Staffing Agencies that Hire Felons and How to Get the Job

Are you a former felon who’s struggling to find work on your own? If so, keep reading, and we’ll tell you how staffing agencies that hire felons could be the answer!

What exactly do we mean by “staffing agencies?” These are companies that specialize in providing businesses with a steady supply of quality employees. This means they contact large employers in the area to find out their hiring needs. They look at things like:

• How many people does the company need to hire?
• Do potential employees need any special qualifications?
• What is the company willing to pay these employees?

From there, they draw up a contract with that employer and start their search. That’s where you come in! These staffing agencies often have a huge quota of employees to fill for these companies. Not only that, but they’re generally paid based on the number of quality employees they provide. Therefore, if they don’t fill the empty positions, they don’t get paid.

That’s why temp agencies that hire felons are a huge benefit to former offenders looking for work. You need a job (so you can get paid) and they need good workers (so they can get paid). It’s a win-win scenario!

In this article, we’ll take an in-depth look at several major staffing agencies in the US. We’ll assess whether each agency is felon-friendly or not. And we’ll also give you some pointers on how to get a job at a staffing agency.

Why would we take the time to put together an article like this? At Relaunch Pad, our goal is to help you live a normal life after prison. Getting a job is a big part of that. However, for many former felons, finding employment is one of the biggest challenges they face when trying to improve their lives after prison. How do we know this? Many of the people on our team are former offenders, and others have worked closely with them in reentry programs.

The bottom line: We care because we’ve been there.

With that in mind, let’s launch into how you can get started identifying local staffing agencies that hire felons. We’ll also answer questions like:

• Are there staffing agencies that hire felons on probation?
• Where can I find staffing agencies that hire recent felons?
• What are the odds of finding staffing agencies that hire felons with no experience?
• What about staffing agencies that hire felons after 5 years?

Staffing agencies that hire felons

Let’s start with overviews of each of the companies mentioned above. We’ll look at whether or not they hire former felons, as well as their procedures for background checks and drug testing.

Adecco

Adecco is a staffing agency that matches people with both permanent and temporary job openings. They have stated a willingness to “consider for employment qualified applicants with arrest and conviction records.” And we know from our research that they’ve hired former felons in the past.

While we believe former offenders have an average chance of getting hired here, it’s important to know that they will most likely do a background check. We also read reports that they do drug testing for certain positions.

If this sounds like the one for you, go to their careers page here.

Eastridge Workforce Solutions

When we contacted them to find out if they hire former felons, they let us know that “Eastridge does not place felons.” This clearly indicates a low chance that former offenders will be able to get a job here.

However, it’s possible that they’re willing to find positions for people with misdemeanors. Our research led us to believe that their policies for running background checks and drug testing depend on the client they’re hiring for.

If this sounds like the one for you, go to their careers page here.

Express Employment

We know from our team members’ experience that Express Employment is extremely felon-friendly. Their website makes it clear that they “promote individuals solely based on their qualifications for the job.”

While there is a high chance that former offenders will find work through Express, there are some things about their hiring process you should be aware of:

1. You’ll go through an interview to see what skills you have that could be useful to the companies they’re working with.
2. They will ask you questions about your legal history and will most likely run a background check to confirm your responses.
3. After this interview process, you will likely be asked to complete an on-site urinalysis/drug-screening.

If this sounds like the one for you, go to their careers page here.

Integrity Staffing

Integrity Staffing serves thousands of clients all over the USA. When we asked them if they hire former felons, they told us “no one is automatically disqualified” because of their background. This indicates that some of their clients are open to hiring former felons, while others may not be.

Overall, we believe former felons have an average chance of finding a job through Integrity Staffing. Be aware that most employees reported going through a background check during the hiring process, and many positions required a drug test as well.

If this sounds like the one for you, go to their careers page here.

Kelly Services

Kelly Services not only works with companies all across the USA, they actually have clients all around the world! When we asked them about hiring former felons, they let us know that each applicant is considered on an individual basis. However, they also confirmed they’ve hired former offenders in the past.

This means there’s a high likelihood other former felons can find work through Kelly Services! Just know that you’ll probably go through a background check and drug test when you apply.

If this sounds like the one for you, go to their careers page here.

Manpower

Manpower works with their clients to fill temporary, temporary-to-permanent and permanent positions for clients in many different industries. While we haven’t received a direct statement from them about hiring former felons, it looks like they have hired former offenders in the past. This varies from one client to the next (based on their specifications).

Still, our research leads us to believe former felons have an average chance of getting a job through Manpower. It also tells us that all applicants will undergo a background check and may be drug tested at any time before or during their employment.

If this sounds like the one for you, go to their careers page here.

Oasis Outsourcing

Oasis Outsourcing works primarily with small- and medium-sized businesses. Their response to our inquiry about hiring felons indicates that many of their clients have hired former offenders “under certain conditions.” It appears that each client has the opportunity to review a potential employee’s background before they come to work for them.

With this being the case, we believe there’s a high likelihood that Oasis Outsourcing will be able to find work for former felons. Keep in mind that they’ll most likely do a background check when adding you to their candidate pool. Also, depending on their clients’ requirements, you may have to pass a drug test to be eligible for certain assignments.

If this sounds like the one for you, go to their careers page here.

The Onin Group

The Onin Group let us know that they’re willing to hire anyone. However, they told us that when it comes to placing former offenders, it comes down to what offenses their clients “are willing to accept.”

We think you have a high likelihood of finding work through The Onin Group because they’ve made it clear that they’ve hired former felons in the past. During their intake process, they will ask you questions about your background and the skills you have to offer their clients. You will probably also need to complete an on-site urinalysis drug test as a part of this process.

If this sounds like the one for you, go to their careers page here.

Peoplelink Staffing Solutions

Peoplelink Staffing Solutions is another staffing agency with locations all across the USA. While we haven’t contacted them directly, we were able to get a great deal of information from their website and company review sites. These sources indicate that Peoplelink is willing to hire former offenders.

It looks like former felons have an average chance of finding work through Peoplelink. Some of their clients are willing to hire former felons, while others are not. They make it clear on their website that potential employees will be asked to submit “a drug screen consent form, release of criminal records, and references.”

If this sounds like the one for you, go to their careers page here.

Randstad

Randstad is another large staffing agency in the US. While we haven’t received any information from them directly, we have done some research into whether or not they hire former felons. Ultimately, our research returned mixed results.

With that being the case, we can only say that it’s unclear whether or not someone with a criminal record will be able to find work through Randstad. We do know that it looks like all potential employees will go through a background check and drug screening process.

If this sounds like the one for you, go to their careers page here.

Remedy Staffing

Remedy Staffing is another staffing agency we have attempted to contact regarding their willingness to hire former offenders. Since we haven’t heard back from them, we’ve done our own research into their hiring practices. Fortunately, our research indicated they have hired former felons in the past.

One key distinction with Remedy Staffing is that it looks as though your felony may need to be over seven years old to work with them. This leads us to believe that former offenders have an average chance of finding work through Remedy Staffing. Our research also leads us to believe that all applicants will be asked to undergo a background check and a drug test.

If this sounds like the one for you, go to their careers page here.

Robert Half

One of the main differences between Robert Half and other staffing agencies is that they seem to offer more clerical and office positions. When we asked them if they hire former felons, their response was unclear. While it’s possible they’re willing to hire former offenders, we didn’t find any information in our research to confirm that they have.

With that being said, it’s simply unclear how good the chances are that former felons will find work through Robert Half. We do know that any offer of employment they extend depends on the results of your background check. Drug testing appears to be done on an individual basis, based on the client’s requirements.

If this sounds like the one for you, go to their careers page here.

Roth Staffing

Roth Staffing has offices in major cities all across the USA. We haven’t yet made contact with them, and the information we found during our research left us uncertain whether or not they hire former felons.

While they’re willingness to hire former felons is unclear, they do make it clear that all applicants will go through a background check and drug screening.

If this sounds like the one for you, go to their careers page here.

Veritude

Veritude differs from other agencies in that it is the internal staffing resource for Fidelity Investments. According to their statement, felonies make potential employees “ineligible in an overwhelming number of cases.”

This obviously indicates a low chance that former felons will be able to find jobs through Veritude. Along with their extremely thorough background check, it looks like most candidates are asked to complete a drug screening as well.

If this sounds like the one for you, go to their careers page here.

Temp agencies that hire felons with restrictions

Staffing agencies that hire recent felons

So, after looking through the list of major staffing agencies above, you may be wondering which ones are likely to hire felons who’ve been released recently. If you’ve just returned home after prison, we recommend speaking with one of these staffing agencies:

• Adecco
• Express Employment
• Integrity Staffing
• Kelly Services
• Manpower
• Oasis Outsourcing
• The Onin Group
• Peoplelink Staffing Solutions

Staffing agencies that hire felons on probation

For some of you, your felony may not have required you to go to prison at all. Instead, you may have been released on probation. If that’s the case, you may be looking for temp agencies that hire felons who are on probation. Here are our recommendations:

• Adecco
• Express Employment
• Integrity Staffing
• Kelly Services
• Manpower
• Oasis Outsourcing
• The Onin Group
• Peoplelink Staffing Solutions

Staffing agencies that hire felons after 5 years

In researching other industries, we’ve found that many employers require your felony to be over five years old before they’ll consider hiring you. As you can tell, the staffing agency industry is very different in this respect. In fact, most of the companies we looked at above seem to be willing to hire former felons right away after their release!

The only exception we found from our list was Remedy Staffing, which prefers that your felony be over seven years old before they hire you. The main lesson here: there are companies out there which may be more open to hiring you when your felony is a little further in the past.

Staffing agencies that hire felons with no experience

Some of you may be wondering if there are staffing agencies that will hire you even if you don’t have any experience in the type of work their clients do. Fortunately, most temp agencies do!

While they’re always happy to find potential employees with relevant experience, most of them (and their clients) understand that you’ll need training. With this in mind, don’t let a lack of experience be a barrier to applying with any of these companies:

• Adecco
• Express Employment
• Integrity Staffing
• Kelly Services
• Manpower
• Oasis Outsourcing
• The Onin Group
• Peoplelink Staffing Solutions
• Remedy Staffing

Local staffing agencies that hire felons

Many of the staffing agencies we’ve looked at so far have offices located all throughout the USA. However, it’s also entirely possible that there are smaller temp agencies that hire felons located near you. Be sure to take some time to check and see if there are smaller agencies in your area that might be willing to consider hiring you. You can look for these companies in a few different ways:

1. If you have a phone book, check in the yellow pages under “staffing agencies” or “temp agencies”.
2. Do a Google search for “staffing agencies near me”.
3. Ask your local career center if they’re aware of any other staffing agencies in your area.

How to get a job with staffing agencies that hire felons

Are you ready to submit your application with a staffing agency near you? Great! Before you run out and apply with a staffing agency near you, here’s what we recommend:

• First, do a little research to see which staffing agencies have offices in your area. You can also search many of the staffing agencies’ websites to find out what companies they’re hiring for.
• Next, put together a great resume. Staffing agencies tend to work with a wide variety of clients, so putting together a resume that highlights all of your skills is key. Or, if you know of a specific client of theirs that you’d like to work with, you can tailor your resume to that end.

Once you find a staffing agency you’re interested in, here are some tips to make the most of the interview process:

• Dress “business casual” and head into their office. You want to look professional since it’s likely you’ll have an interview while you’re there.
• Upon arrival, you’ll probably need to enter your resume information into their system. They may also have you take some tests to see what skills you have that could be useful to their clients.
• After that, they’ll most likely sit down with you for an interview. Be sure to be honest with them about your background, as most of them will do a background check to confirm your information.
• Try to keep your answers focused on how you’ve worked on bettering yourself since the time of your offense. Make sure you avoid prison slang and bad language, and don’t tell stories that glorify your criminal behavior.
• Overall, you want to talk about the skills you’ll bring to the job and why you’re the perfect person to work for their client. A few key things staffing agencies love to hear about potential employees are qualities like: being willing to work any shift, being a fast learner, and being dependable. Having reliable transportation is very important to them as well.

Now that you’ve nailed the interview, here’s what you need to do:

• Ask lots of questions. Figure out exactly where the company is that you’ll be working for. What are the hours you’ll be working? Do they have an employee entrance? Who do you need to speak with when you get there? Do they require special clothing (steel-toed boots, etc.)?
• Be on time and avoid missing work if at all possible! Some of the jobs you get may be temporary, while others will be temp-to-hire positions. That means from the moment you start working for them, they’re wondering if you’re the type of person they’d like to hire full-time. Things like tardiness, frequent absences and laziness are major turn-offs.
• On the other hand, if you get in there and work hard, it’s entirely possible they’ll want to hire you on directly once your temp contract is up. In this way, what started as a few days (or weeks) of work can actually turn into a career! It all starts with a good work ethic and a great attitude!

Have you been hired by a staffing agency before? Share your experiences!

Are you a former felon who’s found work through a temp agency? If so, please share your story in the comments below. We’d love to hear about your experience. Do you have any advice for our readers that we may have overlooked? Or do you know of any temp agencies we didn’t mention above that are felon-friendly?

Also, if you have any questions that we didn’t answer above, please feel free to ask them here. We’d love to hear from you!