Does USAA Hire Felons in 2021?

Are you interested in working in financial services? If you answered yes, you might want to know: Does USAA hire felons? Relaunch Pad contacted the company directly to ask them.

United Services Automobile Association (USAA) is unique in the financial sector. The companies that make up this organization provide banking and insurance services to military members and their families. They have more than 12 million customers across the United States and overseas.

But you don’t need to have been in the military to work at USAA! So, if you want more information, read on and we’ll answers questions like:

• Does USAA hire people with misdemeanors?
• Does USAA do background checks?
• How do I apply?

Writers at Relaunch Pad are former felons, or experienced in working with them. Therefore, we know how important landing a good job is, especially after release from prison. We also know what questions to research and the tips you want. Our know-how can help you through the application and hiring processes.

Does USAA hire felons?

Official company policy for hiring felons

Here’s the official statement USAA sent us about hiring felons:

“Potential hires must successfully complete a pre-employment background and drug screening. As part of the background process, if a felony is identified, USAA considers the nature and seriousness of offenses, the time elapsed since the conduct, conviction and completion of the sentence, and the nature of the job held or sought, and the relationship of the offense to the job sought. Whether the offense was a felony, or misdemeanor and disposition, the conviction is not an automatic bar to consideration for employment except where required by law.”

Essentially, if you’re wondering how to get hired at USAA, this means they’ll decide if they’re comfortable hiring you for a particular job with your specific offenses.

Has USAA hired felons in the past?

We asked the company this question, too, and here’s what they told us:

“With regard to USAA having hired convicted felons, that would be the business’ proprietary information and thus not shared.”

We looked online, but couldn’t find any information about this, either.

Does USAA hire people with misdemeanors?

We believe they’ll hire you with a misdemeanor. This depends, according to the official statement they gave us, on the circumstances of the offense.

Is USAA on the Ban the Box list?

Ban the Box is an innovative program that makes it easier for former felons to get hired. Employers are encouraged to look at an applicant’s skills and abilities before any criminal background. It’s called Ban the Box since the criminal record check box is removed from job applications.

Unfortunately, USAA doesn’t appear to be on the Ban the Box list.

The Fair Chance Business Pledge is a similar initiative. Companies that sign the pledge vow to give every job applicant fair consideration, even if they have a criminal record.

USAA hasn’t signed the Pledge, either. However, if you’re still wondering how does USAA hire felons, here’s an interesting piece of information. According to their website, “USAA makes hiring decisions compliant with the Fair Chance for Hiring Ordinance” that applies to employers in Austin, Texas.

The law states that:

“An employer may not solicit criminal history information about an individual or consider an individual’s criminal history unless the employer has first made a conditional employment offer to the individual.”

Does USAA have special programs for hiring felons?

There’s no information on the organization’s website, or elsewhere online, that USAA has a special program for hiring felons. Remember, most employers don’t.

What are the odds someone with a felony will get hired?

We believe the odds you can get hired at USAA with a felony are uncertain.

Our opinion is based on:

1. USAA complies with the Fair Chance for Hiring Ordinance for employers in Austin, Texas.
2. The official statement we got from the company confirms a conviction will not automatically bar you from being hired.
3. However, we could find no online comments from employees saying that you can get a job at USAA with a felony.

What are some entry-level jobs?

They employ more than 32,000 people who serve over 12 million members.

USAA says on their website that they routinely hire people and their “commitment to new talent is a big part of [their] organization.”

Here are some examples of entry-level jobs:

• Customer Service and Sales Representative (daytime or after hours positions)
  • Onboard and assist new members.
  • Serve members by phone, email or in person.
  • Provide members with banking or insurance products.
• New Member Solutions Expert
  • Onboard and assist new members.
  • Provide members with needs assessment.
  • Offer solutions, products and services.

To apply for these positions, you must have a high school or equivalent education. You’ll need up to one year of retail or financial customer service experience, as well.

In addition, USAA provides quite extensive product and technical training to new hires.

How to get hired at USAA with a felony

Begin by checking out the company’s career page. Search job openings by location and different career areas, such as customer service and sales.

Once you find a job you want to apply for, create an online profile and submit your resume.

The company suggested the following approach to Relaunch Pad:

“We encourage they apply for positions that they are interested in and qualified for and an individualized assessment will be made at the appropriate point in the process.”

In addition, USAA has a helpful FAQ document with answers to a number of questions about the hiring process.

Interestingly, the company suggests that if you know a company employee, you can add their name to your profile as a reference. This is one way to boost your chances to get a job at USAA with a felony!

Here’s a link to an article that explains how to prepare for common USAA interview questions.

Read below for tips about making a good impression at the interview:

• Make sure you’re on time. Better yet, arrive 20 minutes early. This shows you’re dependable.
• Dress in business casual. You’ll be remembered for looking professional.
• Introduce yourself at reception to make sure they know you’ve arrived. This small act will also increase your confidence. Any confidence-booster helps if you’re out of practice interviewing due to being incarcerated.
• Make sure you have copies of your application, resume and reference list in hand. Being organized will signal that you’ve prepared well, and are eager to land the job.
• Bring a pen and paper. Hiring managers will often let you collect your thoughts quickly on paper before you answer a question. You can also record anything you want to remember after the interview. Again, this reduces your nervousness.
• Plan a few questions that you want to ask, too. Your initiative will impress and stay with the hiring manager when they complete your background check.

On glassdoor.com, 68% of people said they had a positive interview experience at USAA. Furthermore, they described the interviews as average in difficulty.

Does USAA do background checks?

Yes, the company told us they do. However, there’s no information from the company about what the background check includes. We found comments online from employees that it includes a pre-employment credit check, though. What’s more, people said random credit checks are also done on employees. This makes sense when you consider the business they’re in!

USAA is a Fortune 500 company. This article explains the reasons companies like these check an applicant’s background, including their credit scores.

Here’s some critical information about background checks:

In certain states, background checks only go back seven years. These are the states where this restriction happens:

• California
• Colorado*
• Kansas*
• Maryland*
• Massachusetts
• Montana
• Nevada
• New Hampshire*
• New York*
• Texas*
• Washington*

(* sometimes certain pay or salary bracket positions require one.)

And, employers in a small number of states don’t consider charges where you were found not guilty. Here are these states:

• Alaska
• California
• Hawaii
• Indiana (limited check)
• Kentucky
• Massachusetts
• Michigan
• New York

However, be warned that in the following states employers will look at your entire record. This includes any not guilty verdicts:

• Alabama
• Arizona
• Arkansas
• Connecticut
• DC
• Delaware
• Florida
• Idaho
• Indiana (extensive check)
• Iowa
• Louisiana
• Maine
• Mississippi
• Missouri
• Nebraska
• New Jersey
• North Carolina
• North Dakota
• Ohio
• Oregon
• Rhode Island
• South Carolina
• Tennessee
• Utah
• Vermont
• Virginia
• West Virginia
• Wisconsin
• Wyoming

Company ratings

USAA gets very favorable online ratings.

On glassdoor.com, USAA has a 3.6 out of 5 rating based on 2,600 reviews. Sixty-eight percent said they’d recommend the company to a friend. In addition, 78% approved of the CEO.

What felony convictions might have a hard time getting hired here?

Understandably, if you have criminal convictions for fraud or theft it will be more difficult to get hired. These charges certainly make it harder for you to get a job at USAA with a felony. And, even if they’re misdemeanors, they may also impact your chances.

Basically, this is because USAA is in the finance business — they want to make sure they can trust you with their customers’ savings and personal information!

Most employers will pay special attention to any history of violent offenses. Therefore, you can expect USAA to be interested in how well you can get along with your coworkers. They also want to make sure you can handle difficult customers professionally — their reputation depends on it.

Does USAA drug test?

Yes, USAA requires potential employees to pass a pre-screening drug test. This is part of the official statement the company gave Relaunch Pad.

Have you applied for a job or worked here? Share your experiences!

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