Seeking advice, to shed light and help clear up some heavy uncertainty in my employability in the tech industry.
I have an arrest from 11 years ago for 1 felony count of sexual battery, which resulted in a misdemeanor conviction for voyerism. This occured during my college years, something which I can go on about some other time regarding regret and self development. Clearly not the best things to have on an otherwise clean record.
I have been gainfully and still am employed by a well known Fortune 500 company the last 10 years as a professional computer engineer in system validation. Performance wise, I consider myself above average but probably not a top tier engineer. I have a BS in computer engineering from a well known public university. My social network is moderate but includes peers from Google, Apple, and Facebook.
** What is your take on my employment opportunities, if I wish to leave my current company to start a job at another Fortune 500 company? Any different if a funded startup?
** In either case, are there strict policies to deny my type of background? If there is consideration, who generally makes that (recruiter, hiring manager, HR manager, etc)?
** Lastly, any advice for my situation; assume I am leaving my company but am flexible in timeframe (I have more than 30 years ahead of me!).
Any feedback, especially from recruiters out there, would be VERY much appreciated. My history is unfortunate, and a rigid hiring process may not see the complexity beyond the surface; getting clarity on my future career opportunities will be invaluable.