PayPal Hiring Overview For 2023

Official company policy for hiring felons

We have reached out to PayPal to learn more about their hiring policies, but they haven’t gotten back to us yet. We will continue to reach out in the hopes of updating this article.

Until then, though, we did some independent research. While we didn’t find a conclusive answer, it seems that it is at least possible to get a job at PayPal with a felony.

Of course, once we learn a little bit more from the company, we will be able to update this information.

Has PayPal hired felons in the past?

When a company has hired former felons in the past, it often indicates that they may be willing to do so again. Unfortunately, we haven’t found any conclusive information proving a history of hiring former felons.

Does PayPal hire people with misdemeanors?

The information we currently have access to does not prove they will hire people with misdemeanors.

Will PayPal hire you with pending charges?

There’s a chance, but it will have to be for more minor charges. PayPal likely will prefer to wait until your charges are resolved otherwise to make a decision.

Is PayPal on the Ban the Box list?

It’s never fun checking the “felony conviction box” on a job application. Sometimes it may feel like you’re being disqualified from consideration before you’ve even had a chance to demonstrate your skills. The Ban the Box Movement works to do away with that checkbox to give people like us a leg up.

Then, there is the Fair Chance Business Pledge. Companies that make this promise are guaranteeing that they won’t discriminate in their hiring policies for any reason (even criminal records).

Unfortunately, PayPal doesn’t seem to be affiliated with either movement at this time.

Does PayPal have special programs for hiring felons?

PayPal doesn’t have any special programs for hiring former felons. Even though these programs serve as outstanding opportunities for previous offenders, they’re also pretty uncommon, so you shouldn’t read too much into the fact that PayPal doesn’t have any.

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

Unfortunately, at this point, there is still a lot we don’t know. The company hasn’t gotten back to us yet, and we can’t prove that they’ve hired felons in the past. To make matters worse, the things we do know for sure aren’t extremely promising: PayPal does not participate in Ban the Box, and they don’t have any special programs for hiring people with criminal records.

Does PayPal hire felons?

Right now, we rate your chances of getting hired as uncertain.

What are some entry-level jobs?

If you are going to try to get a job at PayPal with a felony, it may help to know your options. There are a lot of different job categories here, from digital engineering to sales. However, if you’re looking for something that is truly entry-level, you’ll probably want to look into their customer service department.

These jobs will have you spending a lot of time answering customer calls and emails. You’ll be at a desk and on a phone or headset and expected to keep calm under pressure.

Tips to get hired here with a felony

Since this company may be a little reluctant — or at least not enthusiastic — about hiring former felons, you need to submit a great resume if you’re going to have any chance of getting hired.

To do that, tailor your job application to the position you‘re applying for. In this case, you need to prove you have customer service skills.

Most managers hiring for customer service jobs want candidates that have a proven history of working well with other people. Fortunately, there are a lot of ways to demonstrate this, especially if you are creative.

For example, even if you haven’t worked in a call center before, you may have acquired the same skills working at a restaurant when you had to address customer concerns. Retail experience may also be considered relevant. For example, handling angry customers equipped you with some of the skills you need for working at a call center, like patience, respect and keeping cool in stressful situations.

The more you can spotlight your abilities and how they match the job, the better chance you have of getting hired. That said, all of the relevant experience in the world won’t be very helpful if your application is poorly put together.

It’s a good idea to get help with your resume. A second pair of eyes will catch the little errors that can creep into anyone’s writing.

Let’s say you nail your submission. An interview will be the next part of the process. To prepare, make sure you have the right clothing. Dress professionally, covering tattoos and removing unconventional piercings to be safe.

It may also settle your nerves a little bit to conduct a practice interview. Consider asking a friend to sit down with you and go over some common questions. If you feel prepared going in, it will go a long way towards helping you feel relaxed during the interview!

PayPal does do background checks.

However, where you live can have a big impact on what shows up. 

For example, in these states, background checks only go back seven years:

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

*certain pay or salary bracket positions sometimes require one.

Some states won’t mention not guilty verdicts. In these places, PayPal will only find out about crimes you were convicted of:

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

At this point, the majority of states do still look at everything sadly. The states on this list are:

• 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

We also did an online search to get an idea of what it is like to work at PayPal. On Glassdoor.com, we found that the company has an average rating of 3.8 out of 5 stars. Their high score was 4 for compensation, while the lowest was 3.2 for senior management.

What felonies PayPal will not hire

PayPal has not told us the specific felonies that would tank your application. You can see in the next section the types of charges we think they’ll want to ask you about.

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

There are several convictions that might be weighed particularly heavily against you. First of all, since the jobs involve working in confined spaces, those with violent or sexual convictions may be disqualified.

Then you have your more “white-collar” crimes. Keep in mind that PayPal is in the financial industry. If you have a history of theft, cybercrime or fraud, you may have a hard time getting hired here.

Does PayPal hire sex offenders?

We don’t know! They might, but haven’t made it known to the public. We didn’t see anything online about it from employees, either.

Does PayPal drug test?

From what we’ve seen, no, they do not.

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

We don’t just reach out to companies for our information. We also depend on the community for guidance. Did this article help you figure out how to get hired at PayPal with a felony?