Getting a DUI conviction can negatively affect you in a variety of ways. You could face significant jail or prison time, and you could have to pay large fines. But have you ever considered how a DUI conviction could wreck your career?
Unfortunately, a DUI conviction, or any conviction, for that matter, becomes part of your criminal record. And your criminal record follows you around for years. Consequently, any prospective employer can access it when you apply for a job. Most employers will ask you if you have any criminal convictions when they interview you for a job. It pays to tell the truth because most employers will then run a criminal background check on you just to make sure that you were upfront with them.
Jobs you likely will not get
While prospective employers cannot discriminate against you per se because of your DUI conviction, they can have policies against hiring someone with a DUI conviction on his or her record for certain positions. For that reason, you cannot expect to get any job that requires you to do one of the following:
- Work with children (teachers, daycare workers, etc.)
- Handle sensitive information (IT personnel, Human Resources personnel, etc.)
- Drive (bus drivers, truck drivers, outside salespeople, etc.)
- Work for a governmental agency, including in any military branch
Additional work-related problems
Another negative aspect of a DUI conviction is that you may well lose your driver’s license for a significant period after it. If the state confiscates your physical driver’s license, then you likely have no valid and acceptable identification to show to prospective employers. Loss of your license also puts you in the untenable position of not being able to drive back and forth to work, even when you do get a job. You may not have adequate public transportation. If not, relying on family, friends or neighbors to take you to work can prove problematic. You will not keep your job long if you constantly arrive late or not at all because the person you relied on became ill or otherwise unavailable.