Many sources show that Goodwill does go background checks.
What to know about background checks:
For some states, seven years is the farthest a background check can go back. If your felony happened seven years ago or more, it may not be a problem for you in these states:
- California
- Colorado*
- Kansas*
- Maryland*
- Massachusetts
- Montana
- Nevada
- New Hampshire*
- New York*
- Texas*
- Washington*
(* sometimes certain pay or salary bracket positions require one.)
More good news. In the following states, felonies in which you were declared not guilty will not show up on a background check:
- Alaska
- California
- Hawaii
- Indiana (limited check)
- Kentucky
- Massachusetts
- Michigan
- New York
If you live in the following states, however, we have bad news. These states make your entire record visible to background checks. Guilty convictions, not-guilty — everything will be on the table. You may run into bigger challenges when applying here:
- Alabama
- Arizona
- Arkansas
- Connecticut
- DC
- Delaware
- Florida
- Idaho
- Indiana (extensive check)
- Iowa
- Louisiana
- Maine
- Mississippi
- Missouri
- Nebraska
- New Jersey
- North Carolina
- North Dakota
- Ohio
- Oregon
- Rhode Island
- South Carolina
- Tennessee
- Utah
- Vermont
- Virginia
- West Virginia
- Wisconsin
- Wyoming
Company ratings
Goodwill has a rating of 2.9 rating out of 5 on Glassdoor, with only 40% recommended working there or approving of the CEO. This is slightly below average.
Employees enjoyed being a part of Goodwill’s mission and also said they have great benefits, including PTO!
What they didn’t like was the pay. Goodwill is a non-profit, so it is definitely not the place to go for giant paychecks.
What felonies Goodwill will not hire
They didn’t give us a list of specific felonies that would make you unhireable. We did find some potential barriers in our research, though, so read below.
What felony convictions might have a hard time getting hired here?
Since certain Goodwill positions might have employees in close proximity to women and children, there are certain convictions that will have a very hard time getting hired.
Those with domestic violence convictions may run into a wall when the background check comes in. The same goes for any sexual violence convictions.
If you have any kind of convictions involving children, you will have a hard time getting hired.
Since some positions involve handling money or valuable clothing, theft or fraud charges might be looked down upon too.
Does Goodwill hire sex offenders?
Goodwill hasn’t made this public, but we’re hoping they would consider it. Online reports were inconclusive, unfortunately, so we can’t say.
Does Goodwill drug test?
Online sources have shown us that Goodwill does drug test before hiring employees. They also give drug tests for workplace injuries.
Have you applied for a job or worked here? Share your experiences!
Were you able to get a job at Goodwill with a felony? Share your tips for getting hired below!