Can A DUI Affect My Chances At a Job?

DUI convictions can have a serious impact on your ability to get or keep a job. Essentially, once you are convicted of a DUI, you will have a stain on your record that can keep some jobs out of your reach, cause you to lose your current job and increase the odds that your resume will go right into the recycle bin.

You can lose your job or have trouble finding a new one

The main reason that DUI causes employment problems is because a conviction will give you a criminal record. This is a public record, and since employers often carry out criminal background checks during the hiring process, they will learn about your DUI conviction, particularly if it happened within the past decade.

Although Colorado passed a “ban the box” law that prevents employers from asking about your criminal history on an application, it does not prevent them from doing background checks during the hiring process or refusing to hire people with a criminal conviction on their record. You can be left out of consideration for a job or fired from your current one due to a DUI conviction. Some employers may not deem a candidate unsuitable due to a DUI conviction, but others do.

Some jobs will be off the table

Certain types of jobs are no longer available to you once you have a DUI conviction in your past, including ones that involve transporting, operating heavy machinery or driving. Just as your auto insurance rates go up after a DUI, the insurance rates employers in some sectors would have to pay for a person with DUI are too high for the employer to bear.

If your profession requires a license, you must report the conviction to the body responsible for the license. Depending on your profession, a DUI conviction could result in the revocation of suspension of your license, regardless of what an employer thinks.

Even if you are able to keep your current job or get one after being convicted for DUI, you will still likely face obstacles just getting to work. With a DUI conviction, your driver’s license could be suspended or revoked. While state laws do allow exceptions that may allow you to get to and from your job, you need to take action to receive that privilege. Speak to a DUI lawyer in Denver, CO as soon as you can if you have been charged with a DUI; you must move quickly to protect your ability to drive. If you can’t drive, you will have to find alternate means of transportation to ensure you can continue to work at your job.

A DUI conviction on your record can make your chances of getting or keeping a job difficult. If you are facing a DUI charge, contact an experienced attorney about your case as soon as you can. Your attorney will help protect your rights and build a strategy to help you get the best potential outcome in your situation.

 

Thanks to Richard J. Banta, PC for their insight into criminal law and how a DUI can affect your job.