? 46 months seems a very harsh sentence for a first offence?

Ah ok just read you served 22 months of that. Still seems a pretty harsh sentence tho, compared to a couple of people I have known in similar situations.

I as someone else has suggested, can you not set up some kind of business by yourself?

It was really harsh but as the judge said when he sentenced me, i have nobody to blame but myself. The amount of drugs on me was significant and the maximum sentence i could of received was 7 years. I did get a credit for pleading guilty, still it was harsh though.

Scuffer

AP007 wrote: »

I think you will find with a large gap on a CV it's one of the first things they will ask.

It isn't the first but it is always asked.

Scuffer

fruitedeli wrote: »

The fact you chose to run when you saw the sniffer dog means you knew you were carrying drugs. Sounds like you're trying to sugar coat the facts. Someone who genuinely got made a fool and doesn't realise he's carrying drugs would never run.

I've had 22 months of accepting what i did, there is no point in me sugar coating it now is there? I knew i had drugs on me that is why i ran but i believed it was only weed and not 20 wraps of MDMA, 45 wraps of amphetamine, 120 ecstasy tablets and 56 grams of cannabis. If i knew all of that was in the bag i wouldn't of done it.

AP007

sniggings wrote: »

many people fail to get interviews that are qualified for the job, have years experience etc you may get the one in a million employer that thinks admitting you have been to prison is worth giving someone a chance but in general I would say it's bad advice to include it if you do not have too, far too many people applying for jobs, to be giving the employer a reason to stick your application in the bin.

So instead they are taking the interview place that someone else could have got.

If the OP has has so many interviews yet not got one offer ater saying they had been in prision there lies the key.

Id say try the approach someone just mentioned about putting something in the cover letter mentioning a new start etc and see if the OP gets an interview then.