Several years ago, I made a very bad decision and was arrested and convicted for misdemeanor driving under the influence. You can only imagine the embarrassment and shame I endured from my family and colleagues.
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I've learned my lesson and have remained sober the last six years. In this time, my work improved tremendously, and I was part of a team that won a Pulitzer Prize several years ago. However, I was recently perplexed when I read a job application asking if I had been convicted of ANY crime. How does one answer such a question and still remain a viable candidate?
Furthermore, with the stigma attached to alcoholism, is it advisable to discuss my recovery in a job interview?
Perplexed
You have to own up to the misdemeanor conviction. A larger discussion about alcoholism may be avoidable.
You simply have to be honest on a job application. Employers can be within their rights to terminate people who they later discover have lied to get jobs. Lying on an application means you can never really feel safe. Don't do it.
Alcoholism is not a factor in all DUI convictions, and employers are understandably wary about probing around illnesses. So if you make it past the cut with your application, there is a good chance you will not face a direct question about alcoholism in your interview.
Would an employer interview someone who admits to a DUI conviction? Yes, provided sufficient time had passed to indicate the incident may have been an aberration, and if the work is stellar and the work record stable.
People have been hired despite criminal records that are far worse than yours, once they proved they were OK. It can happen for you.
Congratulations on facing your demons. That can be difficult. Keep on it.
Coming Tuesday: She has made the job into something much bigger than it was before and now is looking for a bigger paycheck and a more appropriate title.
