After being pulled over on suspicion of DUI, you may find yourself facing charges. You may consider pleading guilty, paying your fines and finding a way to deal with the fact that you lost your driver’s license for a while. You may even spend a few nights in jail just to make the situation go away.
This may work for you in the short term but may not over the long run. One of the consequences you may not have foreseen is that a conviction could limit your job prospects now and in the future. Even if you don’t drive for a living or as part of your work duties, a DUI conviction could affect your current employment or any future job prospects.
Ways in which your employment could suffer
Removing the possibility that a DUI conviction could affect your ability to get a job that involves driving, it could also affect your employment prospects in other ways:
- With a suspended license, getting to and from work could become an issue, and your employer may not feel the need to accommodate your travel issues when it comes to scheduling. In addition, consistently being late to work due to transportation issues could cost you your job.
- If you work in some professions, such as teaching, law enforcement or medicine, any blemish on your record may be unacceptable.
- You could end up needing a significant amount of time off work to deal with your legal issues, and your employer may not be sympathetic.
- Right or wrong, your employer may wonder whether you have a drinking problem if you are convicted of DUI, which could affect your employment.
- Most employers conduct background checks, and your DUI conviction will come to their attention. If the position comes down to you and another person without a criminal record, you may be passed over for a job.
Facing any criminal charge causes stress, apprehension and fear in most people. However, attempting to hurry through the process will more than likely not serve you in the future. You may think you are “sweeping the incident under the rug,” but in reality, you are creating a situation from which you may not recover when it comes to finding gainful employment. Instead, taking the time to address the situation head on from the beginning could result in reduced charges, a dismissal or an acquittal.