Whether you're supporting yourself or your family, you are eager to find and maintain a well-paying job, which is not always a simple task. As you fill out online applications or pound the pavement, turning in applications in person, you want to make sure that your application stands out above the rest.

If you have an arrest or conviction for driving under the influence, you're concerned about how that information is going to affect your ability to get that job you want, and whether a black mark on your record will make employers say, "Thanks for applying, but not thanks."

Now that you're in the job market, you ask, "Do I have to disclose my DUI on job applications?" It depends, and in some cases you are under no obligation to disclose a DUI arrest or conviction but the right thing to do is based on the application itself.

What does the application ask for?

If the interviewer does not ask about arrests or convictions, you are under no obligation to volunteer it. If the application does not specifically ask if you have a history of arrests, you do not have to disclose a drunk driving arrest. Often, job applications will ask about criminal convictions, not arrests.

If the job application asks you if you have any convictions, you do not want to lie about it. However, if the application asks about convictions but does not mention "arrests," there is no need to disclose information about an arrest that did not lead to a conviction.

Arrests can be found on background checks run by employers so if you're ever asked for this information, honesty is the best policy. But, employers are more likely to ask about criminal convictions than arrests, so you must take your time to read the fine print.

Some job applications are only interested in "felony" convictions, so keep that in mind while job hunting. If you had a misdemeanor DUI, the application may not ask about it.

Protect your career by fighting your DUI charges – call a DUI defense attorney today!