In CA your potential employer can’t ask about criminal history before extending an offer. After the offer is extended that’s off the table: they absolutely can (and will!) run a background check, and any convictions are assessed against the offered job.

A SWE might get a job with a drug conviction they picked up a decade ago. They might have their offer pulled due to a recent conviction for embezzlement.

But yeah, for OP: this is why this is a hard question to answer without specifics. What jurisdiction are you in, what crime, how long ago, what job? These details matter.

If you’re really unsure most employment lawyers offer a free consultation. Good luck.

https://www.goodhire.com/resources/articles/how-far-back-do-...

A few states extend FCRA-like provisions for felony reporting. Most don’t.

Even if your state does extend those protections, most have salary caps: if you are (for example) a felon in Washington applying for a job over $20k in annual salary, the 7-year reporting exemption doesn’t apply to you.

Other states offer an exemption for misdemeanors but exclude felons entirely.

(edit: I had MA in my head but it was WA I was trying to remember, changed :-))

> Businesses that sell criminal history information to employers are "consumer reporting agencies" (CRAs) if they provide the information in "consumer reports" under the Fair Credit Reporting Act, 15 U.S.C. § 1681 et seq. (FCRA). Under FCRA, a CRA generally may not report records of arrests that did not result in entry of a judgment of conviction, where the arrests occurred more than seven years ago. However, they may report convictions indefinitely. (emph. added)

The FCRA does not wipe convictions after seven years.