Job in Finance with a Criminal Record

So after my first year in university, I got involved with a bad crowd and ended up getting caught up trafficking drugs and being convicted. I was also addicted and was put into an alternative measures program called drug treatment court for addicts that involved a treatment center and a strong recovery program that really changed my life around and made me a better person than I ever would be otherwise. I ended up getting sentenced to no time but pleading guilty to my charges and having a criminal record as a result. The biggest lessons i learned from my past was humility, honesty and accountability. I am over two years sober and am pretty open about my past and if ever brought up, i would explain how it has made me a better person, has given me a deeper appreciation of life and a strong drive to keep moving forward.

I am currently in Canada going into my last year of school and currently have a Major GPA of 4.0 and a cumulative of 3.5. I have volunteered in numerous places and have a pretty good co-curricular record. My question to all of you is do i still have a chance of getting an job related in Finance? Do i have to wait for Clemency or a Pardon?

Furthermore, if a job related to finance is not possible, my alternative plan was starting a small business or continuing school, eventually getting a pardon and going from there. Do i become tainted meat if years go by with no experience?

All advice is appreciated

Thanks

 
martin.sosa:
So after my first year in university, I got involved with a bad crowd and ended up getting caught up trafficking drugs and being convicted. I was also addicted and was put into an alternative measures program called drug treatment court for addicts that involved a treatment center and a strong recovery program that really changed my life around and made me a better person than I ever would be otherwise. I ended up getting sentenced to no time but pleading guilty to my charges and having a criminal record as a result. The biggest lessons i learned from my past was humility, honesty and accountability. I am over two years sober and am pretty open about my past and if ever brought up, i would explain how it has made me a better person, has given me a deeper appreciation of life and a strong drive to keep moving forward.

I am currently in Canada going into my last year of school and currently have a Major GPA of 4.0 and a cumulative of 3.5. I have volunteered in numerous places and have a pretty good co-curricular record. My question to all of you is do i still have a chance of getting an job related in Finance? Do i have to wait for Clemency or a Pardon?

Furthermore, if a job related to finance is not possible, my alternative plan was starting a small business or continuing school, eventually getting a pardon and going from there. Do i become tainted meat if years go by with no experience?

All advice is appreciated

Thanks

Where is the conviction, Canada? What kind of conviction?

"If you always put limits on everything you do, physical or anything else, it will spread into your work and into your life. There are no limits. There are only plateaus, and you must not stay there, you must go beyond them." - Bruce Lee
 
Most Helpful
Isaiah_53_5:
martin.sosa:
So after my first year in university, I got involved with a bad crowd and ended up getting caught up trafficking drugs and being convicted. I was also addicted and was put into an alternative measures program called drug treatment court for addicts that involved a treatment center and a strong recovery program that really changed my life around and made me a better person than I ever would be otherwise. I ended up getting sentenced to no time but pleading guilty to my charges and having a criminal record as a result. The biggest lessons i learned from my past was humility, honesty and accountability. I am over two years sober and am pretty open about my past and if ever brought up, i would explain how it has made me a better person, has given me a deeper appreciation of life and a strong drive to keep moving forward.

I am currently in Canada going into my last year of school and currently have a Major GPA of 4.0 and a cumulative of 3.5. I have volunteered in numerous places and have a pretty good co-curricular record. My question to all of you is do i still have a chance of getting an job related in Finance? Do i have to wait for Clemency or a Pardon?

Furthermore, if a job related to finance is not possible, my alternative plan was starting a small business or continuing school, eventually getting a pardon and going from there. Do i become tainted meat if years go by with no experience?

All advice is appreciated

Thanks

Where is the conviction, Canada? What kind of conviction?

In the US, Drug Trafficking is one of the heaviest offenses if I recall correctly, and is a Felony.

I think those people get 15-25 years in jail.

"If you always put limits on everything you do, physical or anything else, it will spread into your work and into your life. There are no limits. There are only plateaus, and you must not stay there, you must go beyond them." - Bruce Lee
 
Isaiah_53_5:
martin.sosa:
So after my first year in university, I got involved with a bad crowd and ended up getting caught up trafficking drugs and being convicted. I was also addicted and was put into an alternative measures program called drug treatment court for addicts that involved a treatment center and a strong recovery program that really changed my life around and made me a better person than I ever would be otherwise. I ended up getting sentenced to no time but pleading guilty to my charges and having a criminal record as a result. The biggest lessons i learned from my past was humility, honesty and accountability. I am over two years sober and am pretty open about my past and if ever brought up, i would explain how it has made me a better person, has given me a deeper appreciation of life and a strong drive to keep moving forward.

I am currently in Canada going into my last year of school and currently have a Major GPA of 4.0 and a cumulative of 3.5. I have volunteered in numerous places and have a pretty good co-curricular record. My question to all of you is do i still have a chance of getting an job related in Finance? Do i have to wait for Clemency or a Pardon?

Furthermore, if a job related to finance is not possible, my alternative plan was starting a small business or continuing school, eventually getting a pardon and going from there. Do i become tainted meat if years go by with no experience?

All advice is appreciated

Thanks

Where is the conviction, Canada? What kind of conviction?

It was a possession for the purpose of trafficking a schedule 1 drug.

It is a conviction in Canada where i would want to work. As i said I was suppose to do jail time but given my mitigating circumstances, family support and involvement with the community i was given a suspended sentence of no time.

 

I think every bank is different. A DWI while it's bad, isn't fraud or assault which I think that they're mostly concerned with. If they want your friend bad enough it shouldn't matter that much.

Take it for all it's worth.
 
MDR:
Totally depends on the bank. Some banks don't care, others may knock him for it (I know that JPM specifically states that they don't care about drinking and driving)

I know JPM's application says this, but does it mean they are not looking for this in the Background check?

 

Like Aliazz said, they are mostly concerned with fraud, theft, assault, sexual harassment; anything that shows you have a history of fucking up on-the-job and that could potentially cost them bigtime. They're less concerned with the fact that at university you liked to party.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- I tend to think of myself as a one-man wolfpack Buyside strongside
 

thanks for the reply, I'm really worried about spending the sign on, because I don't know what their reaction will be once I go through the background check and they find out I have a misdemeanor(DWI) on my criminal record

I'm due to start in September and haven't received the BC papers yet. I plan on disclosing though.

 

I hate to say this but the criminal record will really hurt you. At my bank, a DUI results in an immediate fire and all applications with any form of criminal record are automatically filtered out in job applications. The world of finance is especially unforgiving. Maybe you will have a better shot at smaller shops. Good Luck.

Array
 

You can definitely get a job out of college just go in stay focused as it seems you're easily influenced. Also get a good internship or joing a club to take up your free time so you have positive influences. Get good grades and a job will be no problem

 

Keep a positive attitude, keep your GPA high as possible, do as many internships as you can get before you graduate and you will likely get SOMETHING in finance. If not, you can always go work for a startup. They'll probably care alot less about the record. Good luck!

"Even if you're on the right track, you'll get run over if you just sit there" - Will Rogers
 

Thank you all for a swift response, I really appreciate it. I'm planning on submitting an application for an FBI background check so I can review my "rap sheet" to actually see what it is that employers see on their end. This will better help me explain my situation if anything. Getting into business world and trying to major in business managment and tryin to pursuit a job in the corporate world is something new to me and I really want to do it. My math isn't the best in the world so I will look into getting a tutor to help me out since I have to start off with basic math. In all there are many people in the world that hate their corporate jobs, I think I might enjoy the challenge a bit. Just want employers to look past my old ways and look at me as a great asset to their company. Thank you again for each response and thanks to those who will continue to give an input.

 
TheWorldIsYours:

Thank you all for a swift response, I really appreciate it. I'm planning on submitting an application for an FBI background check so I can review my "rap sheet" to actually see what it is that employers see on their end. This will better help me explain my situation if anything. Getting into business world and trying to major in business managment and tryin to pursuit a job in the corporate world is something new to me and I really want to do it. My math isn't the best in the world so I will look into getting a tutor to help me out since I have to start off with basic math. In all there are many people in the world that hate their corporate jobs, I think I might enjoy the challenge a bit. Just want employers to look past my old ways and look at me as a great asset to their company. Thank you again for each response and thanks to those who will continue to give an input.

I would recommend changing your concentration from management to finance or accounting with minor in economics. In my opinion management and marketing are a waste of money, these are things you do not need to study to understand. With finance, accounting, economics if you don't study them you won't have a good enough grasp on them and you will get more value out of your education if you study at least one of those 3.

twitter: @StoicTrader1 instagram: @StoicTrader1
 

I would be upfront on the last interview, before receiving the offer. My reasoning is it will not look good to try "hiding" your record. Some firms are really strict in what they require and that's something you'll have to live with. We all make mistakes. Maybe the best thing you can do is start your own business.

 

Sounds like you are on a good path at the moment and I think that you're decision to prepare and get a background check done is a smart one. I disagree with jojome though; I think that you want to wait as long as possible before disclosing anything you need to. It's much easier to ding someone right out the gate than after you have decided that you like them and want to give them the job. You need to be honest, but don't shoot yourself in the foot.Also, where are all these people in banking that look happy? Best of luck.

 
madepicson:

Sounds like you are on a good path at the moment and I think that you're decision to prepare and get a background check done is a smart one. I disagree with jojome though; I think that you want to wait as long as possible before disclosing anything you need to. It's much easier to ding someone right out the gate than after you have decided that you like them and want to give them the job. You need to be honest, but don't shoot yourself in the foot.Also, where are all these people in banking that look happy? Best of luck.

Thank you for your input. It's a bit hard to actually have timing down when it comes to disclosing my past. Although they are non violent and doesn't include anything like fraud or something that would lose trust in a person, I always feel like I have to tell my interviewers my past. I've never interviewed for anything big yet since I'm just starting school but when it comes down to applying for internships and such since I really don't know what I wanna do maybe Analyst. I'm a very honest person and feel guilty if I don't say something right there and then but at this point I don't know how employment and background checks work in the corporate side. Oh and yes I see a quite few happy bankers everyday since I work in the gym behind JP Morgan, not all but enough to have an alright outlook in things.

 

about when to disclose stuff - try to have a few anonymous calls with headhunters. They may be well placed to guide you on that...

I used to do Asia-Pacific PE (kind of like FoF). Now I do something else but happy to try and answer questions on that stuff.
 
Jamoldo:

about when to disclose stuff - try to have a few anonymous calls with headhunters. They may be well placed to guide you on that...

Thank you. I might give this a try while I'm in school, it's a bit of a downer trying to better myself and many companies will probably not care. It's kind of discouraging at times, this is one of the reasons why I'm starting college at 24 years of age. Took me a while to let all of this sink in but in the end I need a degree and business is what I want to get into.

 

Hey man best of luck. The great thing about your situation is that you have a story to tell. People like to hear how someone turned his/her life around and I think you are on your way to doing exactly that. You obviously have a decent work ethic because you are a trainer at a gym (staying in great physical shape isn't easy) and seem like you have the drive to better yourself despite of the past.

I have a couple bits of advice for you just from personal experience: 1. Get in a daily routine. Sounds simple enough, but a solid routine is vital to success. 2. Continue to evolve your relationships with contacts. Talk to anyone and everyone you can not only about finance, but about whatever. Being able to communicate is key. 3. Read, read, read. Similar to point 2, you don't have to read solely the Economist or Liar's Poker (great book though), reading will help to keep your brain functioning at a high level and will help to mellow you out at the end of a long day. 4. Have fun. Getting serious about life is great and all, but don't forget to let loose, have a couple drinks (or 15), and be with friends a couple times a week.

 
andrewh:

Hey man best of luck. The great thing about your situation is that you have a story to tell. People like to hear how someone turned his/her life around and I think you are on your way to doing exactly that. You obviously have a decent work ethic because you are a trainer at a gym (staying in great physical shape isn't easy) and seem like you have the drive to better yourself despite of the past.

I have a couple bits of advice for you just from personal experience:
1. Get in a daily routine. Sounds simple enough, but a solid routine is vital to success.
2. Continue to evolve your relationships with contacts. Talk to anyone and everyone you can not only about finance, but about whatever. Being able to communicate is key.
3. Read, read, read. Similar to point 2, you don't have to read solely the Economist or Liar's Poker (great book though), reading will help to keep your brain functioning at a high level and will help to mellow you out at the end of a long day.
4. Have fun. Getting serious about life is great and all, but don't forget to let loose, have a couple drinks (or 15), and be with friends a couple times a week.

Great list of tips! Thank you. Trying to get as much wisdom as I can.

 

I want to thank each and everyone of you guys for your input. Really does help a lot and helps my head keep cool for now. I just don't want to go to school and just waste time knowing that nothing will open for me in the corporate sector. Although I'm not going to an IVY school and starting off in community college, I'm lucky to have the pell grant cover 100% of my tuition until I move to a university. Should of had my head on straight before I've done what I did in the past. Once again thank you all for your help and tips.

 

I wish you the best of luck to turn things around. One should always get a second chance, as someone else said you got caught and a lot of us did the same thing and just didn't get caught in our youth. That should be something that can and will happen.

I'd investigate your ability to be able to get into more highly regulated industries like banking (securities related, IB, trading, commercial, retail, etc) simply because they look more into your background because they have to. I'd even look into positions with financial controls involved where they may look into your background and ding you because you have control over cash and/or finances. You may have not stolen but you don't want to tailor your education and internships into these types of industries and find yourself SOL when you actually apply to these jobs. That's not to say in the least that you're going to steal from a company but do your due diligence regarding what the background checks will keep you from. Someone mentioned talking to headhunters anonymously-do that. You just don't want to go down the road where you have a good financial background and not be able to land a job because of your background. I'm going to guess that if you're not great in math that's going to happen, but I'd look more into marketing.

I'm by far not the end all and be all of advice but after you've turning things around you don't want to hit an insurmountable road block in four years.

 

@"Dingdong08" yeah I was afraid of that. Really wanted something different in life and work in a corporate setting. Well I'm still gonna do school anyways and get a degree even if nothing comes out of it, atleast I'll have an education. Thank you for your words.

@"Eurodealer" I lived in Florida at the time. Everyone and their grandmother has a gun out there since it's legal. I on the other hand didn't have a permit to carry it concealed so I got caught. If I had it in a compartment then I would of been fine but crap happens.

 

@"TheWorldIsYours" Please don't take what I said as you'll never get a corporate job, just that it may, (and that's MAY, I actually don't know what the specific rules are but I know some flags that are raised in background checks and they're pretty small shit-like I don't care if someone paid their student loans late one time 3 years ago) be more difficult in more highly regulated industries like any sort of banking because they are highly regulated (IB and most Wall St work in general is FINRA, commercial/retail banking has various federal and state regulatory bodies-FDIC, the Fed, etc) so the regulatory body may have rules and the companies may have even stricter rules regarding background. But a normal company, especially if it's not a massive public company with rules set in stone, should be possible. Work hard, get good grades, land a few internships and keep your nose clean and you should be fine.

 

@"Dingdong08" Yes I understand what you meant by it. I might look into other companies that have corporate settings maybe with less hassle on the background check (cable company, electric companies..etc) but in all brother, I really appreciate your words.

 

Dude - relax. You are just starting college. Go study, meet people, try out new things, make lots of friends/contacts and canvass around. Don't worry about a FT job before you even start (I understand your concern and its a very real one).. You know you could also go to all kinds of smaller enterprises in financial services as well or local branches of companies etc... Like I said, speak anonymously with some headhunters and career counselers. In time you will make friends and contacts who have experience that can give you guidance as well. If you or anyone you know knows any lawyers good to ask them as well...

I used to do Asia-Pacific PE (kind of like FoF). Now I do something else but happy to try and answer questions on that stuff.
 

Banking... duhhhh

Tis just a little bit of green.

Actually, that's all I got that potential employers wouldn't like. Just a guy who enjoyed a little bit of green and needles in me.

So they would conduct a criminal check on me after I got the internship right? So that charge would probably be stuck under my name if I interned at, lets say, CS?

If your dreams don't scare you, then they are not big enough. "There are two types of people in this world: People who say they pee in the shower, and dirty fucking liars."-Louis C.K.
 

Honestly, I would be hesitant to hire someone with a possession of marijuana charge, because you have to be seriously retarded to get to one of those. You basically have to walk up to a cop, ask him if he is a cop, and when he says yes, pull out an O. At least half the guys I know smoke weed, and I know only one person who has gotten a possession charge, and that was because he was pulled over with half a pound doing 90 in a 50 while drunk when he was 17.

 
drexelalum11:
Honestly, I would be hesitant to hire someone with a possession of marijuana charge, because you have to be seriously retarded to get to one of those. You basically have to walk up to a cop, ask him if he is a cop, and when he says yes, pull out an O. At least half the guys I know smoke weed, and I know only one person who has gotten a possession charge, and that was because he was pulled over with half a pound doing 90 in a 50 while drunk when he was 17.

What an arrogant know it all piece of shit. Maybe he comes from somewhere where cops patrol hard. Step out of your little bubble and walk into the real world USE YOUR BRAIN MORAN.

 

You know there's these things called drug dogs right? Yeah, they just bring em around the car and if the dog even looks at it, they just say that the dog hit on the car and they search it.

Marijuana is extremely potent too... it's not like getting caught with prescription pills. If anything, getting caught with weed is probably the easiest drug to get caught with cause it takes up way more space than other drugs and is stinky.

Oh and I got pulled over for my turn signal turning off (I was in a turn around and it automatically turned off >:O) even though if I were to go straight I would have ran right into a building and if I would have went to the right I would have went into oncoming traffic. Whatever. Lesson learned. It'll be off of my record soon enough.

If your dreams don't scare you, then they are not big enough. "There are two types of people in this world: People who say they pee in the shower, and dirty fucking liars."-Louis C.K.
 

Why do you have that much on you that they have to call in a dog......you moving weight? If you so then you deserve to get caught.

The answer to your question is 1) network 2) get involved 3) beef up your resume 4) repeat -happypantsmcgee WSO is not your personal search function.
 

I had 2.5 grams

The cops around here get bored. They also give out the most tickets out of any city in Michigan (I think maybe even close to most in the country... per capita I'm guessing). They are pretty ridiculous and the judge is an a-hole. He gives out ridiculous sentences sometimes, like this one kid I met who had to go to drug court (drug test 6 days a week at 7 in the morning, you miss it, you go to jail) + some for graffiti? They were actually being investigated by the State because of some of the over the top sentences.

tl;dr... it doesn't take much for them to call up a canine unit in this city, city's kinda small and they get funding up the wazoo because of all their antics

If your dreams don't scare you, then they are not big enough. "There are two types of people in this world: People who say they pee in the shower, and dirty fucking liars."-Louis C.K.
 

Are we talking under age porn/wire fraud/identity theft over the computer or something cool like hacking your neighbors social security info/setting up a key stroke monitor without someone knowing/changing grades at your school because of bad security?

 

I'd leave it off. You were a minor.

You put it down and they'll definitely see it and you may get your offer yanked.

You don't put it down and: 1. They may not see it since you were 17. 2. They may see it but not deem it meaningful since you were 17 or because of the offense. 3. They may see it and yank your offer. 4. They may see it and it wouldn't have been a big deal if you had disclosed it but because you didn't they are concerned... in which case your explanation is that you were a minor and you didn't think you had to disclose any offenses as a minor... which I think is a fairly benign reason.

Punchline: you disclose it and you are subject to #2 and #3... you don't disclose it and you're subject to a much more favorable universe of possible outcomes.

Obviously this advice is dependent on the local laws. Judging from your grammar, you may be subject to the local laws in Uganda. Its also subject to the severity of the offense. If you were convicted of a felony... that's not a small deal.

 

I am so sorry and I should not bump it too soon. I edited it at 7:16. To be honest, I did not intentionally steal the food because is only worthing 30 dollars, I just forgot to pay the other part of the things. I am still trying to ask for help. I am really sorry about making you feel bad. BTW, do you have some opinions?

 

It's such a unique situation I don't believe you will find a good answer on here. All I can say is it's best to be as honest and transparent as you can throughout the application process as it's much worse to be caught stealing AND lying about it. It might affect your chances, it might not. Depends if a potential employer specifically looks into your records and if they are able to find it. From my understanding security checks are a pretty standard procedure.

 

If you have been convicited of a felony offense, that will likely raise red flags. As will finance and drug related charges. The drug related charges rasing red flags due to possible money laundering. If I was you I would distance myself from this guy ASAP for your own sake.

Follow the shit your fellow monkeys say @shitWSOsays Life is hard, it's even harder when you're stupid - John Wayne
 

Thanks for the replies guys.

heister:
If you have been convicited of a felony offense, that will likely raise red flags. As will finance and drug related charges. The drug related charges rasing red flags due to possible money laundering. If I was you I would distance myself from this guy ASAP for your own sake.

Haha, I am very careful not to tie myself to anything that can create legal problems for myself. There's no law against helping a former drug dealer straighten out his life. He really isn't your typical dopey drug dealer. I think he has the skills to become a successful legitimate businessman, or revert back to his old ways and become "The Don." Either way, I would not mind having either as a friend.

Men are so simple and so much inclined to obey immediate needs that a deceiver will never lack victims for his deceptions. -Niccolo Machiavelli
 

Thanks for the heads up. Can they really tie me in for giving him advice on what stocks I think are good, or the different valuation methods I use to determine the intrinsic value of a security? It's not like I'm helping him launder money or anything like that. I'm just helping him figure out how to get investment returns that are higher than the 2-3% he is getting in a savings account.

Men are so simple and so much inclined to obey immediate needs that a deceiver will never lack victims for his deceptions. -Niccolo Machiavelli
 

For that, the chance is very low. But, the only thing I would be worried about is the "you knew where the money came from" bs arguement that the cops would use. But as long as your not profiting from this advice you should be fine I would imagine.

Follow the shit your fellow monkeys say @shitWSOsays Life is hard, it's even harder when you're stupid - John Wayne

Career Advancement Opportunities

March 2024 Investment Banking

  • Jefferies & Company 02 99.4%
  • Goldman Sachs 19 98.8%
  • Harris Williams & Co. (++) 98.3%
  • Lazard Freres 02 97.7%
  • JPMorgan Chase 03 97.1%

Overall Employee Satisfaction

March 2024 Investment Banking

  • Harris Williams & Co. 18 99.4%
  • JPMorgan Chase 10 98.8%
  • Lazard Freres 05 98.3%
  • Morgan Stanley 07 97.7%
  • William Blair 03 97.1%

Professional Growth Opportunities

March 2024 Investment Banking

  • Lazard Freres 01 99.4%
  • Jefferies & Company 02 98.8%
  • Goldman Sachs 17 98.3%
  • Moelis & Company 07 97.7%
  • JPMorgan Chase 05 97.1%

Total Avg Compensation

March 2024 Investment Banking

  • Director/MD (5) $648
  • Vice President (19) $385
  • Associates (86) $261
  • 3rd+ Year Analyst (13) $181
  • Intern/Summer Associate (33) $170
  • 2nd Year Analyst (66) $168
  • 1st Year Analyst (202) $159
  • Intern/Summer Analyst (144) $101
notes
16 IB Interviews Notes

“... there’s no excuse to not take advantage of the resources out there available to you. Best value for your $ are the...”

Leaderboard

success
From 10 rejections to 1 dream investment banking internship

“... I believe it was the single biggest reason why I ended up with an offer...”