Getting Your First Job After Prison (No Recent Work History)
A blank resume isn't a dead end. It's just a starting point nobody taught you how to use.
You've been out a few weeks, or a few months, and you're staring at a resume template with nothing to put on it. Maybe you went in at nineteen and never held a real job. Maybe you were inside for fifteen years and the last paycheck you got was from a job that doesn't exist anymore. Maybe you worked plenty -- cash jobs, side work, helping family -- just never anything that shows up on paper.
Every application asks for "employment history." Every resume template has a spot for "most recent job." You don't have one, or you don't have one that counts, and it feels like the whole system was built to leave you out of it.
I've spent over a decade working reentry -- halfway houses, sober living homes, treatment centers, jails and prisons across Wisconsin. This is the situation I see more than almost any other, and it is not the dead end it feels like. You have more to work with than you think. This guide is how to find it, how to put it on paper, and how to get the first job that makes the second one easier.
You Have More Work History Than You Think
Before we build anything, let's inventory what you're actually sitting on. Most people in this spot think they have "nothing." That's almost never true. It's usually that nobody ever told them these things count.
Your Institution Job Assignment Counts
If you had a job assignment inside -- kitchen, laundry, groundskeeping, maintenance, tutoring, library, PIECP work program, anything with a schedule and a supervisor -- that is work history. You showed up on time, you followed instructions from a supervisor, you worked with other people, you were held accountable for a task. That is the exact same structure as any outside job. It belongs on your resume.
I know it feels different because it happened inside. It isn't different to an employer who's reading the skills you list, not the address where you learned them. You don't have to hide where it happened -- you'll get to that in the interview if it comes up -- but you also don't have to lead with it. List the role and the responsibilities like you would any job.
Programs and Certifications Are Real Credentials
Anything you completed -- a vocational program, a GED or HSED, a forklift certification, OSHA 10, ServSafe, a barbering or culinary program, AODA treatment completion, a peer support certification, a computer literacy class -- these go on your resume the same way a certificate from a community college would. Employers don't check whether your certificate came from inside a facility or a strip-mall training center. They check whether it's current and whether it's relevant.
If you're still inside or recently out and went through Wisconsin DOC's Windows to Work program, that counts too -- it's a documented, structured pre-release and reentry employment program, and case managers there can often verify your participation for an employer or provide documentation.
Informal and Under-the-Table Work Still Counts
If you did real work for real money -- construction side jobs, moving furniture, landscaping, cutting hair out of your kitchen, flipping cars, whatever it was -- you can list it. Just don't dress it up as something it wasn't. Call it what it is: "Independent Contractor -- Residential Landscaping" or "Freelance -- General Labor." You're not claiming a W-2 you never had. You're showing you've worked and been reliable enough that people paid you and called you back.
Life Skills Are Transferable Skills
This is the part people underrate the most. If you kept a household running, managed a budget on nothing, coordinated childcare and appointments and rides for a family while dealing with the court system, or ran a peer support group inside -- you were doing project management, logistics, and people management. Those are real, listable skills. You don't need a job title to have developed a skill.
Reframe example:
Instead of leaving it blank, write: "Managed household budget and scheduling for a family of four while coordinating transportation, childcare, and appointments -- developed strong organizational and problem-solving skills under pressure."
That's not spin. That's an accurate description of real responsibility you carried. Don't undersell it just because nobody paid you a wage for it.
Building a Resume With Thin Work History
Use a Skills-Based Format, Not a Timeline
A standard chronological resume ("Job, dates, Job, dates") is the worst format for you right now, because it puts the gap front and center. Use a skills-based (also called "functional") resume instead. It leads with what you can do, grouped by category, and puts your thin timeline near the bottom where it belongs.
Structure it like this:
- Header -- name, phone, email, city/state (no street address needed)
- Summary -- two sentences on what you're looking for and what you bring
- Skills -- three or four categories (e.g., "Reliability & Work Ethic," "Physical Labor & Safety," "Customer Service & Communication")
- Relevant Experience -- your institution job, informal work, programs, volunteer work, all listed with responsibilities, no need to separate "real" jobs from the rest
- Education & Certifications
- References available upon request
What Goes at the Top
Your summary line does a lot of work. Keep it plain and forward-looking:
"Reliable, hardworking [warehouse associate / laborer / customer service worker] ready to bring a strong work ethic and quick learning ability to a growing team."
You do not need to explain your record here. That's not what a resume is for.
How to List a Program or Institution Job Instead of a Traditional Job
Use the same format you'd use for any job -- title, organization or program, dates, two or three bullet points on what you did:
Kitchen Crew, Institution Food Service -- 2022-2025
Prepared meals for a facility population of several hundred on a fixed daily schedule. Followed food safety protocols. Trained new crew members on rotation.
That's a real, specific, employer-readable entry. It doesn't need to say where "Institution Food Service" was located unless you want it to.
Keep It to One Page
With thin work history, you might be tempted to pad the resume out. Don't. A tight, honest one-pager reads as confident. A stretched-out two-pager with filler reads as trying too hard to hide something. Say less, say it well.
Talking About the Gap Honestly (Without Underselling Yourself)
You will get asked, in person or on an application, about the gap. Two things are true at once: you don't owe anyone your whole story, and you also shouldn't pretend the time away didn't happen. The goal is a short, factual, forward-facing answer -- not a confession, not a cover story.
Interview script:
"I was incarcerated and I'm being upfront about that. While I was there I completed [program/certification] and worked [job assignment]. I'm out now, I'm stable, and I'm ready to work. I think my references from that time can speak to how I show up."
That's it. Say it once, plainly, and move the conversation forward. Don't apologize repeatedly and don't over-explain the offense unless they ask directly. If they ask follow-up questions, answer them honestly and briefly, then redirect to what you bring now: "That's part of my past. Here's what I can do for you going forward."
The biggest mistake I see people make isn't disclosing too much -- it's disappearing into shame and undercutting everything good they just said. Stand behind the skills you listed. They're real.
Entry Points That Don't Require Experience
You don't need a "real" resume to get your foot in the door everywhere. Some entry points are built for exactly your situation -- they need bodies, they need reliability, and they don't gatekeep on a spotless work history.
Staffing Agencies
Staffing agencies place people fast, often the same week, into warehouse, manufacturing, and general labor roles. Manpower (headquartered right here in Milwaukee), Kelly Services, and Employbridge all run large industrial and light-industrial placement operations in Wisconsin. Walk in, fill out the application, and be upfront about your record when asked -- agencies deal with background checks constantly and know which client companies will and won't work with a record. Let them do that filtering for you.
Day-Labor-to-Hire Pipelines
PeopleReady is a national staffing company built specifically around fast, flexible placement -- their JobStack app lets you pick up next-day shifts in warehouses, event setup, moving crews, and general labor. Many people use it as a bridge: work a few weeks of day shifts, prove you show up, and get pulled into a permanent role with the client company. It's one of the fastest ways to start generating a real, verifiable, recent pay stub.
Pre-Apprenticeship Programs
If you're interested in the trades, WRTP/BIG STEP (Wisconsin Regional Training Partnership) runs pre-apprenticeship programs out of Milwaukee that prepare people for union construction apprenticeships -- electrical, plumbing, carpentry, ironworking, and more. Pre-apprenticeship doesn't require prior trade experience. It requires showing up, passing a basic assessment, and doing the work. These programs have a track record of working with justice-impacted applicants and can be a direct pipeline into a career, not just a job.
Reentry Employment Programs
Wisconsin DOC's Windows to Work program connects people leaving incarceration with employment specialists who know which local employers actively hire justice-impacted workers. Many local Goodwill affiliates run dedicated reentry employment services -- job readiness, interview prep, and direct employer connections -- separate from their retail thrift operations. Your local Job Center of Wisconsin (run by the Department of Workforce Development) has reentry-focused career staff at many locations who can help with everything from resume building to job leads to funding for training.
CDL and Quick-Certification Training
A commercial driver's license opens doors fast and pays well relative to entry-level work. Many Wisconsin Job Centers can connect you to CDL training funded through workforce development dollars, sometimes at little or no cost to you. It takes weeks, not years, and driving jobs are consistently short-staffed.
The Federal Bonding Program and Tax Credits That Help You Get Hired
Two federal tools exist specifically to make hiring you less risky on paper for an employer. Knowing about them -- and mentioning them -- can tip a hesitant hiring manager in your favor.
The Federal Bonding Program is a U.S. Department of Labor program, administered in Wisconsin through the state workforce agency, that provides a free fidelity bond to an employer who hires an at-risk job seeker, including people with a criminal record. It protects the employer against employee theft or dishonesty during the early period of employment at no cost to you or them. It's not a loan and it's not a favor -- it's a real insurance product the government provides to remove one of the employer's stated risks.
The Work Opportunity Tax Credit (WOTC) is a federal tax credit that rewards employers financially for hiring people from certain groups, including individuals hired within a year of a felony conviction or release from incarceration. When you fill out a WOTC screening form during onboarding (many applications include one without explaining what it is), you may be helping the employer qualify for a real tax credit for having hired you.
You can mention both of these in an interview if it feels right: "I want you to know I likely qualify for the Federal Bonding Program and the WOTC tax credit, which can offset some of the hiring risk on your end." Most hiring managers have never heard this from a candidate. It signals you've done your homework and you understand their side of the table.
Wisconsin-Specific Resources
- Windows to Work (Wisconsin DOC) -- pre-release and post-release employment readiness and job placement support.
- Job Center of Wisconsin (DWD) -- statewide network with reentry-focused career staff, WOTC screening, training funds, and job listings.
- WRTP/BIG STEP (Milwaukee) -- pre-apprenticeship pipeline into union construction trades.
- Wisconsin Fair Employment Act (Wis. Stat. § 111.335) -- state law that prohibits most employers from denying you a job based on an arrest or conviction record unless the circumstances of the offense are "substantially related" to the specific job's circumstances. This is stronger protection than many states have, and it's worth knowing when you feel like your record is an automatic disqualifier. It usually isn't, by law.
- Huber Law / county work release (Wis. Stat. § 303.08) -- if you're finishing time on work release, that employment is real, verifiable work history you can carry directly into your next job search.
- Goodwill regional reentry employment programs -- job readiness and direct employer connections in most Wisconsin metro areas.
From First Job to Second: Building Momentum
Your first job after release isn't the finish line. It's the thing that makes your second job easier to get, and your third job easier than that. Treat it that way from day one.
- Keep every pay stub. This is your proof of recent, verifiable, on-the-books work history -- the exact thing you didn't have when you started. Six months of pay stubs turns "no recent work history" into a real, current track record.
- Ask for a reference before you leave, not after. While your supervisor still sees you every day and the work is fresh, ask directly: "Would you be willing to be a reference for me down the line?" Get their phone number or email. Don't wait until you've already moved on to track them down.
- Build your timeline as you go. Every job, every program, every certification after this one stacks onto the last. In a year, your resume looks nothing like it does today -- not because your past changed, but because your present did.
- Use the first job as leverage for the next one. A staffing agency placement or day-labor role that turns into six steady months is exactly what gets you into a pre-apprenticeship program, a union hall, or a direct-hire role with benefits. Momentum is the whole game. The first job's real value isn't the paycheck -- it's what it proves.
Frequently Asked Questions
What if I've never had a real job before?
You still have work history, even if it's not traditional. Institution job assignments, programs, certifications, informal paid work, and life responsibilities like managing a household all belong on a resume when you frame them by the skills and responsibilities involved, not the paycheck. A skills-based resume format is built exactly for this situation.
Should I list my prison job assignment on my resume?
Yes. List it the same way you'd list any job -- title, organization or program name, dates, and two or three bullet points describing your responsibilities. You don't need to over-explain where it took place. It shows you can follow a schedule, take direction, and complete real work.
How far back should my resume go if I don't have recent work history?
Go back as far as you have relevant material -- programs, job assignments, informal work, or prior employment -- and organize it by skill category rather than strict chronological order. A skills-based format lets you include older or nontraditional experience without drawing attention to exact dates and gaps.
Do staffing agencies really hire people with a felony record?
Yes. Agencies like Manpower, Kelly Services, Employbridge, and PeopleReady place large volumes of workers into warehouse, manufacturing, and general labor roles, and they regularly work with clients open to hiring justice-impacted candidates. Being upfront with the agency about your record lets them match you to employers who are already comfortable with it.
What is the Federal Bonding Program, and how does it help me get hired?
It's a U.S. Department of Labor program that provides a free fidelity bond to an employer who hires you, protecting them against employee theft or dishonesty during your early months on the job at no cost to either of you. It's one of the strongest tools you can mention in an interview to directly address an employer's hiring risk.
How do I explain a long employment gap in an interview?
Keep it short and factual: name that you were incarcerated, mention what you completed or worked on while inside, and pivot to your readiness now. Say it once, don't over-apologize, and let your listed skills and references carry the rest of the conversation.
The Bottom Line
A thin work history is a formatting problem and an information problem, not a character problem. You almost certainly have more listable experience than you think you do -- it's just been sitting under labels like "institution job," "helped my family out," or "never got paid on paper for it." Once you reframe it honestly and put it in a format built for your situation, you have a real resume, not an empty one.
Getting your first job back is about finding entry points that are actually built for exactly where you are -- staffing agencies, day-labor-to-hire pipelines, pre-apprenticeship programs, and reentry employment services -- and then using that first job to build the track record that makes the second one easier. This is not a fast process. It is a workable one.
Ready to Build Your Resume?
You don't have to figure out the format, the wording, or the framing alone. Forge, Steel Man Resumes' free career intelligence tool, walks you through building a resume that puts your real experience -- program completions, institution work assignments, informal jobs, transferable skills -- into a format employers actually respond to. No cost, no credit card, no catch.
I've sat across from a lot of people staring at this exact blank page, sure there was nothing to put on it. There's always something. My job is helping you see it and say it right. If you want to talk through your specific situation, reach out directly.
Call (262) 391-8137 or email troy@steelmanresumes.com
Last Updated: July 2026
Sources: Wisconsin Statutes § 111.335 (Wisconsin Fair Employment Act); Wisconsin Statutes § 303.08 (Huber Law / county work release); Wisconsin Department of Corrections, Windows to Work program; Wisconsin Department of Workforce Development, Job Center of Wisconsin; WRTP/BIG STEP (Wisconsin Regional Training Partnership); U.S. Department of Labor, Federal Bonding Program; Internal Revenue Service, Work Opportunity Tax Credit (WOTC) guidance on qualified ex-felon target group; ManpowerGroup, Kelly Services, Employbridge, and PeopleReady public staffing program information; Goodwill Industries regional reentry employment program information.