Correctional Library Services > Connections 2007 > The Job Search > Introduction

Introduction

Our booklet, The Job Search, is designed to carry you, step by step, through the entire job-hunting process. It has been written with you in mind. Thus, such questions as "What can I do before leaving prison?" "How do I answer for my record in filling out a job application?" and "How can I restore my lost rights?" are discussed in some depth. Certain sections of the booklet may be more relevant for you than others, but we hope that every reader will derive some important insight into how to look for a job from even a casual reading.

The first question a formerly incarcerated person needs to ask him- or herself upon being released is, “Am I ready to work?” The answer to this question is not as simple as it might at first appear to be. If it were posed, instead, as “Do I need to make money?” or “Do I need a job?” a simple “yes” would quickly suffice. But being ready to work raises issues other than just a willingness to earn money. In order to succeed in the “outside” world, many of us need to do a lot of critical thinking about ourselves, and about how hard we are willing to work at staying out of prison, a place to which, according to statistics, no small number of us will be returning.

So let us begin with the most obvious question of all,
and that is, “Why work?” For many, the most pressing answer to this question is: “It will keep me out of jail.” Now, I’m sure no one needs to be told, at least while incarcerated, that jail is not a very nice place to be. What happens, however, for some of us, is that once out in the streets, we choose to forget our jail experience, and before we know it, we are back to the same old patterns of destructive behavior. “I’m going to be the exception this time,”
we reason, “the person who won’t get caught.” What those of us who think this way choose to ignore is that there is probably not
a single person among the hundreds of thousands who have been imprisoned who hasn’t at one time or another thought the same thing. When committing an illegal act, who ever plans on getting caught and going to jail? So when we need that extra shot of incentive, it’s good to think back to our prison experience, the
regimented life behind the walls, the lack of contact with family and friends, the relentless tensions and boredom to which we’ve been forcibly subjected, and to remember that a job, at the very least, will help keep us functioning on the outside – where we can proceed to get our lives together. For most of us, getting and maintaining that first job after release will be an accomplishment of which we can be proud.

Work also, of course, means sacrifice. It requires waking up early every day, and getting to work on time. It means, for many of us, beginning at a low weekly salary, which might not seem like much. Work also means having to muster up or develop enough self-discipline to keep our tempers under control, follow orders that may make little sense to us, and concentrate carefully on a single job assignment for long stretches of time. And this is another reason why work is important: it allows us to reclaim responsibility for our lives. In prison, we had little or no control over most of the decisions which affected us - what programs to enroll in, for example, what kinds of food to eat at mealtime, or how and when we might enjoy our privacy. We were forced to become dependent on others for fulfilling even the most basic of human needs.

Once out in the streets, however, we have the freedom to decide how we would like to conduct our lives. We have within us the power to make innumerable choices: where to work, with whom to live, which television station to watch, what to eat for dinner, etc. Of course, some of our choices may be limited by such factors as our financial situation, the skills we currently have, or the opportunities that knock at our door. Still, with determination and some good planning, we can utilize our work experience to broaden our options and, as time goes on, create new possibilities for ourselves. In this way, holding a job not only proves to us and to others that, after being dependent for so long on others, we are capable of directing our own lives, but it promises, also, to reward us with growing financial returns, which can translate into the support needed for raising a family, new opportunities for returning to school, and much more we might define as desirable.

Lastly, work enables us to enrich our lives. It exposes us to a variety of new people and experiences. It teaches us skills that can prove beneficial in our career development later on, and it can give us a sense of pride and accomplishment in knowing that at the end of a day, we have done our job, and done it well.

Once we have decided we are committed to finding work, it is helpful to examine some of the negative attitudes that we may have about ourselves. Such attitudes, otherwise, will surely frustrate our efforts, and no job counselor, no matter how adept, or job-hunting guide, however well written, would then serve much use.

The negative attitudes most commonly heard are:

• I'm an ex-con; no one will hire me.
• I have no skills.
• I don't want any dead-end or low-paying job.

I'm an ex-con; no one will hire me.
This argument can be dismissed as being simply untrue. In fact, it only serves to keep us in a cycle of self-defeat, and to justify a decision to do nothing at all to better ourselves. Remember that many people with criminal records, or drug histories for that matter, are now gainfully employed at all levels of society. The key to their success is their having developed a better sense of their own self-worth. The past is gone. Let's not forget that we've done our time and paid our debt to society. We now have as much right to work as any other person. It's true that finding work is not easy, and discrimination does exist. However, there are laws to protect us, as formerly incarcerated people (or ex-addicts), from being discriminated against. Also, with a little preparation, we can learn techniques to avoid job discrimination or, if confronted with it, successfully combat it.

I have no skills.
This second statement is, like the first, categorically untrue. There is no such thing as a person with no skills. We have all acquired skills, even if they are not job related. A typical homemaker, for example, in caring for his or her family, is likely to have had experience in family budgeting, child care, and cooking, all skills which can be of use to him or her in obtaining a paying job. Many individuals, similarly, have developed skills in caring for cars, helping to raise children, or maybe painting and plastering an apartment. The trick here is to examine our past experiences, preferably with the aid of a job counselor, to determine just what skills we do possess and to what types of jobs they can be most applicable. We will then be much more able to persuade potential employers how we can be of value to them.

I don't want any dead-end or low-paying job.
We can certainly sympathize with the person who doesn't want to work at a low-paying or dead-end job. Yet, the reality is, many of us have to start our careers at entry-level positions, or at least take such jobs for a period of time.

It is important to be aware of a couple of things in this regard. First, many employers insist that new workers begin at the bottom and work their way up. This enables the employer to better judge the work qualities of a person before granting him or her more responsibilities. Secondly, dead-end jobs, or low-paying jobs, do serve some purpose: they help us pay our bills, afford us some work experience, and may provide us with some important contacts for further employment. If we must take a low-level position, let's try always to have some long-range goals set for ourselves. Our job can then be seen as only a small step in our overall plans and need not be viewed as permanent. Above all, avoid the attitude, "I'll never take such a low-paying job." For the vast majority of us, there are no easy ways of getting rich fast; if there were, you wouldn't be reading this at the moment, and I wouldn't be here writing it!

For a lot of us, surviving in the "outside" world can be very scary - especially if we've been behind bars for much of our lives. We may find ourselves having to adjust to a whole new style in the way we interrelate with others. If we are willing to be ourselves, however, and to deal with others sincerely, we have overcome the biggest challenge. Remember, always, that there is never any reason to be defensive about who we are, or apologetic. We made mistakes, as have others, and we have paid for them. Our task now is to retake control over our lives, remembering that the decision as to whether or not we return to prison will rest, ultimately, with us as individuals - not with our parole officers, our friends and families, or outside society. Finding a job, and holding on to it, will be the first important step for most of us in readjusting. We hope The Job Search will be of help in this regard.

Author's Note

Information and advice in writing The Job Search came from many different sources. Books and brochures on job hunting were consulted, though very few, unfortunately, address themselves to the non-professional job hunter. Likewise, only a limited number of currently available written materials discuss the specific legal problems an ex-inmate or substance abuser may confront in job hunting. What does exist can usually be found only on the desks of professionals, such as legal advisors, parole officers, or substance abuse counselors. Yet knowing one's rights as an formerly incarcerated person, and knowing how to effectively present oneself as one when job hunting, can be vital issues for ex-inmates, even interconnected with their ability to stay out of prison. I was fortunate, then, when writing The Job Search, in having had the opportunity to meet with a number of persons whose expertise in these matters proved invaluable. They included legal advisors in the field of ex-offenders' rights, substance abuse counselors, parole employment officers, and job developers who work closely in programs with ex-inmates.

This booklet, it should be noted, is oriented to what might be called "a middle audience." Because prisons comprise individuals who manifest a full spectrum of reading abilities and experience, writing with all segments of the population in mind is impossible. I chose, then, to focus more on those individuals with fewer job-related skills in their backgrounds, and less formal education. Generally, they are the persons who are less aware of the resources available to them on the outside and of how to gain access to them. Still, I have little doubt that all of you will find some important pieces of information or advice within these pages.

Ultimately, the true test of this booklet's effectiveness rests with you, the reader. Thus, any advice or suggestions which you might have for its improvement would be very much appreciated. They can be sent to the Correctional?Services Librarian, New York Public Library, 455 Fifth Avenue, New York, NY 10016.