Getting a Job After Prison in Vermont

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 Vermont Says About Your Record

Vermont is one of fifteen states that has extended ban the box protections to private employers. Vermont's Fair Employment Practices Act (Act 81, 2016) prohibits employers from inquiring about or considering an applicant's criminal history until after the applicant has been deemed qualified for the position and has had an interview. This applies to both public and private employers and covers employers of any size.

Exceptions apply for positions where criminal history screening is required by law, such as positions involving children, vulnerable adults, or financial services regulated by the state.

Federal FCRA protections apply statewide. Non-conviction records older than seven years cannot appear on consumer reporting agency background checks for most positions.

Vermont's expungement law (13 V.S.A. §7602 et seq.) allows eligible individuals to expunge or seal qualifying criminal records. Vermont has expanded expungement eligibility significantly in recent years, including automatic expungement for certain old convictions. Misdemeanor convictions may be eligible for expungement after 5 years with no new convictions. Many felony convictions (excluding violent offenses and sex offenses) are also eligible after longer waiting periods. Non-conviction records and dismissed charges are generally eligible for immediate expungement. Once expunged, the record is removed from public access and the person may deny its existence in most contexts.

Building the Answer Before You Need It

Vermont's ban the box law gets you through the application and the interview before your record can come up. Your answer determines what happens after that.

Vermont Department of Corrections provides educational and vocational programs inside state facilities. Vermont's reentry support system is community-based, with organizations including the Dismas of Vermont reentry houses in Burlington and St. Johnsbury providing transitional housing and employment support.

Vermont Department of Labor operates American Job Centers (Vermont JobLink) statewide, providing job search assistance, training referrals, WOTC coordination, and Federal Bonding access.

Vermont's economy runs on healthcare, education, manufacturing, technology, agriculture, and tourism. Burlington, South Burlington, Montpelier, Barre, and St. Johnsbury are primary markets. Vermont's labor market is tight statewide, creating genuine demand for motivated workers in healthcare support, manufacturing, construction, and hospitality. Whatever you are applying for, make the answer specific to what that employer needs.

Practice it out loud. Until the hesitation is completely gone. Vermont law gives you the application and interview before your record comes up. Your answer earns the offer.

Companies in Vermont That Hire People with Criminal Records

Vermont's economy, small but with consistent demand across healthcare, manufacturing, and tourism, creates openings for returning citizens.

University of Vermont Medical Center and Central Vermont Medical Center are major healthcare employers. GlobalFoundries in Burlington (semiconductor manufacturing) is among Vermont's largest private employers. Ben & Jerry's has a well-established fair chance hiring reputation. Amazon, Home Depot, and national retailers have Vermont operations and fair chance commitments. Construction contractors statewide face persistent labor shortages. Ski resort operations at Stowe, Killington, and other major resorts create seasonal and year-round hospitality demand.

Vermont JobLink and Vermont Department of Labor offices statewide provide employer connections and WOTC documentation.

Staffing agencies in Burlington, Montpelier, and Rutland are the most accessible first step.

For the full national list of companies with public fair chance commitments, see the InmateAid Fair Chance Employer Reference List.

The Tax Credit Employers Get for Hiring You

There is a federal program called the Work Opportunity Tax Credit, or WOTC. When an employer hires someone from a qualifying group, including individuals recently released from prison, the employer may receive a significant federal tax credit per qualifying hire. That is not charity. It is a business incentive the federal government created specifically to make hiring returning citizens financially advantageous.

You are not asking anyone to take a risk on you. You are telling them your hire comes with a tax benefit attached that none of the other thirty applicants can offer. Say it at the end of the interview, after you have made your case: I qualify for the Work Opportunity 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.

Vermont Department of Labor coordinates WOTC certification and Federal Bonding access for employers statewide.

Where to Get Help in Vermont

Vermont Department of Labor American Job Centers (vtjoblink.org) provide job search assistance, training referrals, WOTC coordination, and Federal Bonding access statewide.

Vermont Department of Corrections provides educational and vocational programs inside facilities and coordinates reentry services. Contact through doc.vermont.gov.

Dismas of Vermont (dismasofvermont.org) operates reentry houses in Burlington and St. Johnsbury providing transitional housing and employment support.

Vermont Legal Aid (vtlegalaid.org) provides free legal assistance for eligible Vermonters including expungement guidance.

Vermont Volunteer Lawyers Project (vtlawhelp.org) provides free legal help including record clearance assistance.

Vermont Judiciary (vermontjudiciary.org) provides expungement forms and information.

The Federal Bonding Program, coordinated through Vermont DOL, provides free fidelity bonding to employers who hire returning citizens.