How a DWI conviction negatively impacts your employment

At Griffin Law, PLLC, in North Carolina, we represent numerous clients charged with DWI. As you know, DWI is one of the most serious traffic-related offenses with which you can be charged. Not only can a conviction result in a significant jail or prison sentence, but it can also leave you with substantial fines to pay.

No one wants a DWI conviction on their record. It marks you as a convicted criminal. But have you ever considered that it might limit your employment opportunities? It can.

Professional license

If you are a young person going to college and then to grad school so as to become a doctor, lawyer, pharmacist, dentist or other professional, ultimately you must obtain a professional license in order to work in your chosen profession. But as FindLaw explains, the licensing board that issues your needed license may not give you one once it discovers that your record contains a DWI or other criminal conviction. Likewise, should a nonprofessional job you apply for require a commercial driver’s license, your DWI conviction will preclude you from getting one for years to come.

Background checks

Regardless of which job(s) you want and apply for, you stand an almost 100% chance that the employer will check out your criminal history prior to offering you a job. This is where your DWI conviction can really hurt your employment chances. Why? Because a background check can reveal all of the following:

• The court records of whatever court(s) prosecuted and/or convicted you of DWI
• The jail and/or prison records of whatever institution(s) incarcerated you
• Your driving records from the state(s) in which you received a DWI or other traffic-related conviction
• Your driving records from the state(s) in which your driver’s license got suspended or revoked because of your DWI or other traffic-related conviction

Unfortunately for you, many employers look upon a DWI or other criminal conviction with great disfavor. Consequently, having one on your record puts you at a distinct disadvantage when it comes to getting the job you want.

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