Does Goodwill Hire Felons?

Retail giant Goodwill claim they do good deeds every day, with cut-priced home goods and clothing sold for lower prices than anywhere else. But does Goodwill hire felons? You bet they hire felons – a lot of felons.

Goodwill hire thousands of people in over 2600 places across the country – in many different roles. If you’re a felon and you’re looking for a job to help you continue along the path to success, Goodwill is a great go-to.

Not only does Goodwill hire felons but they are also great at training felons to help them get better jobs. They want to help felons get on in life. Here’s what one Goodwill employee from Texas said about working with Goodwill:

“I have nothing but wonderful things to say about Goodwill in Fort Worth. I was out of a job, no car, just got out of a 30-day stint in county for a felony, and was looking at two additional years in prison. I did 80hrs of community service in 10 days, then after that I wanted a job to keep my mind off my pending litigation. I applied for a material handler position but ended up getting an assistant manager position instead”

Getting a job at Goodwill

As with most things these days, you’ll need to go online to apply for a job with Goodwill.

Getting hired at Goodwill is a simple process, if you have the right approach and can show you’re the right person for the job. Goodwill hire felons, so you don’t need to worry about your criminal record.

Goodwill are interested in who you are as a person and your attitude to your work. So you need to have a positive approach. If you understand what the company is about it will help you do and say the right things to get the job.

They hire people who know how important it is to TREAT people wITH RESPECT

Goodwill are proud of the fact that they give great customer service. So make sure you talk about how you go out of your way to help others. You also need to show you mean what you say – always be respectful and helpful in any contact you have with the company.

Entry Level Job Interview

How they interview you will depend on the job you’re applying for. But for most jobs the interviews are short and simple and they just want to get to know you. They want to find out about who you are as a person and how you see the world as well as finding out about your past experience.

Interviews take around 20 minutes at the most. They usually begin with the HR person telling you a bit about Goodwill. (Which you will know already because you’ve read this J)

These are some questions that we know Goodwill have asked other people in interviews. They might ask you the same questions, so it would be good to work out some answers before you go in.

• “How would you deal with an awkward or even aggressive customer?”
• “Tell me about an example of when you worked with others as part of a team”
• “How would you deal with a situation where you saw a person stealing in store?”
• “What do you think are your strengths and weaknesses?”

When you answer their questions keep in mind the things we know are important to them. They want to know that you’re someone who will always be helpful and polite to customers.

Getting to know you

They might also ask you about your health – especially if you’re going for a job where you need to do a lot of lifting. Be honest about this. Some jobs involve a lot of lifting or standing on your feet for a long time. If that’s going to cause you a problem, you need to say so. They’ll like your honesty and may be able to find a more suitable job for you.

They will also ask questions about your interests and what you do in your spare time. You don’t have to have a playboy lifestyle but don’t just say you like watching tv (who doesn’t?). Do you like going for a walk in the park? Are you a football fan? Do you read? How about cooking? Maybe you love listening to music? They just want to get to know you, so be open with them.

Management Job Interview

Sometimes Goodwill hire felons in management roles. If you are applying for a management role you need to be prepared to think on your feet. They will ask you more scenario-like questions. These questions are designed to prompt discussion. You should give your answer and be able to explain why you think that. A few questions might include:

• “How would you improve team morale?”
• “What would you do to improve your store?”
• “What motivates you as a manager and individual?”

You need to show them you are an upbeat and positive person – and how focused you are on being helpful to customers.

Top Tips For Getting A Job At Goodwill

Whatever job you are going for in Goodwill follow these top tips to improve your chances of success. These are the things Goodwill are looking for in interviews:

• Be upbeat and positive
• Have a can-do attitude
• Be helpful and polite
• Treat people with respect

It goes without saying that when you go for the interview you should dress smart. You don’t need to get too dressed up but wear a jacket and don’t go in old jeans. It shows you respect them and the company.

Another useful tip is to do a little research. This goes for any company you’re applying to. You’d be surprised how many people don’t do this so you’ll stand out. You don’t have to do a lot but if they can see you’ve done some research it shows them how serious you are about getting this job.

We already know Goodwill hire felons and you can find out a bit more about what they do and don’t do here.

Tell us what you think about Goodwill in the comments below. Our goal at FelonHire.com is to help you and as many people as we can to get work. If you think this article – Does Goodwill hire felons? – has been helpful to you we’d be grateful if you could share it with your friends on social media. Thank you.