Reader’s Question:

I have been unemployed or let’s say self-employed over the last year because of my DUI conviction here in Washington, DC. I’m hesitant to apply for a job. Do I have to disclose my DUI conviction on my job application?

Ross

Washington, DC

If you have been convicted of a DUI or drunk driving offense in Washington, DC, there are many things to consider before actually disclosing your DUI on a job application. First, if you are eligible to clear the DUI record, it will make more sense to explore those avenues before you apply for a job that you really want.

Nine out of 10 most every employer would do a pre-employment background check on you and would uncover the DUI offense which most likely will cause them not to hire you. Most pre-employment background checks are being conducted by 3rd party HR companies that are contracted by your potential employer specifically to do background checks. A lot of the big companies are using the same outsourced HR Company to do their checks, so if you get flagged within their system, that could in effect ruin your chances of ever getting hired from any company who are using them to perform pre-employment background checks.

This would be definitely something that you want to think about and clear up before you apply and agree to a background check. But, there’s a good chance that they will never find out about your DUI record you take the steps to clear or expunge the DUI record prior to applying for the job.