Finding warehouse jobs for felons can be difficult. In these economic times any company who is willing to hire new employees is going to use extra caution. Here are some tips you may find useful in setting yourself apart if you are looking for warehouse jobs for felons.

Why are warehouse jobs considered to be good job opportunities for felons?

Employment in the warehouse industry has been traditionally open to ex-felons and warehouse companies are always hiring due to high turnover rates. Employers are not too concerned about criminal records because you won’t be working with children, elderly or the disabled. It’s stable, full-time work and warehouse employees receive all the usual benefits such as paid holidays, health insurance and retirement plans.

Types of Warehouse Jobs for Felons

There are many types of warehouse felony friendly jobs, including material handlers, stock and record clerks, maintenance crews, supervisors and warehouse managers.

Most warehouse felon friendly jobs are for workers who load and unload items that are being stored in the warehouse or are being shipped to the clients. Some of this work is done by hand while some workers are trained to use forklifts. The large warehouses now use a lot of automated machinery, too. This is the type of warehouse employment calls for a lot of lifting and carrying.

It’s not all manual labor, however. Warehouse stock clerks are in charge of keeping records as items leave and enter the warehouse. They also make sure that all merchandise has been properly received, stored and shipped. For this type of job, computer literacy is needed as well as organizational skills. Attention to detail and accuracy are also very important since a small mistake in record-keeping (if the wrong items are shipped, for example) can cost the warehouse a lot of money.

For those who are looking for career advancement options, warehouse managers and supervisors are there to keep everything running smoothly and on time. This job requires practical experience and as a result warehouse managers are typically promoted from the warehouse’s existing pool of employees. If none of the current employees are suitable, warehouse companies prefer to hire managers who have experience in other warehouses.

So if you like working in the warehousing industry, you can aim for a higher-paying job as a warehouse manager or supervisor after working a few years in a warehouse. Of course, to get a job as a supervisor you will need to have leadership abilities and managerial skills as well as familiarity with all aspects of working and running a warehouse.

You can find warehouse employment for felons in every state and especially in large cities or locations near ports and freight stations. Manufacturers, wholesalers and retailers often have their own warehouses. The federal, state and local government agencies have their own warehouses. There are also many public warehouses that charge a fee for storage for any business that needs warehouse space.

How to get Warehouse Felony Friendly Jobs

Most warehouses are willing to train new employees so prior experience is not a must. College degrees are not needed either. The requirements for warehouse employment for felons will normally include physical fitness because of all the heavy lifting that has to be done.

Due to the nature of the industry, many warehouses are open 24 hours a day, seven days a week. The warehouse will be handling several shipping and receiving tasks in a day and there are stringent deadlines that need to be met so what employers really look for in a worker is reliability.

To find the best warehouse felon jobs, try your state employment agency or a temp agency. Since most warehouses have a high turnover rate they generally have an arrangement with one or more employment agencies to find good staff for them.

Note that temp agencies are a particularly good way for ex-felons to get hired. Companies can hire a temp worker for a set number of days and then offer him a full-time job if they find he is a good worker.

The ex-felon who is looking for a job can try it out to see if it is the type of work that he wants. If the job is to his liking then he has the time to prove that he works hard and is reliable. On the other hand, if it’s not the type of job that he wants then he can just walk away because he hasn’t committed himself to the job yet.

To sum up, there are many types of warehouse jobs for felons available all over the country. Although these roles do involve a lot of manual labor, it is stable, full-time work for felons that also offer employee benefits like paid holidays and health insurance. There is also room to grow if you choose warehouse jobs for felons because managers and supervisors are normally promoted from the warehouse companies’ current employees.