Looking for a job with a felony in your background isn’t an easy task. But thankfully, some companies are open to hiring felons and providing that all-important second chance. One of those companies is Coca-Cola, and if you’re thinking about applying for a job and wondering, does Coca Cola hire felons, the answer is yes, but on a case-by-case basis.
Coca-Cola is probably the best-known brand in the entire world, and they provide a wide variety of job opportunities across its corporate, manufacturing, warehouse, and supply chain divisions.
Jobs at Coca-Cola pay well and the company offers competitive benefits, as well as opportunities for career development.
In this article, we’ll run through what we know about getting a job at Coca-Cola with a felony on your record.
Does Coca Cola Hire Felons in 2024?
Coca-Cola doesn’t make its hiring policies public, but since many felons have been hired by the company, it’s safe to say that they’re willing to hire felons.
That doesn’t mean that they’ll hire every felon that applies for a job, however. The type of offense you committed and its age are important factors that will be taken into consideration. And with a felony on your record, some jobs will be easier to get than others.
Applying for jobs, whether you’ve got a felony on your record or not, is always a numbers game. The more applications you put in, the more likely you are to receive a job offer.
If you’ve seen a job listing at Coca-Cola that you’re qualified for, go ahead and apply. The only jobs you definitely won’t get are the ones you don’t apply for.
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Does Coca-Cola Carry Out Background Checks?
All applicants will have to pass a background check during the Coca-Cola hiring process. As with any standard background check, your identity will be confirmed along with your right to work in the United States.
Make sure you’ve got a valid form of identification, you won’t be able to pass the background check without one.
Your criminal background will be checked, and if the role you’ve applied for requires qualifications and/or experience, then your education and previous work history will also be confirmed.
If you apply for a driving job, then your Motor Vehicle Report will also be checked.
Background checks are carried out once a conditional job offer has been made. If unfavorable information is uncovered during the background check, the offer of employment may be withdrawn.
How Far Back Does Coca-Cola Go On A Background Check?
Judging from employee feedback, the background check at Coca-Cola follows state law and in states without background check limits, that means they can search your entire history.
States with a 7-year limit on background checks are:
- California
- Colorado
- Kansas
- Kentucky
- Maryland
- Massachusetts
- Montana
- Nevada
- New Hampshire
- New Mexico
- New York
- Texas
- Washington
If you live in one of these states any felony older than 7 years will not be disclosed on your background check. But be aware that some states allow prison release dates and parole dates to be reported. So, for example, a felony from 10 years ago could still be discovered if your sentence completion date was within the last 7 years.
Even so, Coca-Cola takes the age of a felony into account, so don’t be discouraged.
Which Felonies Are Disqualifying At Coca-Cola?
In general, having a felony that involved theft or violence will be a problem.
Employers have a responsibility to keep their employees safe, and they need to make sure that they’ve taken reasonable steps to exclude dangerous individuals from the workplace. A conviction for assault or a sexual offense could make you too risky to hire.
If your felony is theft, then you probably won’t be eligible for delivery and merchandising roles because employees in that position are responsible for a truck and thousands of dollars of merchandise.
But you’ve got nothing to lose by applying, especially if you’ve got a clean record since you finished your sentence and you’ve got some relevant experience.
Is Coca-Cola A Ban the Box Company?
Yes. Back in 2016, The Coca-Cola Company was one of the original signatories to the Fair Chance Business Pledge.
Companies taking the pledge committed to Banning the Box on job application forms so that applicants with a criminal past would be given the same evaluation as all other applicants during the initial phase of the hiring process.
Another important aspect of the Fair Chance Business Pledge is ensuring that Human Resource departments make fair decisions when they consider the background of applicants with criminal records.
Because the company took a leading role in President Obama’s second chance initiative, you’ll get a fair evaluation when you apply for a job at Coca-Cola.
Is There A Pre-Employment Drug Test At Coca-Cola?
The product that made Coca-Cola famous originally contained cocaine, but nowadays the company has a zero-tolerance policy when it comes to drug use.
At Coca-Cola, you’ll need to pass a pre-employment drug test. Once you’ve received an offer of employment, you’ll be asked to take a urine test which will look for commonly abused illegal drugs.
- Opiates
- Cocaine
- Marijuana
- Amphetamines and methamphetamine
- Phencyclidine (PCP)
You’ll also be subject to reasonable suspicion and post-accident drug tests, and you could face random drug tests depending on your role.
Drivers in a CDL position will certainly face random drug tests because those are required under Department of Transportation regulations.
What Type Of Job Can A Felon Get At Coca-Cola?
Depending on the age of your felony, you could be eligible for any job that you see advertised.
If your felony is more than 7 years old in one of the states with a background check limit, it won’t show up on your report and lead to disqualification. In that case, as long as you meet the requirements in the job description, you can apply with confidence.
As someone with a felony in your background, you need to become familiar with the employment background check laws in your state and city. Once you know what the law says, you’ll know exactly where you stand when you apply for a job.
If your felony is less than 7 years old, or you live in a state without background check limits, the type of job you can get at Coca-Cola will depend on the nature of the offense and its age.
An entry-level job will be much easier to get than a job that supervises others or that has a lot of responsibility.
Entry-level warehouse roles include materials handler, forklift operator, and order builder. Bottling plant roles include machine operator and production line, laborer.
If you’ve got a clean driving record, you could be eligible for a merchandiser role. Merchandisers deliver products to stores and vending machine locations on their routes.
It’s always a good idea to be ready to talk about your offense at your interview if you know it’s recent enough to come up on your background check. And present a few good character references if you have them.
Summing Up
Having a felony on your record isn’t an automatic disqualification for jobs at Coca-Cola. The company supports second-chance hiring and has hired many felons in the past.
A background check will be carried out once a conditional job offer has been made, and the company will consider the nature and the age of your felony when they make a final hiring decision.
Directly supervised work in a manufacturing facility, bottling plant, or warehouse will be the easiest type of work for a felon to get at Coca-Cola, and if you’ve got a clean driving record, you could be eligible for a merchandising position.
And remember to make sure that you’ll be able to pass a urine drug screen before you apply.
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Robert Eric (a lover of Cats and Dogs) is the co-founder of HireFelonsJobs. In our search for a better life, after… A platform was created for the purpose of easing the search for ex-convicts.