There are many departmental store chains that have entry-level jobs that felons can apply for. Many of them provide second chances to felons and hire them for certain roles.
If you have some experience handling tools or working as a technician then Ace Hardware might have some suitable job vacancies that you might be interested in. But do they hire felons?
Does Ace Hardware hire Felons?
Yes. Ace Hardware hires felons if they have the required job skills and experience and their records are not serious or violent. The hiring decision is made by the local store owner.
Ace Hardware runs on a franchise model and stores are independently owned, controlled, and operated by the store owner. Store owners have their own hiring policies that comply with the local laws of the state.
Hiring decisions are taken by the store owner and there is no official policy about hiring felons at the organization level.
In most cases, store owners are willing to give opportunities to felons who are a part of the same local community and they also ignore minor offenses that might not directly impact the felon’s ability to work on the job.
Ace Hardware is a part of the Ban-The-Box campaign and has also signed the Fair Chance Business Pledge. Companies that support these initiatives take special measures to ensure that a person with a criminal history gets evaluated on the basis of his/her skills before factoring in the criminal records.
Ace Hardware does not ask any questions related to criminal history on their initial job application to ensure that there is no bias against felons.
Although Ace Hardware appears to be felon friendly, it does not mean that every felon will get hired at every location.
Despite having the required skills, if the hiring manager feels that the person has a record that cannot be overlooked then the applicant can be rejected.
Felons involved in violent or serious crimes like theft or burglary or sexual offenses might not be preferred by the hiring managers.
Similarly, felons involved in offenses that display dishonest behavior like trespassing, carjacking, or shoplifting might not be considered for some roles like cashier or inventory managers.
Does Ace Hardware run background checks?
Yes. Ace Hardware runs background checks as a part of its standard hiring process. In fact, they ask the applicant to provide consent for a background check in the application form itself.
Ace hardware contacts current and previous employers and also the references to validate any information provided by the applicant.
They also obtain investigative consumer reports which may cover such areas as the applicant’s character, general reputation, and mode of living. Such reports include details about criminal history, credit reports, driving records, and educational records.
Hiring people with criminal records is a tricky situation for companies. If they are not thorough with their checks then it might be considered as negligence as the employer is responsible for the safety of other employees and customers on their premises.
On the other hand, rejecting someone on the basis of their criminal records will be discrimination. So employers do not have a blanket ban on hiring felons but they evaluate each applicant on a case-by-case basis and make sure the overall picture is good.
How to get hired at Ace Hardware with a felony on record?
Ace Hardware is a local hardware store chain. Ace Hardware has over 5,000 stores around the world with the majority of those stores independently owned and operated by local entrepreneurs.
Ace stores offer a wide variety of paint, lawn and garden, tools, local niche services, and virtually anything you’ll ever need to fix, repair and maintain homes. And of course, Ace is most certainly the place with the helpful hardware folks!
Ace Hardware has job opportunities in its stores, distribution, and corporate offices. You can find open job positions by visiting their careers page and apply directly from there or you can directly walk into the local Ace Store and talk to the staff.
Make sure you visit the store in off-peak hours. You can drop this application form with all required information filled in at the local store and they will contact you.
Interviews are mostly conducted by the store managers for retail jobs and the questions are based on your past experience and skills. The interview process for corporate roles will be more extensive and have multiple rounds.
Final Thoughts
Ace Hardware is a felon-friendly employer. It has been often observed that businesses owned by local people are more considerate towards felons and offer second chances.
If your records are minor and you have the required skills, there is a good chance that Ace Hardware will hire you.