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Look at the Skills, Not the Label

There is a moment in every interview when a résumé stops being paper and starts becoming a person.

For justice impacted individuals, that moment often carries more weight than it should. Because before you see their certifications, their work ethic, or their grit, there is a silent label floating in the room.

Conviction.

Felon.

Risk.

But what if we looked at the skill set instead of the stigma?

What if we evaluated capability instead of history?

A Conviction Is a Chapter. Not the Whole Story.

When someone returns home from incarceration, they return with something most employers say they want but struggle to teach.

Resilience.

Accountability.

Adaptability.

Grit.

These are not buzzwords. These are survival skills.

Many justice impacted individuals have navigated complex systems, completed rigorous education programs, earned certifications, mentored others, and rebuilt their lives from the ground up. That requires discipline most corporate environments never demand.

A background check tells you what someone did.

It does not tell you who they have become.

Skills Do Not Disappear Because of a Mistake

If a person learns software development, earns industry certifications, masters data analytics, or becomes exceptional in IT, logistics, construction, or operations, their conviction does not erase that skill.

Talent is talent.

Organizations like Persevere train justice impacted individuals in high-demand technology fields, equipping them with marketable, job-ready skills in software development, IT support, cybersecurity, and data analytics.

These are not sympathy hires.

These are skilled professionals.

The real question is this:

Are we hiring based on fear, or based on performance?

The Business Case Makes Sense

Hiring justice impacted individuals is not charity. It is smart business.

Second chance employees often demonstrate:

• Higher retention

• Stronger loyalty

• Increased motivation

• Lower turnover

When someone is given a real opportunity, they protect it. They value it. They fight for it.

Retention alone saves companies significant recruiting and onboarding costs.

Risk vs. Reality

Every hire carries risk.

People without records quit.

People without records steal.

People without records underperform.

A clean background is not a guarantee of integrity.

Integrity is built through accountability and growth. Many justice impacted individuals have walked through accountability in ways most people never have.

The label “justice impacted” describes an experience. It should not define a ceiling.

Look for Competence. Look for Character.

When interviewing a justice impacted candidate, ask the same questions you would ask anyone else:

Can they do the job?

Are they willing to learn?

Do they show up consistently?

Do they take feedback well?

If the answer is yes, the label becomes irrelevant.

The most forward-thinking companies are not lowering standards. They are widening access to talent.

The Competitive Advantage

In a labor market where skilled workers are hard to find, overlooking an entire segment of capable professionals is not strategic.

Judge the code they write.

Judge the systems they secure.

Judge the data they analyze.

Judge the results they produce.

Do not judge the label.

When we look at people through the lens of potential instead of the shadow of their past, we strengthen our workforce and our communities.

Ready to Explore Second Chance Hiring?

If you are an employer interested in learning more about hiring skilled, justice impacted professionals, reach out to Chris “Spin” Spintzyk.

Chris brings over 30 years of recruiting experience and works directly with employers to match talent with opportunity.

📩 cspintzyk@perseverenow.org

Sometimes your most committed, loyal, and driven employee is the one who was once counted out.

All they need is the opportunity to show you what they can do.