Does Boeing hire people with felonies?

What Boeing has said

Boeing has not published a policy on hiring people with criminal records. Its job postings say Boeing is a drug-free workplace where applicants with an offer may be tested for marijuana, cocaine, opioids, amphetamines, PCP and alcohol under company policy criteria. Some Boeing jobs require a U.S. government security clearance; Boeing's careers FAQ says a felony conviction in the past 10 years may delay or affect a clearance, and that clearances are granted by the Defense Counterintelligence and Security Agency, not Boeing.

We didn't find a public statement from Boeing about hiring people with records: not on its careers site, in its reports, or in its announcements. That doesn't mean it won't hire you. It means there's nothing on the record to point to.

Does Boeing do background checks?

Boeing hasn't said publicly whether it runs background checks. Boeing's careers FAQ and the postings we read do not describe a general background check. Roles that need a security clearance go through a federal clearance process (see role notes).¹

• How long a background check takes

Does Boeing drug test?

Boeing drug tests applicants. Boeing postings describe a company-wide drug-free workplace policy: applicants who have received an offer, and employees, may be tested for marijuana, cocaine, opioids, amphetamines, PCP and alcohol when criteria in Boeing's policies are met. Boeing does not publish those criteria.^2,3

Rules for specific jobs

• Jobs requiring a U.S. security clearance (often defense work)

  Boeing's careers FAQ says clearances are decided by the Defense Counterintelligence and Security Agency (DCSA). It lists not being a U.S. citizen, a dishonorable discharge or a previously revoked clearance as immediate disqualifiers, and says a felony conviction within the past 10 years may delay or affect a clearance.¹

• Example cleared roles

  One Cyber Test Integrator posting (Seattle or Oklahoma City) requires the ability to obtain a U.S. security clearance and an interim or final Top Secret clearance after starting. One Aviation Maintenance Technician and Inspector posting (Tukwila, WA) requires a current Secret clearance. Each is a single posting.⁴

• Roles under U.S. export control rules

  One Boeing assembler posting says the job must meet U.S. export control requirements, meaning the hire must be a U.S. Person (for example, a U.S. citizen, lawful permanent resident, refugee or asylee). This is about citizenship and immigration status, not criminal records.²

Your rights, and how far back a check can go

• Under the federal Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA), an employer must get your written permission before it gets a background report about you from a background screening company.^5,6,7
• Before an employer decides not to hire, keep, or promote you because of something in a background report, it must give you a copy of the report and a document called "A Summary of Your Rights Under the Fair Credit Reporting Act."^5,6
• You have the right to dispute inaccurate or incomplete information in your background report directly with the company that made it.^5,8
• The FCRA's seven-year limit does not apply to criminal convictions, so under federal law a conviction can show up on a background report no matter how old it is.^9,10
• Under the FCRA, background and credit reports generally cannot include arrest records, civil lawsuits, or civil judgments that are more than seven years old (or older than the statute of limitations, if that is longer).^9,11

Your full background check rights

Before you apply

• You can ask a background screening company for the information it has on you, and the CFPB keeps a list of consumer reporting companies, including employment screening companies, with their contact details.^5,8,12
• According to the Clean Slate Initiative, 14 states and Washington, D.C. have passed Clean Slate laws that meet its criteria for automatically clearing eligible records: Pennsylvania, Utah, New Jersey, Connecticut, Michigan, Delaware, Virginia, California, Oklahoma, Colorado, Minnesota, New York, Illinois, and Missouri, plus D.C.¹³
• The Federal Bonding Program, run by the U.S. Department of Labor, lets states give employers free fidelity bonds that protect them against losses from a newly hired worker's dishonest acts, for job seekers with past justice involvement or in recovery from substance use.^14,15

See whether you can clear your record in your state