You may be thinking, what jobs for ex felons are available? Sometimes it seems as though no one is hiring right now, especially ex felons. Jobs for ex felons are not exactly falling out of the sky but unemployment is not your only option. There are still a few good jobs for ex felons out there if you look hard.

When you apply for a job, the employer will look at your recent work history more closely than old work history from 10 years ago. Now, if it has been several years since your release and you already have a solid work history then you can apply to the better-paying jobs.

On the other hand, if you haven’t had a job in the last five years, ask yourself this question: how will employers know that you are a good choice for the best jobs for felons?

If that’s your problem then your best bet is to build a work history. In this case, your goal is to get one of the good jobs and work hard at it so that you can hopefully advance your career.

Many of the highly regulated and licensed professions are probably out of your reach. For example, jobs that require using explosives or firearms are most likely out of the question.

So what kinds of jobs for felons are within your reach?

Truck driving/commercial driving – These are traditional jobs that pay well and always need new people. With many of the truck drivers now nearing retirement age, 200,000 truck driving jobs need to be filled by the end of 2011. This is an excellent opportunity for ex-offenders.

Wait staff, bar tending, barista and other food service jobs – The food industry is always looking for hard-working reliable staff. As felony jobs go, this doesn’t pay that well unless you get a lot of good tips so try to get a job at one of the better places where the tips are good.

Pizza delivery – This is another kind of felon employment where your income depends on tips but if you work in a good town, pizza delivery is a decent way to make some cash.

Movers – If you don’t mind a lot of lifting and carrying, you can get a job at one of the small moving companies. Like some of the other jobs, this doesn’t pay that much but having a steady job like this can help build up a solid work history for ex-offenders so they can apply to the better jobs for felons later on.

U.S. Military jobs – Provided that the military recruitment officers feel that you will make a good soldier, the military can get a waiver for ex-felons. The pay and benefits are pretty good compared to many other jobs for ex felons.

If you want to enjoy a lot of personal freedom and earn more, why settle for boring, low-paying felon friendly jobs when you can just work for yourself?

Freelance workers are people who have skills that clients need. Instead of working for just one employer, they have many clients who pay them depending on the work that they do. Examples of some freelance or independent contractor jobs for ex felons are would be Photographers, Graphic Designers and Computer Technician.

Jobs for ex felons can be hard to find but as the lists above show, there are many possible careers that are open to ex-offenders. At first you may have to settle for a low-paying job if you are fresh out of jail and need a job badly. However, you won’t need to limit yourself to those kinds of jobs for ex felons forever. You just need to get back on your feet, build a good work history and then aim for one of the better-paying jobs for ex felons when you are ready to compete for the higher-paying jobs.