Does FedEx Hire Felons In 2023? | FedEx Salary, Background Check, Pros & Cons

Does FedEx Hire Felons In 2023? | FedEx Salary, Background Check, Pros & Cons

Looking for a job while having a felony conviction can be an extremely stressful and difficult process. Many companies simply don’t want to hire excons, regardless of how long ago the crime took place. If you have been struggling to find a job, consider applying to FedEx.

FedEx has many branches, such as FedEx Express, Ground, Freight, Office, Supply, Chain and others. Overall, the company has over 400,000 employees and has a history of hiring individuals with felony convictions.

If you have the right skills and experience for the job, FedEx will not discriminate against you just because you are a felon. This company offers great pay, good work environment and a friendly culture. Most FedEx employees are very happy with their job and the way the company is treating them.

Now is a very good time to apply for a job at FedEx, because its the holiday season. A lot more packages are being delivered, so FedEx is looking to fill part time positions for drivers, package handlers, etc all over the US.

Can felons work at FedEx?

Overall, FedEx does NOT discriminate against people with felony convictions and will still hire the right candidate for the job. This is very good news for excons who are interested in working for FedEx Ground, Express and other divisions.

However, the hiring managers will consider your criminal background and the ways it may impact your ability to perform the job you are applying for.

Positions that are most likely to get as a felon are: delivery driver, package handler, scanner operator, freight operator.

As a rule of thumb, they don’t like to hire felons with recent convictions and the same goes for repeat offenders. However, if your felony charges are more than five years old, you have a much better shot at getting hired.

Also, keep in mind that if you are looking for a driving job, having a DIU, car theft, or any other car/driving related crimes will disqualify you from getting this position.

Similarly, if you are applying for a job as a package handler, crimes such as theft, burglary, fraud, etc will also prevent you from getting this particular job.

Remember, as a felon you will have to work much harder than a regular job applicant to prove that you are honest, trustworthy and will work hard for the benefit of the company. So any proof of your character and positive experience such as volunteer work, or letters of recommendation can go along way in improving your chances of getting hired.

If you are not able to get hired at FedEx, don’t get discouraged! There are hundreds of felon-friendly jobs available, you just have to keep on applying.

What is the starting pay at FedEx?

On average, FedEx pays its drivers and package handlers more than its competitors. Typical starting pay for a warehouse worker is $12.75 per hour. On average, warehouse workers report making $14-15 per hour.

Delivery drivers earn around $27,000 per year to start. On average drivers for FedEx report making $35,000-45,000 per year. FedEx truck drivers earn about $65,000 per year.

Scanner operators make about $10.30 per hour to start. Material handlers and package handlers make an average of $14.66 per hour, but can make up to $22.05 per hour.

Keep in mind that FedEx is a huge corporation and has many divisions that function as separate business. This means that salaries across these different branches may vary slightly. Also, wages may differ depending on the location.

In lower income cities and towns around US, employees may be getting paid less, compared to those working in large, expensive cities such as Boston, Miami, New York, San Francisco, etc.

Background check

Like all big companies, FedEx conducts a standard background check on all potential candidates that apply for a job. Company policy is to conduct a background check on the finalists for a position after completing the interviewing process. This means that its very important that you are honest during the interview about your felony conviction.

Depending on where you live, your record may be already sealed or still accessible for the background check. In some states, such as California, Colorado, Kansas, Maryland, Massachusetts, Montana, Nevada, New Hampshire, New York, Texas and Washington, companies cannot get criminal records that are more than seven years old. So if you live in one of these states and your felony is older than 7 years, you should have no problem passing the background check and getting a job.

Unfortunately, the situation is different in the rest of the United States. Many states have much longer time limits on criminal records, and some states will report criminal convictions that are over 40 years old.

It may take 1-2 weeks for your background check to return, so be patient. If you don’t hear back from the hiring manager in 2 weeks, its best to give them a call. This shows persistence and interest, so you might still have a chance at getting hired. Once you pass the background check, you will get an orientation, after which you can start your new job.

How to apply

There are a number of ways you can apply for a job at FedEx. The simplest is to simply go to https://careers.fedex.com/fedex/. Here, you can search for available jobs in your area. If there is a position that interests you, you can apply right online.

Also you can type in “fedex job near me” into google search, and you will get a list of available positions right in your location. Positions at Fedex are also posted on job search engines such as indeed.com. monster.com and glassdoor.com. So you can check one these websites as well; their posting are regularly updated. This way, if Fedex posts a new driver job, you will not miss it.

If you live near a FedEx store, you can walk in and fill out a paper application right on the spot.

Remember that is very important to be completely honest on your application. Its best to disclose your criminal background right away, instead of getting half-way through the interview process, and being declined at that point.

Jobs for felons that are similar to FedEx

If you are interested in driving jobs, delivery or package handling, there are many other employment opportunities to consider. You can apply to be a delivery driver in large companies like:

Amazon
Lyft and Uber
Walmart
UPS

These large corporations have locations across the US. If you have a passion for driving consider getting a trucking job. Many trucking companies are felon-friendly, and they offer much better salaries than other types of driving jobs.

Pros and Cons

Any job has its unique set of benefits and downsides. Lets take a look at what other employees are reporting about their experiences at FedEx.

Overall, FedEx is considered a very good company to join. In 2018, FedEx was named by the Fortune Magazine as one of the best companies to work for in the US. Over 87% of FedEx’s huge work force reported being satisfied at the job, their relationships with managers, salary, work hours, and other work conditions.

Pros

– Delivery drivers have the freedom to move around instead of sitting in one place all day. If you just got out of prison, this may be a very attractive feature of the job

– Above average wages

– Most workers get a raise about every 3 months, until they top out at about $22 per hour

– Generous benefits package, including 401K, vacation time, medical insurance

– Overall good work environment and relationships with fellow team members and managers

– Good work culture: most people are nice and respectful

– The work environment is safe and management takes safety of employees very seriously

– You get trained on the job and get to learn new skills

Cons

– Fast paced environment with very high expectations for quality work

– Not much career growth opportunities

– Physically challenging. You are required to be moving all the time, lifting heavy boxes, so you need to be in very good shape.

– A lot of pressure, as you are being watched all the time both by cameras and managers

If you have a felony conviction and have gotten a job at FedEx please share your tips and experience in the comments below.