People in Minnesota who have been arrested and charged with drunk driving offenses have good reason to be concerned. The potential penalties they may face if ultimately convicted of drunk driving can range from time in jail to high fines and more. However, once those elements of a drunk driving conviction are over, problems could still be experienced. This is because a DUI is a criminal offense, not just a traffic offense like a typical speeding ticket.
Criminal convictions may well show up on background checks for residences, loans, other credit and even jobs. PBS recommends that people with DUI offenses on their records who are looking for new jobs be honest with potential employers. This may not mean discussing a DUI in a first interview but it may well mean informing the company before the background check is performed. Letting an employer be caught off guard about information like this may actually be as bad or worse than the actual conviction on a record.
Ere Media also indicates that employers may well take into account the nature of the job being applied for as well as the presence of a drunk driving conviction. For example, if a job is for a commercial driving position, there may be company rules that preclude hiring anyone with an impaired driving conviction. But, if the person will not be driving for the company, a prior DUI may be less of a concern. Similarly, a pattern of multiple offenses might be viewed very differently than one DUI offense on its own.
