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If you’re reading this article, there’s a good chance that there’s a General Mills facility hiring near you. You may have seen a job listing or been told to apply there, and you’re wondering, does General Mills hire felons? To answer this question, we contacted General Mills directly to find out their policy on hiring former offenders (we are not guessing here, this is firsthand information).
Our goal at Relaunch Pad is to help you find out everything you need to know before applying for work with companies like General Mills. We’ve also taken an in-depth look at General Mills’ hiring practices, as well as information from online employment resources. You’ll even get an answer to the question: Does General Mills do background checks?
Our staff is familiar with the challenges people face when trying to adjust to life after prison, especially when it comes to employment. Many of us are former felons ourselves, and have faced these challenges personally. The information below will give you a head start in figuring out how to get hired at General Mills with a felony record.
Does General Mills hire felons?
Official company policy for hiring felons
Here’s the official statement we received from General Mills when we asked them about their policy for hiring former felons:
“Having a criminal record is not an automatic disqualifier for someone applying for employment with General Mills. The company follows the guidelines issued by the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission for consideration of criminal records in hiring.”
Past mistakes don’t disqualify you from finding employment with General Mills. They are more concerned about your ability to perform the tasks required for the position you’re applying for.
Have they hired felons in the past?
General Mills did not confirm nor deny that they have hired former offenders in the past. However, other sources confirm that General Mills has hired people with felonies and misdemeanors.
If other people have been able to get a job at General Mills with a felony, why wouldn’t they consider you? While it’s obviously not a guarantee of employment, knowing that a company is willing to give former felons a chance is extremely helpful.
Does General Mills hire people with misdemeanors?
Most companies that are willing to hire former felons will be willing to give people with misdemeanors on their record a chance as well. Misdemeanors are generally less severe offenses, which could make it easier for you to get hired than if you had a felony.
Is General Mills on the Ban the Box list?
Ban the Box is an effort to help former felons who are seeking employment. Its goal is to make sure an application isn’t ignored simply because the applicant committed a crime in the past. Any company on the Ban the Box list no longer asks the question about felony convictions on their job application.
The Fair Chance Business Pledge is a similar effort to make sure that companies don’t dismiss an applicant just because they have a criminal record. Instead, these companies delay asking about an applicant’s legal history until later in the hiring process.
We did not find any direct connections between General Mills and the Ban the Box list or the Fair Chance Business Pledge. However, based on the company’s statement, their hiring practices appear to give a fair chance to all applicants (even those with prior convictions). This is one of the goals of the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, which prohibits discrimination against applicants based on their criminal history.
Does General Mills have special programs for hiring felons?
Our research of the company did not indicate that they have any special programs in place for hiring felons. However, their statement makes it clear that having a felony does not disqualify applicants from finding employment with General Mills.
What are the odds someone with a felony will get hired?
Based on our sources, we believe that there is a good chance you can get a job at General Mills with a felony.
Their statement that they follow EEOC guidelines is very promising. This means they’re prohibited from screening you out as an applicant unless your criminal history is relevant to the position you’re applying for.
What are some entry-level jobs?
Some examples of entry-level jobs include Production General Laborer or General Plant Laborer positions. These positions generally pay well over minimum wage and are a great way to get your foot in the door. They are production positions, so will likely require you to work on your feet in a fast-paced environment.
With over 100 different brands, there’s no telling exactly which product line you would be working with. However, it is likely that you would be responsible for tasks such as:
- Mixing ingredients at the beginning of a line
- Removing any defective products from the line
- Collecting samples for the Quality Assurance department
- Packaging the product so it can ship to its destination
Positions like these often require skills such as teachability, adaptability, consistency and endurance. You will need to get to know the line you’re working on, inside and out. There’s a good chance you will work in several different positions on a particular line, each with its own responsibilities. No matter which position you’re in, you’ll need to help keep production running smoothly. This means that you have to be prepared to work hard the entire shift.
How to get hired at General Mills with a felony
Remember that adaptability is extremely important when seeking employment with General Mills. So, you need to show them that this is a skill you possess every step of the way through the hiring process. You can do this by highlighting the different types of jobs you’ve had in the past. If you have manufacturing or production experience from past positions, be sure to mention it.
Also, keep in mind that first impressions are everything when it comes to finding employment. Submitting a nice resume and filling out your application completely are great places to start. From there, you want to make sure that you’re polite on the phone when you call to follow-up on your application, and when they call you to set up the interview.
Next, you want to go into the interview looking your best. You don’t need formal wear for an interview for a production position, but business casual will go a long way. Plus, you’ll want to cover up tattoos and other augmentation as much as possible since these could send the wrong message to the interviewer. Instead, help them focus on all of the reasons why you’re the right person for the job!
You will also give yourself a huge advantage by being flexible with the hours and days you’re available to work. Being willing to work nights, holidays and weekends will give you an advantage over applicants who aren’t willing or able to work all shifts.
The important thing is to highlight your flexibility and willingness to learn the ins-and-outs of whatever line they’re hiring for. Once you’ve been there for a while, you can bid for a different shift.
Ready to get started? You can follow this link to their Careers Page.
Does General Mills do background checks?
It looks like General Mills does background checks on applicants they are seriously considering for employment. Standard background checks look for felonies or misdemeanors on your record. General Mills will most likely compare the information on your application to the information found in this report.
Some background checks only look at your record for the past ten years. This means those who have been released more recently could have a harder time finding employment with General Mills. However, you won’t know for sure unless you put an application in with them.
Here’s what you need to know about background checks:
If your felony conviction was seven years ago, these states won’t even look at them in the check:
- California
- Colorado*
- Kansas*
- Maryland*
- Massachusetts
- Montana
- Nevada
- New Hampshire*
- New York *
- Texas *
- Washington*
(* sometimes certain pay or salary bracket positions require one.)
These eight states don’t consider cases where you were found not guilty:
- Alaska
- California
- Hawaii
- Indiana
- Kentucky
- Massachusetts
- Michigan
- New York
If you live in one of the following states, they will look at your whole record — even the not guilty verdicts:
- Alabama
- Arizona
- Arkansas
- Connecticut
- DC
- Delaware
- Florida
- Idaho
- Indiana
- 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
The ratings and reviews posted by current and former employees on glassdoor.com tend to be very positive. Almost ¾ of their employees said that they would recommend them to a friend. They have also earned a 3.6 star rating out of a potential 5, based on employee reviews, which is very positive.
Here are a couple of comments posted by employees:
- “Work life balance is the best around” (in 303 reviews)
- “Good place to work, lots of great people” (in 111 reviews)
What felony convictions might have a hard time getting hired here?
The nature of your offense (felony or misdemeanor) should not be a huge issue since most of the entry-level positions available through General Mills will be production-related. Does General Mills hire felons? Yes, but this doesn’t necessarily mean that all positions will be as accessible to former offenders.
Having a criminal record could be a challenge for those who are looking at career areas beyond production positions. For instance, if you are looking at a position in the finance department, but your offense involved theft, you may have trouble getting the job. Or if you were applying for a customer service position, but your offense involved the use of a computer, it may be difficult for you to get that particular job.
You may be reading this article looking for the answer to a lesser question like, Does General Mills hire people with misdemeanors? If so, and your record is for a more minor offense, that may open you up to more possible positions.
Does General Mills drug test?
General Mills has all potential employees go through pre-employment drug screening. Everything we’ve read indicates that receiving a job offer depends on passing your drug test.
On a positive note, once you pass your drug test, the onboarding process seems to move pretty quickly. Employees said they received a call back within one week of passing their drug test.
Have you applied for a job or worked here? Share your experiences!
We hope our answers to questions like the above will help you in your job search.
Did we answer all your questions? Is there anything else you’d like to know about seeking employment with General Mills? And, if you applied or got hired at General Mills with a felony, share your experience in the comments section below. We would love to hear about the interview and hiring process!
