Does Dollar General Hire Felons in 2021?

Have you ever considered working at a well-known retail chain like Dollar General, but weren’t sure how to land the job with your record? We’re going to dive into this key question: Does Dollar General hire felons? They have over 15,000 stores located in 44 states, and are still growing. Surely they hire felons . . . right?

See, our goal at Relaunch Pad is to find answers to questions just like this and more. Why? Many of us also have criminal convictions. From our own experiences, we know exactly how tough finding a decent job can be. This is why we strive to help make the job hunt as easy as possible for other former offenders.

To do just that, we reached out to Dollar General to ask them directly about their hiring policy for former felons. Unfortunately, we were unable to make contact with anyone. But that’s okay! We’ll continue to try. In the meantime, we have thoroughly researched them to answer many important questions. Here are just a few we’ll be answering:

What is Dollar General’s hiring policy?
Does Dollar General hire people with misdemeanors?
What is the best approach?
Does Dollar General do background checks?
How to get hired at Dollar General with a felony

Does Dollar General hire felons?

Official company policy for hiring felons

After much research, we weren’t able to find anything specific regarding a hiring policy for felons. We did find that Dollar General is an Equal Opportunity Employer, though.

But does Dollar General hire felons? We are going to continue digging to see what we can find on how to get a job at Dollar General with a felony.

Has Dollar General hired felons in the past?

There was nothing concrete found that suggests Dollar General will or will not hire a former felon.

Does Dollar General hire people with misdemeanors?

We didn’t get an easy yes or no to this question, either. We recommend that you stay positive while putting your best foot forward and apply like anyone else.

Is Dollar General on the Ban the Box list?

Dollar General was not found on the Ban the Box list.

Ban the Box is a group that speaks on behalf of former offenders. Their goal is to convince employers to remove all questions on applications about criminal records. This ideally gives people with records a fair chance at getting a job they’re qualified for.

The Fair Chance Business Pledge is made up of companies that have already committed to fair hiring practices for everyone, including former felons.

Keep in mind that just because a company doesn’t support these initiatives doesn’t mean they won’t hire former offenders.

Does Dollar General have special programs for hiring felons?

Unfortunately, they don’t.

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

The odds of being hired at Dollar General with a felony are uncertain. We haven’t heard from the company, for one. And all of our research provided conflicting answers about people managing to get a job at Dollar General with a felony conviction, for another.

What are some entry-level jobs?

Did you know that Dollar General has more than just retail jobs available? They offer corporate and warehouse jobs as well. Make sure you review their job postings to see all jobs and positions they have to offer.

Let’s look at a few of their entry-level positions.

Sales Associate — This position requires basic math, interpersonal and communication skills, as well as a high school/GED diploma. Basic duties are operating a cash register, greeting customers, unloading trucks and stocking shelves.
Lead Sales Associate — Requirements and skills are the same as a Sales Associate, though occasionally you may need to take on managerial tasks. Six months of supervisory experience is preferred, but not required.
General Warehouse Worker — This job requires basic math and communication skills, as well as being able to lift up to 75 pounds, and handling merchandise. So, a valid driver’s license (CDL preferred) is necessary. Education required is a high school/GED diploma.

How to get hired at Dollar General with a felony

Dollar General is a company that offers what they call “open employment”. This is where they have a scheduled time in-store to apply for jobs. They usually have postings in the store telling you when this will be. If your local Dollar General isn’t offering open employment, you can always go online and apply.

As always, we suggest that you look over the position you’re applying for first. Don’t apply all willy-nilly. You could be applying for a position you don’t have qualifications for!

On the application, the first option Dollar General gives you is to upload a resume. It’s not required, but we suggest you have a resume ready and provide one. If you aren’t confident in your resume, that’s okay. We are here to help in that area, too! Be sure you look over our tips for spicing up your resume and highlighting all your skills.

Dollar General will often conduct a phone interview first. If you are contacted for a phone interview, the next step would then be an in-person interview.

Some of the most common interview questions asked are:

How do you handle a fast paced work environment?
What is your motivation in helping co-workers?
What is your availability?

So make sure you practice some good answers! This will also be the best time to disclose your criminal history. Use this opportunity to give them a heads up of any previous conviction whether a misdemeanor or felony. Remain positive and make sure you outline any strengths you have acquired due to your conviction. You can expect to hear from them in one to four weeks as to whether you got the job or not.

Does Dollar General do background checks?

Yes, Dollar General makes it clear they conduct background checks.

Something to keep in mind regarding background checks:

Did you know there states that only look at an offense if it’s less than seven years old? Here is a list of those states:

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

The states that show only guilty convictions are as follows:

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

The following states still look at everything:

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 looked over Dollar General’s reviews on glassdoor.com. Their rating is 2.7 out of 5 stars. This is a fairly low rating.

Why was Dollar General given such a low ranking? Many stores are constantly short-staffed, which puts extra stress and work on employees and this affected their ranking. The positive reviews were based off the relationships you are able to build with customers since most are frequent shoppers.

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

Being that Dollar General is a retail store, there are a few convictions that may give you a harder time getting a foot in the door.

Here are a few they may take a closer look at:

Theft — Since Dollar General is a retail store, this is one of the top convictions they will look out for. They’re big on protecting the company’s assets from theft from employees as well as customers.
Identity theft/fraudulent use of a credit card — Certain positions will have access to credit card information, and they want to make sure this information stays safe.
Any violent or harassment charges — This may be looked at, especially for any position involving working with customers.
Any driving offense — If you’re looking at a warehouse position, one of the requirements is a valid driver’s license. Therefore, this might hinder you in this particular position.

Does Dollar General drug test?

Yes. Dollar General does a pre-employment drug screen.

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

Do you have experience getting a job at Dollar General with a felony? We appreciate any feedback you can provide.