Does John Deere Hire Felons in 2020?

John Deere may very well be the most recognizable farm equipment brand on the planet. Whether you are interested in agriculture or simply looking for a job, it may be a good opportunity . . . but does John Deere hire felons?

If your record has made it difficult to find work in the past, this is the question you have to keep on your mind. We also look into other important factors like figuring out when does John Deere do background checks and if they drug test.

In order to get these answers, we go directly to the companies to ask them about their hiring policies. We also use experienced researchers and former felons to provide keen and accurate insights into the job hunting process for former felons.

So, let’s get right to it, shall we? Read on for a detailed account of John Deere’s hiring policies.

Does John Deere hire felons?

Official company policy for hiring felons

As always, we went directly to the company to ask them about the approach they take to making a hire. Unfortunately, they have not gotten around to telling us yet.

We will keep reaching out to the company in the hopes of updating our information. In the meantime, we have done a little bit of independent research.

According to what we found online, it looks like they may be open to hiring former felons in certain situations. We won’t be able to get much more specific than that until we hear back from the company.

Has John Deere hired felons in the past?

Based on what we found, it looks like John Deere has hired ex-felons in the past. While we aren’t sure how they make their final decision yet, we have seen reports from former felons claiming that they’ve found work there.

Does John Deere hire people with misdemeanors?

We haven’t seen any direct reports claiming that John Deere will hire people with misdemeanors, but it seems likely that they will. Most companies that are willing to hire former felons will also hire people with misdemeanors under the right set of circumstances.

Is John Deere on the Ban the Box list?

The Ban the Box movement is an initiative to remove questions about a candidate’s criminal history from job applications. Employers often remove former felons from consideration when they see a yes on the “previous conviction” box. If that box isn’t there, the employer looks at your qualifications first.

There is also the Fair Chance Business Pledge. Companies that take this Pledge promise that they will not discriminate in their hiring practices.

John Deere is not involved in either movement. While this may not sound too good, it’s actually not a huge deal. There are many companies that will hire felons without being involved in either movement.

Does John Deere have special programs for hiring felons?

There are some companies that have special hiring programs designed to make it easier for former felons to find work. These programs may make it a little bit easier and more straightforward for former felons to find work.

However, they are also fairly rare and John Deere has none.

What are the odds someone with a felony will get hired?

So, let’s review what we know. John Deere seems to have a willingness to hire former felons. They have, indeed, hired former felons in the past. However, they don’t participate in the Ban the Box movement and they don’t have any special programs for hiring former felons.

Based on the information that we have, we can only say that your chances of getting hired with a criminal record are average. Once we hear from the company, we will adjust those odds.

What about for lesser offenses, you say? Does John Deere hire people with misdemeanors at the same rate? Your chances actually might be better if your record is for something more minor.

What are some entry-level jobs?

Now that you know it is possible to get a job at John Deere with a felony, let’s take a look at a few potential entry-level careers.

John Deere has many “order fulfillment” positions that involve the shipping of their products. These are fairly standard factory jobs that may feature round the clock hours, seven days a week.

They also have customer support, sales and engineering jobs as well (for people with specialized backgrounds).

How to get hired at John Deere with a felony

If you want to get a job at John Deere with a felony, you need to nail the application.

Writing a resume is very difficult (though we break it down for you here), so you may find it worthwhile to look into the services of a career center.

Resources like that are great because you get specific feedback that may help you through all stages of the hiring process. If you don’t have access to this kind of support, you can still improve the quality of your resume by asking a friend or family member to review it.

No matter what, the priority is to highlight experience that is relevant to the job you’re applying for. If you have experience working in a factory, for example, you’re off to a great start! That’s exactly what they want to see. Short of that, any experience working with heavy equipment will help you get hired.

Once you’ve nailed the application, you’ll need to prepare for the interview. Make sure you dress appropriately in office attire. If you don’t have anything of the sort, check around with your community resources. There are some organizations that are willing to lend or donate interview-appropriate clothing to people that need it.

Most importantly, just try to be natural. Everyone gets nervous during interviews. If they’ve called you in for a face-to-face meeting, it means they like your background. Now is your chance to prove you’re the right candidate for the job.

Does John Deere do background checks?

It looks like John Deere will do background checks.

However what they learn will largely depend on where you live. 

For example, if you live in one of these locations, John Deere will only learn about offenses that occurred in the last seven years:

• California
• Colorado*
• Kansas*
• Maryland*
• Massachusetts
• Montana
• Nevada
• New Hampshire*
• New York*
• Texas*
• Washington*

*Higher salary brackets may experience increased background checks.

There are also some places where background checks only reveal crimes that you were found guilty of. If you were indicted but acquitted of a crime in these states, John Deere will never know about it:

• Alaska
• California
• Hawaii
• Indiana (limited check)
• Kentucky
• Massachusetts
• Michigan
• New York

Sadly, there are still many places that display your entire background, including things that you were not found guilty of. In these states, everything shows up on your background check:

• 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

Before you figure out how to get hired at John Deere with your record, you may want to consider what it is like to work there in the first place.

To answer questions about John Deere’s company environment, we went to Glassdoor. We found that the company has a 4.2 out of 5 star rating average. Their highest rating was 4.2 for culture and their lowest was 3.8 for compensation.

What felony convictions might have a hard time getting hired here?

Because heavy machinery is involved in working at John Deere, they may be reluctant to hire people with drug- or alcohol-related offenses.

Most of the jobs at John Deere also involve working with other people. For that reason, they may not look kindly on violent or sexual offenses.

Does John Deere drug test?

From what we can tell, John Deere will test for drugs.

Have you applied for a job or worked here? Share your experiences!

We’re always trying to update our information. To do that, we often depend on feedback from the community. If you have worked at John Deere before, tell us how it went.

Does John Deere hire felons in your experience? The more information you are able to give us, the better we will be able to improve our content.