Paying the legal penalties for a DUI charge may not totally relieve you of the trouble. A DUI may continue to haunt you for years after the momentary indiscretion. It may potentially damage your career, especially if you’ve already been struggling to achieve career stability. You may turn out to be a stronger person after a DUI conviction, but more realistically speaking, it could prove devastating for your current employment as well as future career prospects.
Employment Background Checks
Any sensible employer would keep track of how their employees contribute to the organization and its reputation, and whether any of them could pose a risk to other employees. The employer would be even more cautious when hiring a new employee, carrying out background checks of the person.
Many people regard a DUI as a mere traffic violation that won’t show up on background checks. However, a DUI is the most commonly inspected offense in background checks.
If you live in Virginia, the good news is that a DUI won’t stay on your record for more than 11 years. This means you won’t always be branded a criminal. After this period, employers won’t know that you were convicted of driving under the influence. Yet, eleven years can be enough to destroy your career, especially if your current employer is very responsive.
Impact on Current Employment
Even though there is no legal requirement that states that you will lose a job for a DUI offense, most employers nowadays include a clause in employment agreements stating that the company has the due right to terminate the employee if he is convicted of any crime.
Losing your driving license can have serious implications for your job. If part of your job includes driving, the employer would most probably have to let you go because there is no other option. Even if your job has nothing to do with driving, you may need to travel frequently by road, leading to work issues. In some cases, you may be required to attend substance abuse programs, which means you can’t attend office during those hours. Many employers won’t tolerate this, and will replace you with another candidate.
Impact on Future Career Prospects
Generally, employers are less likely to hire someone with a criminal record. An employer has all the legal rights to deny you employment if you have a DUI on your record, whether or not the job requires regular driving. Not only could you be rejected for jobs that require driving, but any type of job, as your criminal record may simply be perceived as irresponsible and reckless conduct.
Similarly, many career opportunities associated with education and government agencies require clean criminal records. Hence, strict background checks are conducted before recruitment.
Closing Thoughts
If you ever get charged with a DUI, your first step should be to meet an experienced attorney. Getting pulled over and accused of drunk driving isn’t enough to ruin your record. A DUI only goes on your record when you are convicted. A lawyer can help you get a lesser charge or completely dismissed of all charges if you were entrapped.