Does Visa Hire Felons? We’ve Got Your Answers!

Visa is one of the biggest credit card companies on the planet. Needless to say, they have plenty of jobs available . . . but does Visa hire felons?

If you are a former felon looking for work, you are well aware of all the obstacles that can stand between you and your next job opportunity. At Successful Release, we understand your struggles. That’s why we go directly to the source, asking companies straightforward questions about their hiring policies for former felons. 

We also hire former felons to ensure that our articles are as accurate and helpful as possible. It’s important to us that you succeed!

Additionally, we answer other key questions that may be on the mind of the former felons trying to find work:

• Does Visa do background checks?
• Will they test for drugs?
• Does Visa hire people with misdemeanors?

To find the answers to these questions and more, read on!

Does Visa hire felons?

Official company policy for hiring felons

As always, we went directly to the source to find out how Visa handles their hiring policies. While we did ask the company how they approach hiring felons, we have not yet gotten a response.

We will make contact again in the hopes that we’ll get a response, don’t worry. Until then, we’ve done our own digging.

From what we were able to learn, it looks like Visa has some openness to hiring former felons.

Has Visa hired felons in the past?

Based on our research, it looks like Visa has hired former felons in the past. While we still don’t know how they make those decisions, we do know that it may at least be possible for you to get a job at Visa with a felony.

Does Visa hire people with misdemeanors?

It’s a pretty good bet that Visa will hire people with misdemeanors. When a company is willing to hire a former felon, they will almost always also be open to hiring qualified candidates with misdemeanors.

Is Visa on the Ban the Box list?

The Ban the Box Movement is designed to remove the box on job applications that asks about felony convictions. With that box removed, candidates will be evaluated based on their skills instead of their past.

The Fair Chance Business Pledge is pretty similar. Businesses that make this promise are swearing not to discriminate in their hiring policies.

Unsurprisingly, Visa has no association with either of these programs.

Does Visa have special programs for hiring felons?

A select few companies will provide special hiring opportunities designed for people with records. These programs make it much easier to get hired even with a felony conviction.

Unfortunately, Visa does not currently have any programs of this nature.

Given how rare these programs are, you shouldn’t be terribly discouraged by this. Even without programs, it’s still possible to get a job at Visa with a felony.

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

Let’s look at the facts. Visa is open to hiring former felons, and they have done so in the past. While it’s true that they don’t participate in the Ban the Box Movement or have any special programs, things don’t look so bad.

Based on what we can tell, it looks like your chances are average. It’s possible that the qualified candidate will be able to figure out how to get hired at Visa. We’ll help you do just that in a following section!

What are some entry-level jobs?

Of course, many of Visa’s jobs are at the corporate or technical level. If you have experience with high-level business, or even coding and digital engineering, you may have a shot at some high-paying work.

If your experience level is a little bit more general, you might want to look into their customer service-side.

People working in their call centers will answer customer questions and concerns. The company has an around-the-clock customer service line, so hours may be similarly sporadic. You may have shifts at any hour or day of the week.

How to get hired at Visa with a felony

Getting hired at Visa starts with submitting a good application. Most of their jobs heavily involve customer service. Highlighting skills involving interactions with other people is a step in the right direction. For example, waiting tables is great customer service experience and telemarketing teaches you phone skills like no other.

Needless to say, experience at a call center will look great on a resume. Short of that, you may be able to impress the hiring manager with customer service experience as a clerk, or even as an employee of a restaurant.

Once you figure out what information you want to promote on your application, you’ll need to figure out how to present it in the best way possible.

A career center will be able to comb over your resume in order to ensure that everything looks good. A second pair of eyes will help you see it from another perspective.

Assuming you submit a good application, you will then be asked to sit for an interview. For this part of the process, you will want to wear professional attire. If you don’t have interview-caliber clothing, it is possible to find charities that provide appropriate clothing for free.

Once you’ve dressed for the part, all that’s left is to show up with confidence. Your qualifications got you to the interview, now it’s time to let your personality land you the job!

Does Visa do background checks?

Visa does do background checks.

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

In these states, the company will only learn about things that happened in the past seven years:

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

*Higher salary brackets may experience increased background checks.

In other states, the company will only learn about crimes that you’ve been convicted of. In these states, not guilty verdicts won’t show up on your background check.

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

Sadly, though, the majority of states still include information on your entire background. In these states, Visa will learn everything:

• 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

We’ve also searched the web to find out what it is like to work at Visa. On Glassdoor.com they have an average rating of 3.6 out of 5 stars. This average was taken from over 2,000 reviews.

The highest rating was 3.7 for work-life balance. The lowest was 3.1 for senior management.

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

Since Visa is a credit company, financial crimes will naturally not be looked upon kindly. Similarly, crimes of fraud or theft may also be a problem.

Generally speaking, most companies will not hire offenders with violent or sexual crimes on their record to work in customer service jobs.

Does Visa drug test?

Yes, though testing seems to depend on the location.

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

We always want to keep our information current. If you know something about Visa’s hiring policies, please let us know. Tell us, does Visa hire felons in your experience? The more you can tell us, the better our guide will be!