A Disclosure Letter is a very important document that informs a prospective employer about your offending history. Such letters can determine your entire future and working career. They have to be extremely accurate and professional at all times and will normally accompany a job application form.

It is a key document to be used by any ex-offender with all job applications. It will always take the form of a letter addressed to the head of personnel or the head of the selection panel. It must always be in a sealed envelope marked ‘private & confidential’.

Sending such a letter to employers means that you can relay the true circumstances of your conviction(s) to the employer, as opposed to a CRB disclosure that will just list the conviction(s). The employer will be aware of your conviction(s) and if you get the interview invitation, you may only be asked to supply further details if they are relevant to the vacancy for which you have applied for. This letter can even be submitted at the interview stage, but it is better to submit it with the application form(s). A Disclosure Letter can be used for multiple job applications or can be used to disclose to your current employer.

There are two immediate advantages in using this method:

Firstly, it saves you the embarrassment of having to discuss it with the employer, as he/she will already be aware of it. Questions will only be asked if the conviction(s) are relevant to the job role.

Secondly, and more importantly, it demonstrates to employers that you are being totally honest and up front, from the start of the application process.

If you have any questions at all regarding Disclosure Letters, please contact us.

All advice is free of charge.