A Buddy Is Looking For Work Of Any Kind

Hey guys, I got a really close friend of mine who is looking for work. He is a very hard working guy. You would be hard pressed to find a more decent guy. Now, with that being said, I feel and he feels that it needs to be said upfront, that he does have a criminal record. He is 21 years old, but when he was 17, he got convicted of Misdemeanor Breaking and Entering. As you can imagine, the last few years have been more than rough on the guy. He's had tons of "jobs" but nothing that amounted up to anything serious. In all honesty, the poor guy was with 4 of his "friends" when this happened. Only himself and one other person involved were ever convicted and made to pay anything. To my knowledge, he's the only one left on the hook for almost $4,000 in owed fee to the state. I know no matter how it ended up, he's still responsible for his own actions, but, it's been a while since the guy caught a break. If you guys know anyone who would be willing to give him a shot, he's willing to do pretty much any sort of work. I put a link to an ad he posted in the jobs wanted section of CL. If you or someone you know has any sort of work, don't hesitate to message me here or contact him directly through the number in the ad. Have a good one.

http://winstonsalem.craigslist.org/res/5147070636.html
 

Ashy Larry

Ten Pointer
City of Winston hires questionable criminal records in certain departments and they are always hiring. Good foot in the door for later promotions.
 

Homebrewale

Old Mossy Horns
I'm offering this as constructive criticism although I understand it may not be taken that way.

Fix the grammar as Justin mentions. Also there are spelling errors.

Fill in the gaps in employment. There are a number of 3 month or more gaps. What was he doing during that time?

Now the big issue with me. Inconsistency in his life story. If you are putting the criminal record out there, then you go to make sure your ducks are in a row. In his first paragraph, he mentions he is 21 and the brush with the law occurred at the same time he graduated which was 2011. Towards the bottom of the ad, he states that he attended Carver HS from freshman year to this past September. That would be September 2014. So did he graduate in 2011 when he got in trouble with the law or was he still in HS in 2014. He transferred to another HS and obtained a HS diploma. Was that December 2014 or May 2015. If most kids start high school at around age 15, then his freshman year was around 2009. Why did it take 5 to 6 years to graduate? I suspect that the crime took place while in HS and that he didn't go back until he served his time. That's fine. Good job for keeping after the HS diploma after that setback. But remove the "graduated in 2011" if that is what really happened.

One other thing - the photo. If he is going to be upfront with the criminal record, then he should be upfront with the photo by showing his face. If he doesn't want people he knows to associate him with the ad, then remove the photo. A photo without a face says "I have something to hide" which is not the message he is trying to get across. In my opinion, the photo serves no purpose so he should remove it.
 
Last edited:
Thanks for pointing out some stuff Homebrew. And yes, that's exactly what happened as far the high school diploma. I'll get in touch with him and have him fix some of the stuff you all have mentioned. Like I said, he was using a public access computer and where he uses them, you get one hour free every 24 hours. Or something like that, so he was in a hurry. As far as the gaps in time, I'd say he was doing odd ball work here and there. His mom's BF ran a small home improvement business. In his down time, he worked there whenever he could. He also did landscaping on the side most of the time. He's done fairly good, with with the deck of card he's been playing with.

I'm offering this as constructive criticism although I understand it may not be taken that way.

Fix the grammar as Justin mentions. Also there are spelling errors.

Fill in the gaps in employment. There are a number of 3 month or more gaps. What was he doing during that time?

Now the big issue with me. Inconsistency in his life story. If you are putting the criminal record out there, then you go to make sure your ducks are in a row. In his first paragraph, he mentions he is 21 and the brush with the law occurred at the same time he graduated which was 2011. Towards the bottom of the ad, he states that he attended Carver HS from freshman year to this past September. That would be September 2014. So did he graduate in 2011 when he got in trouble with the law or was he still in HS in 2014. He transferred to another HS and obtained a HS diploma. Was that December 2014 or May 2015. If most kids start high school at around age 15, then his freshman year was around 2009. Why did it take 5 to 6 years to graduate? I suspect that the crime took place while in HS and that he didn't go back until he served his time. That's fine. Good job for keeping after the HS diploma after that setback. But remove the "graduated in 2011" if that is what really happened.
 
Last edited:
I'm not sure why he felt the need to post the ad with that pic. He doesn't have any crazy piercings or tattoos. Just a regular looking guy.

He's a ginger, if that counts. :D

One other thing - the photo. If he is going to be upfront with the criminal record, then he should be upfront with the photo by showing his face. If he doesn't want people he knows to associate him with the ad, then remove the photo. A photo without a face says "I have something to hide" which is not the message he is trying to get across. In my opinion, the photo serves no purpose so he should remove it.
 

Homebrewale

Old Mossy Horns
Maybe he could try something like - During the months between full-time jobs, I worked part time when work was available for a home improvement business and a landscaping company.
 
Last edited:
Yeah, I'd say that sounds a lot better. He's a smart guy, he was within shouting distance of getting in touch with a local group that helps people with an interest in law enforcement get there start. But, he screwed up and went running around with a bunch of idiots. I've known him since we were little kids. It's the sort of situation where, if you knew the guy, you wouldn't in a million years believe that he was ever involved in a thing like that. And without a doubt, he was railroaded by the legal system. I mean, no doubt, the guy messed up and deserved to pay for what he did. But he's been on supervised probation for pushing 5 years now. Paid in thousands of dollars to the state, that he doesn't have. I've heard of people doing much worse crimes, getting off way easier.

Maybe he could try something like - During the months between full-time jobs, I worked part time when work was available for a home improvement business and a landscaping company.
 
Last edited:

buckshooter

Old Mossy Horns
The 9 jobs in 4 years doesn't look good , record or not , it shows inconsistency... it would be my advice to stay with the family business for a while , they know him , he knows them , some time ( maybe a couple years) between him and his past problems with really steady employment ( even with family ) will help him tremendously....folks look at a couple of things ...will you finish what you start...he proved that by finishing school....and are you honest...I've got a couple of friends that own lawn care companies , nothing big , no benefits , just plenty of work , if he want have him , or your self pm me .....
 
Last edited:
Thanks for the input. I agree, it looks a little rough. The thing with the family work is, it's only here and there. The business is still fairly small and the guy who runs it can employee a few guys for his jobs. So the amount of work he gets is limited and changes from week to week. I believe he is just really looking for something steady.

Heck, that's what we all want!

The 9 jobs in 4 years doesn't look good , record or not , it shows inconsistency... it would be my advice to stay with the family business for a while , they know him , he knows them , some time ( maybe a couple years) between him and his past problems with really steady employment ( even with family ) will help him tremendously....folks look at a couple of things ...will you finish what you start...he proved that by finishing school....and are you honest...I've got a couple of friends that own lawn care companies , nothing big , no benefits , just plenty of work , if he want have him , or your self pm me .....
 

bowhunter_lt

Guest
This is simply my two cents based on my personal experience. It may be different in certain situations but here is some feedback. It may come across harsh, its not meant to, and this may not all apply to him at the current juncture in his life. I can't offer him a job but hopefully some of this will help him on his way.

• I would suggest he remove any negative information such as why he was let go or why he left a particular place of employment. Employers will ask that in an interview, if they need to know it. Remove the long overview at the top. Not needed. Resumes need to stay short, sweet and to the point. Clear and concise in what he's looking for and his information.
• I'd suggest making a bunch of paper, hard copies of his resume and putting boots to the ground or making phone calls, if he's not already doing that. But expect a lot "no" and "not hiring." However, persistence will pay off.
• WHEN the day comes that he is given an opportunity, any opportunity, make the most of it and keep it positive. :)
• His criminal offenses need to be removed from it. Most applications will ask for it when filing paperwork and they will ask you before they run a background check, usually (in my experience anyway). This is dependent on the company/persons hiring.
• Lose the photo. It does nothing and its not the first impression he needs to make. If he wants to add a photo, politely borrow some money from someone whom he will pay back and go to Sears or somewhere with a sit and smile photo studio and get a few nice photos taken. Sears used to have portrait studios but I don't think they do that anymore. But if you can find, even a friend or family member with a camera, you can get a decent photo out of the deal, although, its not really necessary for a resume.
• Confidence is key and transparency when the time comes for an application or an interview. An online search for resume templates is great guidance.

For a young man such as himself, format usually goes with an Objective at the top, Education below that, then experience and expertise. Experience format is generally Company Name, Position then the dates of employment. He doesn't need to actually say "Company-"

Good luck to him! I hope this helps!
 

Moose

Administrator
Staff member
Contributor
I work with sex offenders that can find work so he should be able to overcome any barriers that his record present. He needs to make a full time job out of getting a job and fill his schedule with things that work towards that. Hit the bricks pass out resumes fill out applications talk to potential employers. Harder to say no to a face then it is a actual person. Google "NC Works" lots of resources and help finding work. At his age and giving his situation he should consider the department of labors Job Corp program and learn a trade.
 

woodmoose

Administrator
Staff member
Contributor
I work with sex offenders that can find work so he should be able to overcome any barriers that his record present. He needs to make a full time job out of getting a job and fill his schedule with things that work towards that. Hit the bricks pass out resumes fill out applications talk to potential employers. Harder to say no to a face then it is a actual person. Google "NC Works" lots of resources and help finding work. At his age and giving his situation he should consider the department of labors Job Corp program and learn a trade.

wise words for the young man,,,,,,,,
 
Top