Ask HN: Recent computer hacking convictions and employability?

Would you allow a convicted sexual offender who did his time in jail take care of your child in a day care facility to which he got employed and didn't disclose his past conviction?

Things need to be put into perspective, and evaluated carefully.

With that said I don't think immediate termination was the right decision to make in that situation the parent comment described. Inclusion requires consideration and empathy, the company didn't demonstrate that.

Sadly--and I do mean this, I agree with your sentiment--what we believe and what is required by an organization in a sensitive industry (finance, education, defense) are different things. For example, if you want to operate as a public company in finance with industry-standard certifications, you must perform background checks and reject candidates with a criminal history involving financial crimes.

Schools and other educational institutions likewise are require to reject candidates with a criminal record that includes charges of violent crime, sexual offenses, or similar.

Lying about charges that aren't relevant to the filtering criteria will be noticed in such industries and be a big red flag to any HR rep or hiring manager reviewing an application. This also shields you from a situation where some other employee learns and disseminates unflattering information--if one's manager and HR has cleared that info, it's nobody else's business and you have avenues and support available to you to prevent discrimination due to a criminal history.

1. put together a one-page website, on a domain like firstnamelastname.com 2. Add a link to this page 3. Put a link to your website in your email signature

Done! Now everyone you ever email, if they want to know more about you, will know that you're _deeply_ proficient in certain domains, and it'll be up to them to decide that you might be a good fit.

Since you've got this particular charge against you, and the US makes it nearly impossible for people who have run afoul of the state to legally be paid, but you _might_ be able to open up a Stripe account, and create a "payment link" (https://stripe.com/payments/payment-links) for a one-off "roadmapping sessions" (https://doubleyourfreelancing.com/roadmapping/) where a company/team pays you $10,000 and you'll visit them (virtually or in person) for a day or two to talk about their thorniest security problem.

"The system" wants you to apply to (and be hired into) an entry-level position, but that would be a giant waste of your time and everyone else's.

I wrote this article for eager bootcamp grads, looking for their first job. You're not a bootcamp grad, but it _might_ be helpful to you: https://josh.works/remote-job-resources

If you have a criminal conviction it's unlikely you'll get through the screening process with a regulated business (like banking, insurance, pharma etc) due to some 'out of the hiring managers hands' constraints those industries have. I've seen exceptions to this in the past, where a senior manager strongly advocated for the exception, but it's _very_ rare.

I've worked with several security people with criminal convictions in the past at non-regulated, FAANG and FAANG-like tech companies. They also usually have policies in place to prevent hires with criminal convictions, but the exception process there is easier, particularly in security teams where these convictions are more likely to occur in strong candidates.

The biggest concentration of folks with backgrounds like yours have been at security consultancies, in my experience. Combined with the experience you mentioned with bounties, that would be the place I'd spend most time looking. You might still get rejected from some, for example those with customers that require criminal background checks for employees or security clearance you couldn't get, but there are still quite a large percentage where you could find work. Personally, I've had conversations with external consultancies who say things like "I know you require criminal records checks on all our employees, which we're happy to do, but I want you know >50% of my team will fail them".

A couple of other things:

- No matter where you work, with your background there might be some kind of 'restriction' placed on what you work on and/or how you work (e.g. can't work on project Type X or must work from Office Y). If you do get through a process, ask about this before joining, as it might have an impact on how much you'd enjoy the role.

- Be open about your background. You sound like you would do that anyway, but the more open you are the better, you don't want this to be a surprise to people. What you're looking for is a strong advocate on the hiring team, so building trusting relationships with people will be important.

Don't be too down on yourself, you might have made some bad decisions, but you sound like a talented professional. The criminal justice system exists for people to serve their punishment and then move on with their lives. There are companies that will be delighted to hire you because of your skills. Your road may be a little tougher than for others, but that doesn't mean you can't end up professionally happy, fulfilled and well compensated.