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Considering working in the fast food industry? You may want to know: Does Kentucky Fried Chicken hire felons? Kentucky Fried Chicken, owned by Yum! Brands, is headquartered in Louisville, Kentucky. With more than 20,404 locations, the restaurant chain is the world’s second-largest in sales. If you want to know how to get hired at Kentucky Fried Chicken, dive into this article!
We will provide answers to the best of our ability to questions such as:
- Does Kentucky Fried Chicken do background checks?
- How do you prepare for an interview?
- Does Kentucky Fried Chicken hire people with misdemeanors?
Will my conviction stop me from getting a job here? We contact companies directly to ask if they hire ex-felons. Although we have been unable to reach anyone at Kentucky Fried Chicken yet, we will continue trying to make contact while bringing you valuable information based on our extensive online research.
Relaunch Pad knows how hard it can be for former felons to master the job search process and to get hired. We assist them with how to prepare a resume and dress for an interview. Because we hire people with felony convictions or those who have worked with them, we know what we’re talking about. Read on and find out how you can get a job at KFC with a felony.
Does Kentucky Fried Chicken hire felons?
Official company policy for hiring felons
We have found comments on glassdoor.com that say Kentucky Fried Chicken has hired felons in the past for some positions.
We’re encouraged that they will consider a qualified former felon. However, will your record stop you from being hired? Let’s review their hiring practices to help us better determine the likelihood that they will hire a former felon.
Have they hired felons in the past?
Although we were unable to confirm directly with the company whether or not felons have worked for them in the past, we think they have. This information is based on what we’ve seen online.
Does Kentucky Fried Chicken hire people with misdemeanors?
We were unable to get a company statement. However, since our research has found that the company has hired ex-felons, we believe that people with misdemeanors have an even better chance of getting hired.
Is Kentucky Fried Chicken on the Ban the Box list?
The Ban the Box campaign and its sister movement, the Fair Chance Business Pledge, work to help felons get back on their feet. Employers who Ban the Box remove questions about conviction histories from their job applications so ex-felons have a better chance and can get farther in the employment process. Companies that support these actions are good to apply to.
KFC is not ban the box, nor have they signed the Fair Chance Business Pledge. Their application has a box asking about your criminal history.
Does Kentucky Fried Chicken have any special programs for hiring felons?
Although KFC doesn’t currently have any specific programs for hiring felons, local job placement agencies or workforce centers may offer options that can help you to snag the job you want.
What are the odds someone with a felony will get hired?
We think you have uncertain odds of getting hired at KFC. There were conflicting reports online about this, and we haven’t heard from the company. However, for minor convictions, we are confident that your chances for getting hired are more favorable than with a felony.
What are some entry-level jobs?
Entry-level jobs are a great way to get your foot in the door of a company that you want to work at or to get extra experience to help your career goals.
At Kentucky Fried Chicken, employees need to have a positive attitude and be polite, friendly, and show up on time to work their shifts.
Entry-level jobs at Kentucky Fried Chicken are as follows:
- Cook — Prepare/cook large amounts of food, wash dishes, clean, work drive-through and take orders
- Team Member — Assume a wide variety of responsibilities, but mainly prepare food and serve customers
- Cashier — Take orders and cook food
How to get hired at Kentucky Fried Chicken with a felony
If you want to get a job at Kentucky Fried Chicken with a felony, you’ll need to research their website and see what jobs they have to offer. Keep in mind which jobs best match your experience, skills and interest.
Jobs that you held before you went to prison or that you worked in while serving time may have helped you get better at the following skills which could assist you with finding work as an ex-felon:
- A special job for the warden may have helped you learn how to communicate effectively and work well with others
- Working in janitorial services, you learned cleaning, disinfecting and sanitation skills
- If you worked in the infirmary or concessions, you gained some customer service skills
- Working as a clerk or librarian helped you learn research and library skills
A solid resume is key to your job search. Consider getting professional help with your resume. You may get some helpful advice from a local job placement agency with resume preparation, dressing and interview skills.
You might have gained a number of skills from both paid positions and unpaid voluntary work or activities. Remember, any classes or workshops you’ve taken will help show you’re qualified for the job.
When possible, apply for a job in person as it sends the message that you’re serious about the job. Take the time to groom and dress appropriately, get a fresh haircut, brush your teeth, press your clothes, and do your best to cover tattoos.
Tattoos may not be against the company’s policy, but you want to make sure before you show them. You want your first impression to be a good one that favors you as an ideal candidate.
Does Kentucky Fried Chicken do background checks?
We could not obtain a direct statement from Kentucky Fried Chicken. However, the majority of comments online state that yes, KFC does perform background checks for Shift Manager positions and above.
Keep in mind that a background check won’t necessarily disqualify you from a job, but a certain felony may work against you, especially if you’re applying for certain positions.
Here’s what you need to know about background checks:
If your conviction is seven years old, some states don’t view those offenses. So, if your record is six years old, wait the time out so that if you apply for jobs in the states below, your employers won’t see your record:
- California
- Colorado*
- Kansas*
- Maryland*
- Massachusetts
- Montana
- Nevada
- New Hampshire*
- New York*
- Texas*
- Washington*
*sometimes certain pay or salary bracket positions require one.
However, if you were found not guilty, the list of states below does not consider those court cases:
- Alaska
- California
- Hawaii
- Indiana (limited check)
- Kentucky
- Massachusetts
- Michigan
- New York
There are a number of states that report everything on their background check process. If you are looking for a job in these states, employers will see your entire record, even if you were found not guilty:
- 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
Company ratings
With nearly 3,000 reviews on the site glassdoor.com, Kentucky Fried Chicken received an average score of 3.2 out of a possible 5 stars, and 52% of people would recommend a friend.
There was a fair balance of positive and negative comments. The more positive comments were related to benefits of free or reduced food and flexible scheduling. Typical of this industry, the negative comments were associated with dissatisfaction with pay, disrespectful customers or lack of help.
What felony convictions might have a hard time getting hired here?
Based on KFC’s job application, there are questions about if you’ve ever been convicted of a crime (does not include minor traffic violations), if you’re currently charged with a crime, or if you’ve ever threatened or committed an act of violence, harassment, or discrimination. Whether your felony could prevent you from getting hired or not may depend upon the job or other factors about the crime.
Depending on what position you are being considered for, convictions related to robbery, burglary, larceny or sex crimes may make it harder to get hired.
However, don’t let your record be the reason that you don’t apply. The only way to know what will happen is to apply.
Does Kentucky Fried Chicken drug test?
Although we weren’t able to find their drug testing policy, most comments online stated that they don’t perform drug tests. However, since we cannot confirm this with the company, we would say there’s a possibility that drug tests are performed, even if it’s random.
Have you applied for a job or worked here before? Share your experiences!
If you have ever worked at Kentucky Fried Chicken, we’d love to hear your tips to help an ex-felon have a better chance to get hired.
Best of luck!
