Employers that hire people with a record, Chicago - any advice?

I got a lead on a company that does not ask about convictions on the first application. It has been a long 2 weeks. Pay starts at an hourly rate with benefits after 18 months. Has anyone worked at these places?

Thanks for writing this out. I went through something close to it 14 months ago, and it got easier once I kept a simple log of every call and form.