The discussion revolves around the potential impact of a past misdemeanor arrest on job prospects in the software engineering field, particularly after the arrest has been expunged. Participants explore concerns about employment applications, background checks, and the implications of working for various types of companies, including large corporations and those requiring security clearance.
Participants generally agree that an expunged misdemeanor is unlikely to hinder job prospects in software engineering, especially for non-security-related roles. However, there remains uncertainty about specific cases, such as those requiring security clearance, and whether larger companies might have different policies.
Participants acknowledge that the discussion is influenced by varying policies and practices across different companies and countries regarding background checks and the treatment of expunged records.
Individuals considering a career in software engineering who have concerns about past legal issues, as well as those interested in understanding employer attitudes towards criminal records in the tech industry.
What if the charge later got dropped do it still matter then? I just want to know if I have a chance or not. And I really believe I don't.berkeman said:Depending on the alleged crime, it most likely would not have affected your job applications. Especially since you have had it expunged, I don't think you need to disclose anything about it on your job applications.
I appreciate this, but this is a little unhelpful.berkeman said:
Why? It seems like the crux of the issue is the expungement, and what it does.KamenRiderTorbjorn said:I appreciate this, but this is a little unhelpful.
I did a diversion program and that was actually how my record got expunged. As far as having a lawyer I didn't have one as there were no proceedings. I ran a background check on myself as it was only a arrest that happened and not a conviction and nothing showed up, but that still doesn't matter.berkeman said:Why? It seems like the crux of the issue is the expungement, and what it does.
The only exception I can think of is if you need to apply for Secret Clearance for a job. I'm not sure that expungement and sealing of court records works for Secret Clearance investigations.
If you're still worried, I'd recommend talking to a lawyer. Did you have a lawyer during the proceedings? If so, just contact them again.
I got charged when I was 20 and it wasn't work related, but I didn't believe anybody would give it a second thought. This is something I actually want to do. I could understand if I was applying to burger king or something dead end, but I have a hard time believing I can just get a software job when I have a record regardless if it got expunged.newjerseyrunner said:I'm not entirely sure how this would affect you. Software hires tend to be a simple background and credit check. We're basically making sure you don't have any arrests for things relevant to your job. If you weren't arrested hacking into the FBI, you're probably going to be okay. Nobody cares if you got caught smoking weed or drinking underage. The people who do the hiring went to college too. We partied just as hard when we were 21.
Source: I am a software engineer, and have also done hiring.
Most employers really don't care. The only places you won't be able to get a job are places like Lockheed, AT&T, DARPA... A small company who runs a handful of webservers doesn't give a crap. You have to pay to have a background check done, so most employers don't bother. I've hired about a dozen people for companies between 5 and 50 employees and I never once saw a background check done for an engineer.KamenRiderTorbjorn said:I got charged when I was 20 and it wasn't work related, but I didn't believe anybody would give it a second thought. This is something I actually want to do. I could understand if I was applying to burger king or something dead end, but I have a hard time believing I can just get a software job when I have a record regardless if it got expunged.
So I can be a software engineer, but I can never work for a big company basically even if it is private sector? The places you named are basically public government jobs which I'm completely not interested in. I at least want to work for a private sector. To be more specific I'm thinking about working in the auto industry as a software engineer or working overseas for a company like McLaren.newjerseyrunner said:Most employers really don't care. The only places you won't be able to get a job are places like Lockheed, AT&T, DARPA... A small company who runs a handful of webservers doesn't give a crap. You have to pay to have a background check done, so most employers don't bother. I've hired about a dozen people for companies between 5 and 50 employees and I never once saw a background check done for an engineer.
Also, I think that employment forms typically ask if you were ever convicted, particularly of a felony. Each company would have its own employment form, of course, but I think they're interested in knowing whether you were convicted of some crime.newjerseyrunner said:Most employers really don't care.
berkeman said:Depending on the alleged crime, it most likely would not have affected your job applications. Especially since you have had it expunged, I don't think you need to disclose anything about it on your job applications.
No, you can certainly still work for a big company. You might have difficulty getting into places that require security clearance. The places I mentioned all do contract work for the US government /military. Places like Apple / Microsoft / Google / RockStar / Nuance / Facebook won't care in the slightest. They care about for GPA if you're just out of school and references if you're not.KamenRiderTorbjorn said:So I can be a software engineer, but I can never work for a big company basically even if it is private sector? The places you named are basically public government jobs which I'm completely not interested in. I at least want to work for a private sector. To be more specific I'm thinking about working in the auto industry as a software engineer or working overseas for a company like McLaren.
George Jones said:I am embarrassed to say that stuff like this does ruin lives in Canada.
Does that mean I can work at companies like McLaren as well?newjerseyrunner said:No, you can certainly still work for a big company. You might have difficulty getting into places that require security clearance. The places I mentioned all do contract work for the US government /military. Places like Apple / Microsoft / Google / RockStar / Nuance / Facebook won't care in the slightest. They care about for GPA if you're just out of school and references if you're not.
As in the health care company? Yeah, I see no reason you would have trouble. The only way I think they’d care is if your arrest had something to do with identity fraud or something. They may be strict with IT guys though. Developed work in sandboxes where IT works with love customer data. Am I on the rot track that your “crime” was just one of those things that literally everybody does and you just happened to be caught? (Underage drinking, dui, possession of marijuana, jaywalking...)KamenRiderTorbjorn said:Does that mean I can work at companies like McLaren as well?
I mean McLaren the car company. I mentioned it earlier when I was talking about working in the auto industry.newjerseyrunner said:As in the health care company? Yeah, I see no reason you would have trouble. The only way I think they’d care is if your arrest had something to do with identity fraud or something. They may be strict with IT guys though. Developed work in sandboxes where IT works with love customer data. Am I on the rot track that your “crime” was just one of those things that literally everybody does and you just happened to be caught? (Underage drinking, dui, possession of marijuana, jaywalking...)
Same, I wouldn't expect them to even do a background check, let alone care about a minor crime from a few years ago. Your resume matters way more than your record.KamenRiderTorbjorn said:I mean McLaren the car company. I mentioned it earlier when I was talking about working in the auto industry.
Just out of curiosity why wouldn't you expect an automobile company like McLaren to do a background check? btw to answer your question my charge was neither drug/alcohol related and it wasn't an assault charge neither.newjerseyrunner said:Same, I wouldn't expect them to even do a background check, let alone care about a minor crime from a few years ago. Your resume matters way more than your record.
Money.KamenRiderTorbjorn said:Just out of curiosity why wouldn't you expect an automobile company like McLaren to do a background check? btw to answer your question my was neither drug/alcohol related and it wasn't an assault charge neither.
You could work for defense contractors and even get a security clearance. It depends on what you did, why you did it, all the circumstances, how long ago it was, if you are the same person you were, etc.KamenRiderTorbjorn said:So I can be a software engineer, but I can never work for a big company basically even if it is private sector? The places you named are basically public government jobs which I'm completely not interested in. I at least want to work for a private sector. To be more specific I'm thinking about working in the auto industry as a software engineer or working overseas for a company like McLaren.
KamenRiderTorbjorn said:Does that mean I can work at companies like McLaren as well?
Really? I thought reddit was more moderated honestly.newjerseyrunner said:Well I'm an actual software engineer where reddit is mostly teenagers.