Does Verizon hire people with felonies?

What Verizon has said

Verizon is a member of the Second Chance Business Coalition and was among the companies the coalition named when it launched in April 2021. In a 2023 SHRM article, Verizon CEO Hans Vestberg was quoted saying Verizon wanted to take bias out of hiring and is giving people with criminal records an opportunity; SHRM itself wrote that Verizon committed to hiring formerly incarcerated applicants in 2015, when it "banned the box." Verizon's candidate privacy notice says information it gets about applicants might include background check results from screening agencies, but Verizon hasn't published which jobs are checked or when. Two fleet technician postings we read say an alcohol and drug test is required where the job needs a commercial driver's license.

• Second Chance Business Coalition member

  Listed as a member of the Second Chance Business Coalition.¹

• Founding member of the Second Chance Business Coalition

  Verizon Communications was among the companies the coalition named as having joined when it launched on April 26, 2021.²

• News report

  An April 11, 2023 SHRM article quoted Verizon CEO Hans Vestberg saying Verizon wanted to take bias out of the hiring process and is now giving people with criminal records an opportunity, and describing formerly incarcerated employees as very loyal, good workers. The article itself, not Vestberg, says Verizon committed to hiring formerly incarcerated applicants in 2015, when it banned the box; it doesn't say what changed on applications. The coalition's March 31, 2023 release said Vestberg would speak at its April 3, 2023 event on the business case for second chance employment.³

• Pro bono record clearing

  A Verizon news post tied to an October 2020 event says Verizon's pro bono legal team helps people expunge or seal criminal records so the records don't hurt their job prospects. This is legal help, not a Verizon hiring program.⁴

Does Verizon do background checks?

Verizon hasn't said publicly whether it runs background checks. Verizon's candidate privacy notice (last modified March 2026), which covers people applying for Verizon roles and points to separate notices for California and for people outside the U.S., says personal data Verizon gets about applicants from other sources might include background check information from employment screening agencies or public registers, as the law allows. It doesn't say which jobs are checked, what a check covers or when it happens, and the Verizon postings we read don't mention background checks.⁵

• How long a background check takes

Does Verizon drug test?

Verizon drug tests for some roles. Two Verizon fleet technician postings (Washington, DC and Bohemia, NY) say that where a commercial driver's license is required, the applicant must pass an alcohol and drug test. We found no Verizon drug-testing policy for other jobs. CDL drivers also fall under federal DOT testing rules (see role notes).^6,7

Rules for specific jobs

• Fleet (automotive equipment) technicians

  Two current postings (Washington, DC and Bohemia, NY) ask for a CDL or commercial learner's permit with the CDL within six months of hire, a valid driver's license with a satisfactory driving record, and say that where a CDL is required the applicant must pass an alcohol and drug test.⁶

• Commercial drivers in DOT-regulated jobs (federal rule)

  Federal rules require a verified negative pre-employment drug test before a CDL driver first performs safety-sensitive work for an employer.⁸

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.^12,13,14
• 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."^12,13
• You have the right to dispute inaccurate or incomplete information in your background report directly with the company that made it.^12,15
• 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.^16,17
• 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).^16,18

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.^12,15,19
• 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.²⁰
• 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.^21,22

See whether you can clear your record in your state