There is one question that determines whether you get hired. Not the application. Not the background check. Not what the charge was or how long you were inside.
The question is this: why you, over the thirty other people I could hire who don't have a criminal record?
If you walk in without a ready answer, you will not get the job. The interviewer can see the pause the moment you don't have something prepared, and once they see it, the room shifts against you. What you need is an answer practiced enough to say with confidence and humility at the same time.
The answer that works is this:
Everybody deserves a second chance. Somebody is going to give me one. And they are going to get the best employee they ever had, because I am never, ever going to do something that sends me back to prison.
Say it clean. Say it without flinching. It makes no excuses, asks for no sympathy, and tells the employer the one thing they actually need to know: you have more reason to perform than anyone else in that stack.
Then live it. The light is on you from the first day. Use it. Work twice as hard as the person next to you. Show up earlier, stay later, and make that scrutiny your shining light, not a shadow. The person standing next to you does not have anyone watching them that closely. You do. That is the advantage if you decide to use it.
What the Law in Iowa Says About Your Record
Iowa has no statewide ban the box law for private employers. A private company outside of specific cities can ask about your criminal history on the initial application, screen you out before the interview, and decline without explanation. Iowa Governor Reynolds signed an executive order in 2019 covering state executive branch employment, but that does not reach private employers.
Two Iowa cities have enacted fair chance ordinances worth knowing:
Des Moines. Effective December 3, 2021, Des Moines Ordinance 16,083 makes it illegal and discriminatory for employers in Des Moines to include criminal history inquiries on any job application, or to inquire into or conduct criminal background checks before a conditional offer of employment has been made. The ordinance covers all employers in the city. The application process is defined broadly, from when an applicant asks about a position through when an offer is extended. If you are applying for work in Des Moines, this protects you through the entire initial process.
Waterloo. Effective July 1, 2020, Waterloo's Fair Chance Ordinance prohibits employers with fifteen or more employees from asking about criminal history before a conditional offer. The Iowa Supreme Court upheld the ordinance's core provision prohibiting criminal history questions on applications and during the hiring process before a conditional offer. Employers may rescind a conditional offer, but only for a legitimate business reason. Adverse hiring decisions based on arrests and pending charges, expunged or pardoned records, or criminal history without a legitimate business reason are prohibited.
Outside Des Moines and Waterloo, there is no timing protection for private sector applicants in Iowa. Federal FCRA protections apply everywhere -- any employer using a consumer reporting agency must get your written consent and provide notice before adverse action. Iowa generally follows the federal seven-year lookback for reporting purposes, meaning most criminal records older than seven years do not appear on FCRA-governed background checks.
Iowa's executive order also prohibits state agencies from asking about criminal history on initial applications, which matters if you are targeting state government employment.
Building the Answer Before You Need It
The law carries you in Des Moines and Waterloo. Everywhere else in Iowa, your answer is what carries you.
Start with what you did with your time inside. Iowa Workforce Development has reentry career planners embedded inside six Iowa correctional facilities. The Returning Citizens Initiative works with incarcerated individuals to prepare for employment before release -- including scheduling job interviews and in some cases securing a job offer before you walk out the door. If you participated in any of this programming, education, vocational training, or work assignments, that is content, not a gap.
Then connect it to the job. Iowa's economy runs on agriculture, food processing, manufacturing, insurance and financial services, healthcare, and a significant logistics and distribution sector. Whatever you are applying for, make your answer specific to what that employer needs.
Practice the answer out loud. To another person, until the hesitation is completely gone. The pause is what loses the room. Eliminate it before you sit down.
Companies in Iowa That Hire People with Criminal Records
Iowa's labor market is spread across Des Moines, Cedar Rapids, Davenport, Sioux City, Waterloo, and a network of smaller cities supported by agricultural and manufacturing economies. Employers across the state face consistent labor shortages that make them more willing to evaluate applicants individually.
Amazon, Walmart, Home Depot, Target, and major food service operators have Iowa operations and corporate fair chance commitments. Tyson Foods, Iowa Premium Beef, and other meat and food processing operations across Iowa hire heavily in production and packaging roles and are known to be accessible for returning citizens. John Deere and other manufacturing employers across eastern Iowa evaluate applicants individually. FedEx and UPS distribution operations in the Des Moines and Cedar Rapids areas hire returning citizens with case-by-case review.
IowaWORKS employer roundtables, hosted with the Iowa Department of Corrections, connect companies from across the state specifically to discuss hiring returning citizens. Ask your IowaWORKS career planner to connect you with employers from those networks.
Staffing agencies across Des Moines, Cedar Rapids, Davenport, Sioux City, and Waterloo are the most accessible first step, placing workers in manufacturing, food processing, and logistics with more flexibility than direct hire.
For the full national list of companies with public fair chance commitments, see the InmateAid Fair Chance Employer Reference List.
The Tax Incentives Employers Get for Hiring You in Iowa
Here is the closing argument for every conversation with an employer in Iowa, and it is stronger in this state than almost anywhere else in the country.
There is a federal program called the Work Opportunity Tax Credit, or WOTC. When an employer hires someone recently released from prison, the employer may receive a significant federal tax credit per qualifying hire. That alone is a real business incentive.
Iowa goes further. The state of Iowa also offers a state tax credit equal to 65% of wages paid to an individual with a criminal conviction in the first twelve months of employment, up to a maximum of $20,000 per employee. Combined, an Iowa employer who hires you can receive both federal and state tax benefits that make your hire significantly less expensive than a comparable hire from the general applicant pool.
Say it at the end of the interview, after you have made your case: I qualify for the Work Opportunity Tax Credit and Iowa's state employer tax credit. Hiring me may put money back in your business. And I will give you the best work you have ever gotten from a new hire, because I have too much to lose to give you anything less.
Iowa Workforce Development coordinates both WOTC certification and guidance on the state credit for employers through IowaWORKS offices statewide.
Where to Get Help in Iowa
IowaWORKS, operated through Iowa Workforce Development, is the state's career center network and the primary employment resource for returning citizens in Iowa. Six IowaWORKS reentry career planners are embedded inside Iowa correctional facilities. After release, find your nearest IowaWORKS office at iowaworkforcedevelopment.gov. The Returning Citizens Initiative serves approximately 2,500 incarcerated Iowans per year and aims to connect participants to employment prior to release.
Iowa Workforce Development Returning Citizens Initiative operates in six Iowa correctional facilities: Mitchellville, Newton, Mount Pleasant, Rockwell City, Clarinda, and Fort Dodge. Participants complete the National Career Readiness Certification and job readiness training. Contact: Shelley Seitz, Reentry Operations Manager, 515-725-3891.
Inside Out Reentry in Cedar Rapids provides reentry support services including employment connections for returning citizens in the Cedar Rapids area.
Living Beyond the Bars provides pre-release and post-release reentry support including employment, housing, and community connections.
United Way of Central Iowa's OpportUNITY Re-entry Workgroup coordinates employer engagement and reentry connections in the Des Moines area.
Iowa Legal Aid provides free legal assistance to low-income Iowans, including guidance on record expungement and sealing. Contact at iowalegalaid.org.
The Federal Bonding Program, coordinated through Iowa Workforce Development, provides free fidelity bonding to employers who hire returning citizens.
Frequently asked questions
Can employers in Iowa ask about my criminal record?
Outside Des Moines and Waterloo, private employers in Iowa face no timing restriction on when they can ask about criminal history. They can ask on the initial application. Des Moines Ordinance 16,083 (effective December 2021) prohibits all Des Moines employers from including criminal history on applications or asking before a conditional offer. Waterloo's ordinance (effective July 2020) covers employers with fifteen or more employees with the same timing requirement. Federal FCRA protections require written consent and notice before any adverse action based on a background check run through a consumer reporting agency.
Does Iowa have ban the box for private employers?
Not statewide. Iowa has no statewide ban the box law for private employers. An executive order covers state executive branch employment. Des Moines and Waterloo have local fair chance ordinances covering private employers in those cities. If you are applying for work in Des Moines or Waterloo, your record cannot come up until after a conditional offer. Everywhere else in Iowa, there is no timing protection for private sector applicants.
What jobs can I not get with a felony in Iowa?
Specific licensed fields including healthcare with direct patient care, childcare, education, and some financial services roles have statutory background check requirements. Research the specific licensing board before investing in training. For most private sector employment in Iowa, the decision rests with the individual employer. Iowa's seven-year FCRA lookback means older records often do not appear on background checks at all.
How do I explain my record in a job interview?
Do not pause. Come in with the answer ready: everybody deserves a second chance, somebody is going to give you one, and they are going to get the best employee they ever had because you are never going back. Connect what you did inside to what this employer needs specifically. Then close with the tax credit argument: your hire qualifies for both the federal WOTC and Iowa's state employer credit of 65% of first-year wages up to $20,000. In Iowa, this closing argument is stronger than in most states. End strong.
What is the Work Opportunity Tax Credit?
The Work Opportunity Tax Credit, or WOTC, is a federal tax credit available to employers who hire workers from qualifying groups, including people recently released from prison. The credit can be significant per qualifying hire based on wages and hours worked in the first year. Iowa also offers a state tax credit of 65% of wages paid in the first twelve months, up to $20,000 per employee. Iowa Workforce Development coordinates certification for both programs. Mention both at the end of every interview.
Do employers get a tax credit for hiring ex-felons in Iowa?
Yes, and Iowa's incentive is one of the strongest in the country. Employers who hire qualifying returning citizens in Iowa can receive the federal Work Opportunity Tax Credit plus Iowa's state employer tax credit of 65% of first-year wages up to $20,000 per employee. Combined, these make your hire significantly less expensive than a comparable hire from the general applicant pool. Ask your IowaWORKS career planner for documentation on both programs that you can share with a prospective employer.
What Iowa programs help people with records find work?
IowaWORKS career centers statewide offer job search help, training referrals, WOTC and state credit coordination, and Federal Bonding access. The Returning Citizens Initiative embeds six career planners inside Iowa prisons and aims to connect participants to employment before release, serving about 2,500 participants per year. Inside Out Reentry in Cedar Rapids and Living Beyond the Bars provide post-release support. United Way of Central Iowa's OpportUNITY Workgroup coordinates Des Moines area employer engagement. Iowa Legal Aid assists with expungement. The Federal Bonding Program is available through Iowa Workforce Development.
Can I get my record expunged in Iowa?
Iowa's expungement law is more limited than many states. Some deferred judgments and dismissed charges can be expunged. Iowa also allows expungement of simple misdemeanor convictions under limited circumstances. For more serious felony convictions, expungement is generally not available in Iowa, though pardon through the Iowa Board of Parole and Governor remains an option. Contact Iowa Legal Aid at iowalegalaid.org for a free assessment of your specific record and options.
What companies in Iowa hire people with felonies?
Amazon, Walmart, Home Depot, Target, FedEx, and UPS have Iowa operations and national fair chance commitments. Tyson Foods, Iowa Premium Beef, and other meat and food processing companies hire in production and packaging roles accessible to returning citizens. John Deere and manufacturing employers across eastern Iowa evaluate applicants individually. IowaWORKS employer roundtables connect returning citizens with Iowa employers specifically open to second chance hiring. Staffing agencies across all major Iowa markets are the most accessible first step. For the full national list, see the InmateAid Fair Chance Employer Reference List.
How do I get hired if I have a long gap in my work history?
Name what you did inside and present it as work with context. IowaWORKS reentry programming, vocational training, NCRC certification, and work assignments inside are all content. Iowa's seven-year FCRA lookback means older records often do not appear on background checks at all. The Returning Citizens Initiative's goal of scheduling job interviews before release means you may have a start date before you walk out. Staffing agencies are the fastest path back into regular employment for those starting from scratch. Build ninety days of solid performance anywhere and that recent record becomes what employers see instead of the gap. ---