Finding employment with a felony record is not an easy job. There is always a negative perspective regarding recruiting an ex-felon. This hinders one’s future career prospects. The life of a person with a felony is really hard. The criminal record will not only affect him personally but also have a strong impact on his family members. It often drastically changes their social lives.
If you are an ex-felon and hoping to find employment to bring about a change for your family and yourself, then this article is for you. JPMorgan Chase is an excellent choice if you are looking for companies that will look past your felony record and give you a second chance. Why is it an excellent choice? The following part of the article will explain to you clearly.
Company Overview
JPMorgan Chase & Co. is one of America’s major multinational financial companies. It is well known for investment banking and financial services. JPMorgan Chase is currently the largest bank in the United States and the 6th largest bank in the world based on its total assets – $2.73 trillion. It is also the largest global company by market capitalization. Besides, JPMorgan Chase is one of the oldest banks in the United States and is currently headquartered in Manhattan, New York.
It offers products including bond trading, broker services, debt settlement, asset management, digital banking, currency exchange, insurance, investment banking, and hedge funds. In particular, its hedge fund is considered to be the third-largest hedge fund in the world. With such a large scale, the company has hired more than 257 thousand employees so far.
Jobs at JPMorgan Chase
Being a big player in both the banking and the financial sector, JPMorgan Chase endeavors to offer the best services to all its clients. It takes the utmost care when it comes to hiring someone to provide excellent financial services and products. So, JPMorgan Chase focuses on providing equal employment opportunities to almost everyone to attract good employees. Even if you have little experience, there will still be entry-level jobs you can apply.
Entry-Level Positions
The average salaries for these entry-level positions usually range from $11.66 to $63.95 per hour. The common jobs at the company are executive director, application analyst, teller, customer assistant, and software engineer. You can see the average salaries of some jobs in the table below.
| Job | Salary (per year) |
|---|---|
| Customer Assistant | $49,749 |
| Customer Service Representative | $32,647 |
| Collector | $38,131 |
| Teller | $24,266 |
| Plumbers Helper | $54,774 |
| Controls Engineer | $36,518 |
| Loan Officer | $43,856 |
| Collection Agent | $32,997 |
| Security Officer | $31,579 |
| Loss Prevention Manager | $45,417 |
| Quality Specialist | $34,922 |
| Front End Developer | $120,447 |
| Application Developer | $109,457 |
All these salaries are subjective to changes depending on the location and requirements of the organization.
Will JPMorgan Chase Hire You?
The answer is yes. According to Fortune, JP Morgan Chase recruited more than 20,000 employees in the U.S in 2018 and approximately 10% of them were ex-convicts. The company tries to give job opportunities to 10% of people with criminal backgrounds annually and also makes sure not to threaten the functioning of the financial system. Also, JPMorgan Chase will make significant investments close to $7 million to help organizations that connect and provide vocational training and life skills for ex-felons. These organizations are mainly from Detroit, Nashville, New York, Seattle, Chicago, Delaware, and Wilmington.
JPMorgan Chase also emphasized that their goal now is to provide entry-level jobs for past minor offenders such as DUI, low-level drug possession and disorderly conduct. Besides, the company supports criminal-justice reforms to reduce penalties for some misdemeanors as well as make it easier for people to expunge their criminal records.
Being one of the largest banks in America, it does believe in inclusiveness and providing equal opportunities to everyone. So, you might stand a chance of getting hired in a reputed organization. Although the financial and banking sector is a difficult sector for ex-felons to find a job, it is not impossible.
Ban The Box List
Ban the box list is a campaign by civil rights groups for the elimination of the checkbox that requires someone to answer if they were previously convicted or not. This ensures that employers don’t disqualify applicants from attending an interview or initial screening process solely based on criminal records. JPMorgan adheres to this policy and does not ask anyone for a criminal record while applying for a job.
Fair Chance Hiring
JPMorgan Chase is a strong advocate of the Fair Chance Hiring pledge. Research shows that disclosing any information related to conviction or criminal records reduces the chances of hiring a person by almost 50 percent. Even the qualified applicants are also disqualified even before interviewing them.
JPMorgan Chase supports state and federal laws to limit the company’s ability to ask this information during the hiring process. This ensures that equal consideration is given to all applicants without any discrimination against convicted applicants. However, background checks will be performed to ensure that the safety of the bank is not under threat. But that is only done with the consent of the applicant.
Other Policies
JPMorgan Chase also extended its support to other policies like Restoring Pell grant, Clean Slate Record Clearing. Besides, it supports to reform the financial services industry hiring policy. Furthermore, the company tried to help the convicts with entrepreneurship and other business programs.
Does JP Morgan Do Background checks?
Although JPMorgan Chase believes in providing equal opportunities to all the applicants, background checks are almost inevitable after the interview process. The company does not frame the rules for hiring an applicant but makes sure that all the rules of the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA) are followed while recruiting someone.
FINRA members usually use fingerprints of their employees for identifying and verifying the background. They will look out for previous financial convictions and indictments so that the bank’s security is not under threat. All the details given in the resume will be verified and make sure that they are true.
How to Get Hired at JPMorgan Chase with a Felony?
Gaining employment might be very difficult for some types of felonies such as bribery, counterfeiting, forgery, fraud, and felonies related to insurance, real estate, and banking. If you think that you are an eligible applicant and hoping for hire, then here are some tips that might help you.
1. Online Vs Walk-In
Are you going to apply online or go to the bank in person? Visiting the bank and applying directly for the preferred job are always better because you get a chance to look at the person who will be hiring you and get a chance to talk about your career choice. Participate in the interview actively, ask questions about your prospective job. Let the recruiter know your interest in that job.
2. A Good Resume Helps Your Case
Prepare a well-written and formatted resume. A neat and concise resume will be really helpful. Highlight your skills and show the recruiter that you are a good team worker. Take with you all the documents needed for the interview.
3. Apply for a Job That Matches Your Skillset
Try to find some skills that you had developed while you were in prison and apply to related jobs. Do researches on all the possible interview questions in employment forums related to JPMorgan Chase. Also, think about how you will be answering those questions when asked in your interview.
4. Follow A Dress Code to Improve Your Impression
When you go to the bank for an interview, dress and groom yourself well and have a positive attitude. If you have a tattoo, then cover them up until you get to know about JPMorgan Chase’s Tattoo policy. Since most of the bank jobs demand you to be tidy, get yourself a decent hairdo too.
5. Earn More Skills
Try to join online courses in the area you had applied to. Also, obtain the full qualifications of the skills you have listed in the resume. This will help you improve your knowledge and experience that the company needs. You will be in a better position compared to all other applicants.
6. Be Honest with Your Background Information
When asked about your record, just be honest. Let the recruiter know that you are more than willing to leave your past behind and move ahead in life. Tell them how you have changed and what you are willing to do for the company if recruited.
With all those tips, your chances of getting a job will improve greatly. Although it is very difficult for ex-felons to find employment in the banking and financial sector if you never try, you will never know!
>>> Click Here to Apply for Available Jobs at JPMorgan Chase