New York City’s Fair Chance Act went into effect on October 27, 2015. It is now illegal for most NYC employers to deny employment based on an applicant’s criminal record.
This law bans ads specifying things like “no felonies” or “background check required”, and further prohibits questions about criminal history on job applications and during job interviews.
Finally, an employer can only check an applicant’s criminal record after a conditional job offer has been made.