Are you looking for an opportunity in retail sales? If so, you may have given some thought to Foot Locker, but asked yourself: Does Foot Locker hire felons?
In order to help clear up any questions you may have, we researched Foot Locker. Here at Successful Release, we contact companies directly and ask them about their hiring policies for former felons.
See, most of us at Successful Release are former felons too, so we have experience walking in your shoes. This is why we aim to help former offenders overcome the many obstacles faced in finding a job.
We make sure to ask questions like:
Here’s what we know about how to get a job at Foot Locker with a felony.
We haven’t managed to get through yet, but we’re going to keep attempting to make contact.
We did see this statement one of their job applications:
“No applicant will be denied employment solely on the grounds of a conviction for a criminal offense. The nature of the offense, the surrounding circumstances and the relevance of the offense to the position for which you are applying will be considered.”
Looking high and low for an exact answer left us empty handed. We checked all of our online sources, but nothing indicated if they have or haven’t. We’re going to continue searching to see what else we can find about how to get hired at Foot Locker with a felony.
Usually any type of criminal record can make it difficult when looking for a job. However, there wasn’t anything uncovered that spoke on misdemeanors specifically.
The Ban the Box campaign is a great asset for former felons. It ensures that individuals with a criminal record have an equal chance at being hired. Ban the Box urges employers to remove questions about previous convictions from their applications. This way the employer isn’t blinded by the applicant’s criminal record and sees them as any other applicant.
The Fair Chance Business Pledge is a commitment that employers make when agreeing to fair hiring practices for all applicants — including convicted felons.
The application we looked at asked about your criminal history. Since they don’t support either of the movements mentioned above, that’s not a big surprise.
These special programs aren’t offered by Foot Locker.
Applying at Foot Locker with a felony? The odds of you being hired are uncertain. There’s not enough evidence to answer without speaking to them directly.
However, we outline some pointers in an upcoming section that strengthen your odds. So let’s move on to see how to get a job at Foot Locker with a felony!
Here are the possibilities we ran across:
The Sales Associate position is offered as part- and full-time. You’d be the first point of contact for all customers. You’ll need to know about Foot Locker’s offerings so you can assist customers. Since this is a customer service position, any experience in customer service or sales will be a plus but is not required.
Another option is a Sales Lead. This position mirrors the Sales Associate job, but includes a few more duties and requirements. You also have to be a dependable employee, since you’ll assume responsibilities over other team members. Possessing the ability to motivate and inspire your team in providing excellent customer service while achieving sales goals is important.
Foot Locker has corporate jobs for those with more experience as well. Be sure to look at their complete job listings to see if there’s something you’re qualified for!
We want you to have the best opportunity in applying with Foot Locker. That‘s why we put together a few tips for a successful hiring process.
An important tool that can help you stand out when applying for any job is the resume. Your resume is like a snapshot of all of your experience and skills. This means you need to tell Foot Locker about all of your work history, education and examples of character.
Mention specific examples of times you sold merchandise or performed stocking or inventory duties. Make sure you list out any charity work or awards you’ve received, as well! All of these show you’re a good applicant.
We understand that the resume can be intimidating, so we created a guide just to make it a little less scary. Make sure you take a peek for some wonderful insight on how you can highlight key skills.
The final step is the interview. Any time you’re preparing for an interview, it’s a great idea to practice. Practicing in front of the mirror is a good way to remember to make eye contact and smile.
One of the big questions around interviews is what to wear. In this case, wear something business casual, like khakis and a polo-style shirt. More importantly, wear a smile! You need to look like a friendly and approachable person.
But does Foot Locker hire felons? Since we’re unclear if they’ll hire felons, this is also the ideal time to make them aware of your record. Speaking up says a lot about your integrity and honesty — both wonderful traits employers look for.
Yes, Foot Locker mentions on their application that a pre-employment background check will be done. We checked!
Here are some things to keep in mind regarding background checks:
There are now states that will see an offense only if it’s less than seven years old. Here are those states:
(*certain pay or salary bracket positions require a screening.)
We also have states that will see only guilty convictions. They are as follows:
Unfortunately, while great strides are being made, there are still a great number of states that look at everything. Here are those states:
We reviewed glassdoor.com and found that Foot Locker is rated with 3.6 out of 5 stars. Let’s take a closer look to see how they got their score.
Apparently working at Foot Locker includes some pretty good employee discounts with a great work environment. However, on the downside, it appears that the hours are long and the pay is low.
Every employer has certain things they look for in an employee, including things they’re looking out for:
Here are a few convictions we feel may give you a harder time getting hired at Foot Locker.
Expect Foot Locker to look at a theft conviction very closely. They carry a lot of name brands, and some can be quite pricey. Since they have a stock of these items on hand, and most positions will have access to credit cards and the cash register, these convictions may make it very difficult to be hired.
This is a customer-oriented company, so a violent or sexual crime may also be looked at harder than others.
Nothing uncovered spoke on a drug test. Keep in mind that, there’s always a chance they’ll request one — so be prepared!
Did you find our article informative? Do you know someone who has worked here with a felony? Please let us know. We value any feedback you can provide.
Kristin is a Contributing Writer to Successful Release. After serving 12 1/2 years in prison Kristin enjoys helping others overcome some of the obstacles she also faced after her release. She is an avid supporter of AIM ( Aid to Inmate Mothers) and in her spare time she enjoys making crafts and spending time with her dog Tydus.
