If I’ve Been Convicted or Charged With a Crime in DC, Will My Job Know?

Peter Odom: That depends on what kind of job you have.  For example, jobs that have security clearances or government jobs that run regular background checks to find out if you’ve even been convicted or charged with a crime. That is relatively rare in jobs for most people.

But in DC, since so many people in this area work for government agencies which run regular background checks, it’s possible that your job could find out. For example, if you have the kind of job that also checks your driving history every once in a while and you have a driving-related conviction like a DUI, then that’s one way for your job to find out.

For most people who have jobs that don’t require regular background checks, it’s rare for a job to find out about a criminal case.