After being locked up for a long time, felons find it difficult to fit in the society once they are out. One of the major challenges that felons face when they come back home is finding employment. Today’s article- Does Hobby Lobby Hire Felons? This article is to help you find a job opportunity in Hobby Lobby.
Who is Hobby Lobby?
Hobby Lobby is an American retail company that started in 1970; it is headquartered in Oklahoma and specializes in arts and crafts. It has a chain of stores in over 800 locations with over 40000 employees.
The company specializes in making jewelry, home décor, picture framing, fabrics, floral and wedding supplies, baskets, cards and party ware, wearable art, and home merchandise.
The positions at Hobby Lobby range from trucking positions, hourly jobs to corporate level jobs.
These are the 4 things that we will be talking about
- Does Hobby Lobby Hire Felons
- What is the Hiring Process
- How to Get Hired at Hobby Lobby As a former Felon
- Frequently Asked Questions
Does Hobby Lobby Hire Felons
Yes, it does! From our research, we found out that Hobby Lobby has employed former felons in the past. The recruitment team will do a background check so be prepared for it. Getting hired does depend on the type of crime you were charged for and how long your conviction was.
The work culture at Hobby Lobby is positive to enhance the growth of all the employees both personally and at a career level. As you will be dealing with customers it’s important to also have a positive and outgoing attitude.
Most of the jobs available are entry-level jobs that range from being a storekeeper or a cashier, or a customer care assistant. Managerial roles are available but they are few and can range from being a store manager to being an assistant store manager.
What is the Hiring Process?
Applicants fill in applications in person for per-hour jobs. This being the case you have to ensure your application is neat for the interviewer to easily go through it. To prevent your application from looking untidy start by going through the application first. After you are done go through it again to ensure you leave no blank spaces
Prepare your resume
Start with all the relevant skills that you’ve had before. For instance, a job that provided you with stock management skills or customer service skills.
Prepare for the Interview
Start by understanding Hobby Lobby better, you can even look up your interviewer on LinkedIn to understand what your Hiring manager does. Ensure you dress to impress! Remember it is better to overdress than to underdress. Also wow the interviewers with your personality smile and make eye contact at all times. Remember the interview is a chance for you to sell yourself therefore, be honest about your experience.
Take the opportunity to explain more about your former felony charges and to make the panel understand that you are ready to prove to them you are reformed and ready to get the job done.
Lastly, ensure you have a couple of questions for your hiring manager, it shows that you have an interest in the company.
Tips on how to get Hired at Hobby lobby as a Former Felon
As an ex-offender, you need to overcome your past and prove that you are now a motivated honest person who will be an asset to Hobby Lobby. You can start by accepting the responsibility for your actions and showing how you have made personal improvements. Your recruitment manager should be able to focus on the skills and abilities at hand.
- At the preparation stage of the interview, ensure you practice speaking confidently about your criminal history. Ensure that your body language and tone of your voice are in sync. Try not to appear stressed or nervous. You can start by standing in front of your mirror and rehearsing how you will answer the interview questions until you are confident that you are ready.
- Write a letter of explanation. Explain what your conviction was, what you learned from your experience, and how you are committed to working with integrity and honesty at Hobby Lobby. Feel free to submit the letter after the interview.
- Focus on the positive skills that you learned while in prison. Don’t stress on the offense too much and forget that your recruiter wants to see the positives. They will be interested in what you have to offer and how you have grown as an individual.
- Be honest. If the recruitment team doesn’t ask about your history, be sure to mention that you are a former felon. You can do it in the middle of the interview. Also, make sure you are very brief and you focus on the positives as well.
Lastly, acknowledge responsibility for your actions. Do not try to make it look like it wasn’t your idea to commit the crime or claim that you were innocent. Remember that the judge found you guilty and you served your time. Own the whole experience and show the store manager that you accept responsibility by not making excuses. Remember that all employers look for employees with a sense of accountability.
Frequently Asked Questions
- What Felony convictions might have a hard time getting hired at Hobby Lobby
Unfortunately not every ex-felon will be hired with Hobby Lobby. As we had discussed at the beginning, the Hobby lobby will ask you to state the kind of offense that you committed and then they will go ahead and do a background check between 7 to 10 years. This is mainly because the recruitment team would like to understand whether you can work with customers since you’ll be working in a store. A sexual, theft or violent offense will make it more difficult to get a job with a hobby Lobby.
If you happen to fail the background check remember there are many opportunities in other companies that support and recruit felons. Never give up! Continue with your search. Remember we are not defined by our mistakes but by how we rise above them. Keep your head up and ensure you find a way to earn your living honestly.
- Will You Need To do a Drug Test?
For managerial positions, you have to take a drug test. For the other entry-level positions, you might be asked to take a drug test if they suspect that you are using.
- How is the work environment at Hobby Lobby?
The majority of the employees say it’s a nice place to work. They are also committed to honoring everybody’s religious beliefs and preferences. It can get busy at times but sometimes it is less overwhelming.
Teammates are friendly and helpful. The aim is to give the customers a great experience so that they keep coming back and also refer more clients.
Employees rate the pay at above minimum wage for entry-level jobs! You will also have flexible working hours with one day off (Sundays).
- Does Hobby Lobby offer Paid Time Off
You get paid holidays and vacations. It does not pay for maternity or paternity leave for hourly employees. They also offer a decent benefits package and a matching 401(k) plan.
