FedEx will hire felons, but they are very selective during the hiring and interview process. If you have a recent conviction, multiple felonies, or violent felonies on your record you will be less likely to be hired by FedEx.
Our organization Help For Felons has spoken with many of our clients about their experiences with FedEx regarding the interview and hiring process as a felon. Below you will find a wealth of real-world information that will help you get hired by FedEx with a criminal record.
Please read the entire article to give yourself the best chance at getting the job! In return we ask you to tell others about our organization via social media or word of mouth. We have the power to change things for the better as a group.
Does FedEx Hire Felons?
Yes, it is possible to be hired by FedEx with a felony conviction on your record. There are several steps you can take to improve your chances of being hired during the interview and application process. Let us first look at these steps.
How to Improve your chances of being hired by FedEx with a felony
These 5 simple steps are critical to turning a no into a yes or a maybe. Filling out applications and hoping someone will hire you rarely works. Because you are at such a ridiculously severe disadvantage to other applicants you must work harder and smarter than applicants without a criminal record.
Step 1) Job or position selection
You can increase your chances of being hired by FedEx by selecting the right type of job to apply for. Do not apply for management positions, safety positions or driver positions.
It is much better to apply for a position that has less competition, is in demand and can be handled by an employee that “can’t be fully trusted” because of a felony conviction. Getting your foot in the door will allow you to prove your worth to the company and your supervisor.
The best positions for felons to apply for are as follows.
- Package Handler – “To Provide Movement of Packages, Documents, Dangerous Goods or Supply Support in A Timely, Safe and Efficient Manner Through Effective Scan/Load Methods. This Is A Non-Driving Position.”
- Warehouse/Material Handler – “To Provide Safe and Efficient Operation of Equipment Used for The Movement of Packages/Documents/Heavyweight. To Assist in The Buildup/Breakdown of Pallets Containing Heavyweight Freight.
Both positions are labor intensive but pay well and are open to felons. Keep in mind that the goal of getting this job is to get your foot in the door and to move up later.
Here is a little insight into the job I am telling you to apply for!
Step 2) Application
FedEx utilizes an online application that is relatively easy to follow and fill out. You can find the application here. Do NOT fill it out yet though, not until you have read the rest of this post.
The good news for you is that the application does NOT ask you if you have a criminal record or any felony convictions. The application is simple and straightforward.
Make sure you do the following when filling out the FedEx application.
- Double check for any mistakes. You do not want a silly mistake to keep you from getting an interview.
- Make sure you are honest about your previous addresses, work history and anything else. FedEx will run a complete background check and will know everything about you. If you lie, they will catch you so do NOT do it!
After you fill out and submit your application the waiting game starts. Remember at this point FedEx has no clue that you have a felony. They will not run a background check until after your interview.
Step 3) Interview
This is your time to shine and impress the hiring manager. I am not going to go into detail on how to interview well as I am not an expert on that subject. What I am an expert on is how to deal with this nagging felony attached to you like a leach.
Even though FedEx knows nothing about your felony this is the time to bring it up with the person that is conducting the interview.
Why? Because this is the only time you will have any control over their decision or opinion. If you leave the interview and the hiring manager gets a “surprise, felony record” fax a week later from the background check company they will be much more apt to cut you than if it is not a surprise and they know your story.
How to present you felony to the FedEx hiring manager
There are several things you need to do to explain your felony. You must be prepared to present your felony to the interviewer both orally and in written form. Here are the details.
H3 Explaining your felony to the FedEx hiring manager
- Timing is everything – Do not bring this up until the interview is almost finished, but not after it has ended. This allows the interviewer to form a good opinion about you before you bring up the bad news. Nine times out of ten towards the end of the interview the hiring manager will ask you if you have any questions. This is the time to let then know about your criminal record. Do not use the word felony yet.
- Explain your felony – Now everyone’s story is different so some variation may be needed for your particular situation. You need to explain in brief how you got in trouble and what happened. Be brief and do not dwell on this part. Limit this to a minute or less.
- Explain what you have done since your felony – This is especially important and should be well thought out. Talk about what you have done to change your life including but not limited to; education, classes, skills gained, lessons learned and how you want to continue your life by finding a home at FedEx. Keep the attention on the present and not the past.
- Final note – After you have done your explaining it is time to ask the interviewer if they have any questions. After the interview is concluded thank them for their time.
Make sure that you are sincere and honest throughout the entire interview. Many hiring managers have years of experience interviewing applicants and they easily pick up on when people are trying to snowball them. Do not do it. Be calm and truthful.
Written Explanation
It is important to have a short letter concerning your felony. Keep it brief and to the point and do not provide too many details. The most important part of this is not the letter but what goes with it.
Attached to the letter provide any awards, certifications, diplomas, and a few letters of reference attesting to your character.
After you have explained your felony to the interviewer then give them the letter and attached documents.
Step 5) Post Interview
Have you ever heard “make sure you follow up after the interview?” I am not a big believer in this. Wait and see what happens is the best thing you can do. I urge you not to get your hopes up about any job, but I know for a fact that felons have been hired by FedEx.
Contributing factors regarding FedEx hiring you
I can tell you for a fact that some felony convictions are a 100% guarantee that FedEx will not hire you. Murder and sex offense charges are extremely hard to overcome for many. There are many other factors that will also play into FedExes decision.
- Time since you have been released. The more time that has gone by the better chance you will have at being hired.
- The type of conviction also makes a difference. Violent felonies are worse that non-violent, but I cannot tell you specifically which felonies are “better” than others.
- What you have done to improve yourself since you got into trouble.
Expungement and FedEx
I will only touch on this briefly. If you do not know what expungement is it is basically a legal way to wipe your felony off your record.
Yes, it can be expensive and not all felonies can be expunged but it is well worth investigating. Most expungement lawyers will give a free consultation. If you can successfully expunge your record, then companies like FedEx will have no clue that you were ever convicted.
FedEx pay
As stated earlier in the article I specifically mentioned the type of job you should be applying for at FedEx. The pay for these positions is good but changes depending on what location you are applying at. Generally speaking, it appears most people make around 12 to 18 dollars per hour.
FedEx Benefits
The FedEx employee benefits package is top tier. Covering health care, 401k retirement plan, tuition reimbursement, and paid vacation among many other benefits. You can check out the full scope of FedEx’s benefits here.
Background Check Limits
It is important to understand that some states have laws regarding how far back a criminal background check can go. This may play a big part in whether FedEx will hire you or not. Here are the laws.
Twelve states do not allow any felony conviction information older than seven years to be reported.
- California
- Colorado*
- Kansas*
- Maryland*
- Massachusetts
- Montana
- Nevada
- New Hampshire*
- New York *
- Texas *
- Washington*
(* exceptions based on pay/salary)
These states will report unlimited numbers of years back of felony convictions and also report NOT guilty verdicts: Mississippi, Missouri, Nebraska, New Jersey, North Carolina, North Dakota, Ohio, Oregon, Rhode Island, Alabama, Arizona, Arkansas, Connecticut, Delaware, DC, Florida, Idaho, Indiana, Iowa, Louisiana, Maine, South Carolina, Tennessee, Utah, Vermont, Virginia, West Virginia, Wisconsin, and Wyoming.
FedEx has no outright ban on Felons
Their website does not come right out and say, ‘No, we don’t hire felons!’ Meanwhile, many job review boards cite examples indicating that some people have run into issues getting jobs with FedEx, which they ‘believe’ were due to felonies. However, we know that they do hire some felons in some instances. Our opinion is that it is worth your time to go through the application process.
It is worth noting again that the FedEx application does not ask about any criminal convictions including felonies.
FedEx drivers and DUI
FedEx obviously has a need for qualified drivers, so having experience in that field is a huge bonus…but having a DUI on record could disqualify you automatically. Warehouse work or experience in parcel handling and other courier service is also highly valuable (as is being healthy and strong enough to lift 75 pounds!), but if you have a DUI apply for a warehouse position.
FedEx Companies
You need to know a little about the company you are applying for so here it is.
FedEx is made up of several companies, all owned by FedEx Corp, which employees over 400,000 personnel.
So, they have ‘transportation, e-commerce and business services’ all operating independently of each other. Thus, FedEx Express, Ground, Freight, Office, Custom Critical, Trade Networks, Supply Chain, Services, Corporation are actually all unique businesses in their own right. But the benefits package and hiring practices are streamlined, so you can expect the same things from each.
Federal Express, also known as FedEx, is a global leader in rapid package delivery services. Their reach is international, but primarily we are interested in their vast network of United States routes. Unlike the United States Postal Service, FedEx is a private corporation, and as such they have their own hiring practices when hiring felons.
The Bottom Line
Bottom line is, do an objective analysis of your own felon past, consider how that will look to a hiring manager who might want to consider you for a specific job. Follow the steps outlined above to give yourself the best chance at the job.
Facts are facts; they have a lot of jobs, and a lot of people applying for those jobs. So be honest during your application and if they request ‘additional information’ to finish up your background check, then give it to them. Better yet like we talked about earlier, be forthcoming in advance so they will not have any question.
If the job you want requires a CDL, please check out “Trucking Companies that Hire Felons.”
Good luck with your FedEx application! We hope this article helped!