Sometimes you hear people complain about the use of pre-employment credit checks as part of the hiring process. They say, “My bad credit shouldn’t be an issue in whether I can do the job. I’m being discriminated against.” Are they right?
Kansas City Star business columnist Diane Stafford takes up that issue in her recent column titled: Credit checks a legal part of pre-employment investigations Her bottom line is that “credit checks are a legal and in some cases appropriate part of pre-employment investigations. And there’s only a glimmer of a chance that credit checks might be considered discriminatory.”
In most cases, you won’t decide not to hire a person based on their credit history per se. You’ll make the decision based on fitness for a particular job or because the credit check points to other issues.
Obviously a person’s credit history has a greater bearing on your decision to hire for specific positions. You’ll pay more attention to it in cases where people will have access to money or where judgment is a factor. You’ll pay less attention if you’re hiring a receptionist.
But in both cases, you want to use the credit history as an indicator of areas to check further, not as a simple black and white hiring choice. Some reasons for doing a pre-employment credit check have nothing to do with credit.
The information on a pre-employment credit check gives you an independent source of information on the job history that you can compare with what’s on a resume or application. If things don’t match up, investigate further.
One more thing. Make sure you apply the same tests and checks to everyone seeking the same position. That’s one reason why running a criminal background check and a pre-employment credit check on all potential hires is a good idea.
WHAT A JOKE! Using a credit check to determine if someone is hard worker, has the skills and qualifications to do a job, and is the right fit for a company and position is SICK! Who ever wrote this article better get some help! You are SICK! What is the country coming too? Soon, employers will demand that they live with you for a week beofre they offer you a position. Your ENTIRE personal financial history has NO BEARING on your job. I am disgusted and people who write articles like this is what is wrong with this country!
This is ridiculous! This should be illegal- it’s discrimination. So now there are people who have bad credit because they can’t pay their bills because they can’t get a job- because they have bad credit! Unbelievable!
this is fucked up I got bad credit because of a school loan I’m unable to pay and medical bills this is causing me from getting work and a pickup truck that I coesigned for a friend to get and he defaulted on the loan and caused my credit to go bad. now I can’t get a job because of this dumb shit there should be a law against credit checks period for employeement. I agree your statement is fucked up
I think its a good idea. I am an mba student that is writing a thesis about the topic. according to my research the people who are saying its a bad idea are the ones who have bad credit. second of all people are thinking from an individualistic point of view rather then from what is the best for the company view. I would not want to hire a cfo that has bad credit because that shows his bad tendencies. THird of all i do not think that it should have a bearing on some positions. someone who works in the customer service department should not be effected, on that note someone who is given a company credit card or a position with some kind of money authority should because that will effect the company.
I think that is bullshit. A poor credit history should not effect an individuals performance. That is discrimination to not hire someone with a poor credit history. I am in debt because of student loans and what not and now I will not be able to get a job because of my poor credit history. Also, just because someone has a poor credit history does not mean they will steal. Check the fucking criminal background check to see if there are any reports on theft. If so then I can understand. My credit is fucked up, but I have a clean background check.
even people with bad credit still spend money. Depriving a person from eomployment over THEIR OWN PERSONAL FINANCIAL ISSUES only compounds their problems. This country needs people to spend money. They will get it one way or another. What would you rather see…our tax dollars supporting people who don’t have jobs, putting even more strain on our crippling economy? Or, how about we trust our brothers ans sisters as we should, with a little humanity isntead of kicking them when they are down. And to assume someone is a potential criminal because of bad credit… We have become greedy and parinoid of our own kind. PARINOID CORPORATE AMERICA….. Every day loosing more rights, freedom and privacy that our forefathers fought and died for… There is no doubt the corruption resides in all walks of life….rich and poor, in law enforement and religion, people with good credit and bad, so how does bad credit acually define me? Hmmmmm……
I, myself, have been denied employment because of my credit history. I went online to check out my free annual credit report and even took advice to obtain my credit score for free…guess what I found out: The only part of my credit report that was shady were the student loans and medical records on my account. Shouldn’t those count for something??? My hard work and determination to put myself through school and have not one late payment on my bills, but the fact they are reporting the loans on my credit lowers my score. I think this horrible legal loop hole should be abolished. I have been denied many wonderful employment opportunities because of my credit. I have only had 1 credit card my entire life and that has been paid off and closed. Am I at such a horrible risk for employment?? I don’t steal, I have no criminal convictions. I would recommend NO ONE to apply for employment with Express Clothing Company, Victoria’s Secret, Limited Clothing Company simply because they run credit checks before hiring anyone. Also, what are the standards to which an employer will hire someone? What kind of credit is recommended to become eligible for employment??? Guess what assholes: I work for the state government now and have a wonderful job. It’s a hell of a lot better than any “credit checking” employer could give me. Don’t waste your time with a company/organization who checks your credit. If they were so shallow to run a credit check in the first place, then they were worth it after all.
Checking someones credit for a job should be against the law. I for one have ok credit, which was perfect before the recession we are in now as well as the down turn in the construction industry. I know plenty of people that had great credit before all of this, now they cant find a job because of the economy, which is making them fall behind on their credit, and in turn, causing there score to drop. This will cause them further complications in the future while job hunting. It is a BAD practice and people need to get together to fight it. Get petions going, write your congress person..do what ever it takes. Not to mention, do you really want some head hunter, of HR person seeing what your worth, what assets you have, seeing what you paid for your home or car. Its a total invasion of privacy.
Fight the good fight.
If a credit report is an accurate determination of our integrity and character, which is what it boils down to, then we should have used that tactic on all government employees, police, president, politics, ceo’s, military forces, etc… People are who they are no matter what. So, having good credit means, there are no corrupt cops, Clinton would not have screwed Hilary and Bush would not have screwed us all. (sorry, just had to throw that in there). Sound like a joke? It really is. A credit report to get a job for us hard working americans is wrong. We are the majority, and in this country, majority rules. MY PERSONAL FINANCIAL ISSUES ARE BETWEEN ME AND MY CREDITORS, NOT ME AND MY BOSS.
END GAME
Well, people make mistakes. If you are in charge of money and need to manage that money and u will be handeling that money physically, it makes sense you may want to inquire about a persons credit history. However, missed or lack of payments, getting in a credit ‘crunch’ really should not be a reason to not hire somebody. Credit is not personal character. If a person has a bad driving record, should they be punished? If they consistently go over there cel phone minutes? They like to drive fast? Where does the personality check end? Crdeit is a stupid way to check on some one (and I have FABULOUS) credit, MBA Thesis student….by the way did you happen to grow up in white, privilaged America????
I have been trying to get a new job after having my first baby and relocating to San Diego and I have had such a hard time. I have hospital debt from an emergency surgery I had when I was 18 and it has put me in debt for life. It is really frustrating when you are trying to pay off a debt but you have no money and no one will give you a job. Many of the jobs I’ve interviewed with seemed to think I was the perfect fit for the position and then I never get a call back. It’s not like I racked up a bunch of credit card debt shopping and never bothered to pay for it, I got sick and needed care and because of the debt I incured I will never be able to buy a house, get a business loan, or give my daughter everything that she deserves.
I’m trying to get a job with the county and just picked up a Personal History Statement and in it was a consent form for a credit check. OMG. My credit doesn’t just stink it STINKS BAD! Now I’m worried I won’t be able to get this job which I really need for many reasons. Maybe a previous poster was right in that it’s possible that the position I’m applying for ~ it won’t matter. I guess all I can do at this point is fall in line and take it on the chin, whatever the outcome. I hate being a follower and that’s exactly how I feel at the moment. I also feel slightly hopeless before I even fill it out and turn it in!
to “moose” who is writing his thesis, you are everything that is wrong with the corporate world. All book smarts and no real smarts. Of course the people complaining are the ones with bad credit you IDIOT. They are the ones being discriminated against. The rich jerks that blow money and have daddy pay for it don’t have bad credit, but that doesn’t mean they aren’t going to lie and call in sick to spend weekends in Vegas. Any employer that actually uses a credit check as a valid source to check a persons character is pathetic. They clearly haven’t had medical bills they cant pay or been in uncomfortable financial situations. I don’t sit counting my gold coins and then just forget to pay my bills. Im not paying my house payment cause Im so busy robbing banks. People don’t pay them because they don’t have the money. Why don’t companies just say if someone weighs over 150lbs they cant get the job cause they have diabetes. What is next I’m the wrong religion or the color of my skin? This practice is horrible and I HAVE turned down positions that asked for a credit check. My credit is fine but it is small minded idiots that think credit shows anything. I have a friend who stole from work all the time, he had a great credit score, he was just an asshole.. Good luck company who thinks they know better. May you choke on all those perfect credit score employees that lie and steal from you.
UNBELIEVABLE..READ THIS CRAIGSLIST AD
Drivers needed for small package delivery service (Modesto)
Reply to: job-1005050877@craigslist.org [?]
Date: 2009-01-23, 3:46PM PST
Looking for dependable drivers for our courier service. Vehicle and gas card supplied for every shift. Small packages will be delivered to our clients.
We’re looking for drivers as soon as possible. We need reliable and dependable drivers to work for our company.
This is the email response I received:
Re: Drivers
Wednesday, January 28, 2009 5:45 PM
From: “Stephanie Gibson”
Hello:
We are in need of honest and reliable drivers that are willing to work. We will also be checking your references to find out what kind of character you are. Be prepared to include 3 personal references that are not related to you.
Our Company insurance requires that you be at least 18 years of age and have a credit score of 400 or better. They will run a credit check on you because they base our insurance premiums on the credit of our drivers. Therefore, we are asking you to beat them to the punch and check it for us at “Free Credit Report 360”.
Good credit or bad credit, it doesn’t matter to us. We just want to know your number score before we start the interview process. This will avoid wasting any of our time as well as your time and determine who are un-insurable. Our hiring decisions are based on character as well as the way you respond during the interview. Once you have got your credit score, send us the numbers fro m all three agencies so we can set you up for an interview. You can get your Credit report elsewhere. We recommend this one because it is a trusted site that we have used in the past.
Once we complete the initial interview, a pre-employment drug and alcohol screening will be needed before your first training shift. The screening fees will be covered by our company, so nothing out of your pocket. Once we receive your credit scores as well as your references, then we’ll move to the next step of the drug screening, followed by the training process. We do pay our employees throughout the training period, which usually takes approximately two weeks!
From: Stephanie G on Sat, Jan 24, 2009 at 12:00 AM,
THIS IS DISCRIMINATION AT IT’S BEST..
People love to just nit-pick EVERY aspect of your life, how fucked up is that?
I was a business owner with several employees and a great customer base. My business property that I had just paid off and used as an asset for my new business loan was taken by the county. I lost everything and could never pay all the bills owed and my credit was hit hard. Its funny that my report says nothing about the government putting me in this situation. I have been turned down for my second job because of my credit history and the jobs were well below my skill level. In another year they may have no one that has good credit to hire.
There is no correlation between job performance and credit ratings. This is bull. We all have to write our legislators, congress, and state representatives. Complain, complain, complain and we will soon be heard… In this horrible economy who in the hell has good credit??
Moose, just wait until you have to pay back those school loans. You will be out there complaining with the rest of the ‘discriminated against.”
I agree with most of you! It’s like a domino effect!! It’s completely unfair and discriminating!I mean, how do people expect you to ever fix your credit or get back on your feet if you can’t get a job to do so- because of your bad credit?!?! I went through some major hardships while in college and my credit got messed up. I had no health insurance and had a lot of medical bills that along with having to take out student loans to pay for college messed up my credit.I didn’t rack up my credit card at the mall or by going out doing leisure things! Just like all of you, I have had several interviews where I thought I did amazing on the interview, and then I never hear anything back. It’s so stressful! Currently, I am stressing out more than I ever have! I was told that I got the job, pending on my background check. Apparently they don’t do a credit check unless you are working in finances (which I am not), but I did some research on the company that runs the check (Intelius) and apparently, and credit judgements will come up in the criminal section! That is awful! I truly feel that is unfair and unjust!!To say that someone is a bad worker, lazy, or has bad ethic is a TERRIBLE insult! There are a lot of well off people with the same types of issues! Let’s not be so rude and sterotypical! I have a degree and am just as capable of holding a full time career as anyone out there, if not more so!!!
I am like many people who posted a comment.I had received student loans to finance my college education. My credit is bad because I could not get a job with a good salary after graduating. The Career Center never bothered to tell you, “Congratulations on graduating, oh by the way you should pay off those $200 limit credit cards and hurry up and get a job before those student loans go in default or you will not be able to get a job!” They started this crap the same year I graduated!
Since I couldn’t find a job after graduating, I took a low paying clerical job making 6.50 per hour and considering entering graduate school, but I did not make enough money to earn a master’s degree and couldn’t past standardized test. Therefore, I would have had to make more student loans. Eventually I moved out of town and I did receive better opportunities, but by that time I was waste deep in debt. This is just another form of discrimination. Years later I moved back to my home town, guess what? Same problem with a different year. These corporate people will not quit with their greed and thirst for power . Everyone is going to eventually suffer, because what comes around goes around, and what goes up must come down.
People like Moose just make me sick, people like him are probably born into money or wealth that they stole centuries ago. Now people likeminded just came up with another legal way to discriminate. He should spend a day in my shoes.
Signed PBWIA
“Well, you see, we drove by your house this afternoon and noticed that your lawn hasn’t been mowed recently and your fence could really use a coat of paint. So obviously we can’t hire you.”
One of my interview, I was told that the reason of doing credit check is to know how responsible that person is with finances. That a company can trust that person with money knowing that he/she pay her/his bills, considers that person will never steal company’s money. My question is how they can guarantee that only people with good credits are the only ones who will never steal and only people with bad credit that can steal??? Now, for Moose comment….yes, it might be true that the one’s againsts this pre-employment credit check are the one’s with bad credits. Don’t judge the people with bad credit. I’m sure there are tons of executives outthere who has good credit stealing money from the company to pay their bills to maintain their good credit. Atleast, people with bad credit don’t steal money to pay off their debt. We may have bad credit but we sure keep our dignity and we can say we don’t steal money from anyone or any company. So the question is do we really wanna work for a company who discriminates people with bad credit??? Why should we share our knowledge, skills and loyalty to the company who doesn’t know how to look in applicants real potential. So I say screw those company’s who do pre-employment credit check and start looking for a company who doesn’t discriminate!
There are to many reasons in this world that a persons credit report can be bad. The refusal of a job offer based on thier credit report can only stop good people and bad people (credit wise)from earning an honest wage to pay thier bills. in ref to stated above by “moose march 15th above” No I would not want a CFO I was to hire to have a bad history, but lets be real here what was his job performance at his previous jobs like. Thats what I would want to know. When you look at the finacial district and the Corp. Ceo’s that are constantly being brought up on charges of theft,fraud ect… You really got to ask yourself Hmm I wonder what his credit report looked like when he got his job? I don’t believe discrimination would be the problem, but I do see companies losing out on good employees by making bad judgments based on a flawed system, that in truth was never created for job worthiness.
It should stop.
I agree with everyones comments on here except for the idiotic comments of the MBA student(Moose).
Moose if you make it to the real world and actually get a JOB instead of hiding behind some book, you would understand that bad things can happen to good people.
If someone losses a job to no fault of their own,(Lay offs, bad economy) and can not keep up with their payments, how are they going to get another job if an employer is checking their credit history? Makes absolutely no sense.
What are all these people going to do that are getting their homes forclosed on because they were laid off and can not pay the mortgage? Who is going to hire them?
MBA are a dime a dozen, you may want to reconsider and get a degree in humanity you idiot.
I agree with Moose. Yeah, he is a bit on the naive side but the real truth is its your own fault for not having good credit. It’s your own fault when you decide to buy those packs of cigarettes, Xbox, DVDs, ipods, and all the other shit that you don’t need vs. paying off a credit card, student loan, car payment, etc.
So you bad credit fucks should be winged with higher interest rates, denied respectable jobs, and condemned to debit cards because its you, the ones with bad credit that contribute to our nations debt. Not the people who actually pay their bills on time and live with in their budget. My credit is excellent, I earned my mba 2 years ago and make over 200k a year. Nothing was ever just handed out to me. I paid my own way through school washing dishes, waiting tables, delivering pizzas, living responsibly with my budget. Most of all I did not breed more human larvae like most of you sorry sons of bitches have probably done. Yes, I am a proud Neoconservative and we are going to be the next slave masters because you sorry asses put yourselves in your own bonds not us.
I love it when I go to Starbucks or a retail store and see you sorry fools working behind the counter all miserable on a Saturday Morning while I’m off for a week get away to Morocco or Costa Rica with my sexy girl friend. I love it. I purposely park my fully decked out Hummer next to the shitiest car I can find just to remind you bad credit, lazy ass, fools what is here and what is coming. Its not the face of greed you idiots its the face of responsibility. Live with in your budget and pay your fucking bills, morons!!
wow…. how many knickleheads who are out there is amazing! i’m guessing if you are b*$#$ing about this issue then there is more to your story. you all cry when you don’t get your way and you feel you are entitled to everything. you want the government to legislate your every move but when it hits home you cry even more.
jana above with the craig’s list ad, we all know this is a scam. if anyone is dumb enough to fall for it when you can get a free credit report then you deserve it. on top of this, only upon a conditional offer of employment should the employer run a credit check as well as any other type of background check.
moose makes a most thought out and compelling case and is most objective. neocon hit it on the head in a more in your face way.
many (not all) companies will take the reason for your credit score/bad debt into consideration. there are very valid reasons for using financial records, especially when hiring someone who has access to company or business bank accounts or other monies, take for example your accountants, company executives, or controller. if you are foolish enough to spend spend spend and not be responsible then how can an employer trust you with their $$$?
hard work and trust are mutually exclusive. i worked construction with a guy who was a hard worker (when he came to work) and you could always count on the crack head he was to not be at work the day after payday. did i mention he also owed tons of back payments on child support and spent a week or two in jail twice a year, he called them his vacation.
you’ve all probably been told by your teachers in school that if you put your mind to it you could do anything… don’t kid yourselves. the sky may be the limit but minimum wage is more appropriate. i can continue into a rant if you’d all like.
A previous reader makes a point in wondering in a year how many pre-economy woes excellent credit holders will qualify as very credit worthy. Better yet, I wonder how many current employees of these corporations and institutions would qualify as “credit worthy” if their credit were ran right now, this instance? Does this make the current employees prone to theft? Lets say the still employed current employees of these companies whose experienced some of the very same misfortune, i.e. divorce, sudden costly medical emergencies, or a spouse losing a job as some of the participants on this blog credit were ran….how many would have to be dismissed? I suspect if we ran the credit of the top 75% of management of fortune 500 companies and the top 5 financial institutions and analyzed it for the past 5 years, they’d all have pretty good credit, but look at the financial mess in which we are currently. If the companies who have taken bailout money financial performance were looked at as a correlation of credit worthiness for each of their top executive management, they would likely not currently score above a 600. Yet, their simply asked to step down and are able to further maintain credit worthiness due to the lavish compensation they’ve received over years. Did I mention before 2009, these executives were often handsomely compensated to step down for lackluster performance? And oh yes, while those individuals of high character (although marred credit maybe b/c of misfortune)can be denied gainful employment relative to their qualifications, but settled for more menial jobs to put food on the table be required to contribute to the bailout the very companies who are too smug to show them compassion and understanding.
Mr. MBA…I by the way am currently in a top 20 MBA program also…how about writing a thesis that includes a regression model that shows the credit worthiness of employees that have been fired or prosecuted for financial misappropriations. Shake things up a little and include the credit worthiness of top executives of Enron, Tyco and the most recent financial failures at the point in time of their misdeeds and/or failures, now that would be worth reading and something that would warrant respect from Soros, Buffet, Greenspan and the rest of us. Mr. MBA you seem intelligent, although I suspect you come from a very sheltered existence, but make a real mark out here in the world…I double dare you to do something cutting edge like I mentioned.
At the end of the day, I can’t believe the unemployed are the only individuals who have experienced financial hardship in the last 5 years. If these same companies that used credit worthiness ran the credit histories of some of their current key employees at present and used the same criteria in which they judge new hires….they’d have to let go some real talent or maybe it would be a grounds to let go some of the not so technically and socially talented. And maybe if they’d fill these positions with persons based on raw talent and character as evidenced in “The Law” or background checks that was premised in faith they’d discover their core comptencies at an unbelievable level, do their part in stimulating the economy. And Mr. MBA, you would have made a real legacy daring to research the forbidden and introduce cutting edge thought. If you hail from a reputable institution, I’m sure it would be welcomed.
R
R
recently i went to 3 interviews with one company and this weas over a period of two months and finally she called and said she wanted to offer the position to me and i went in and signed paper work for payroll and health and everything and i went to take a drug test and do a background check the next day she called and took the job offer back because my credit wasnt in the best of shape. i was so pissed and upset. i dont think this is right i was good enough to offer the job too out of i know 20 people who had applied but when it came too credit i wasnt good enough. i think it should be a law against it, its just like their discrimating on people for not having the best financail situations everyone doesnt have it easy and have things handed to them
I agree, all these checks to do a job is wrong and should be outlawed. Honestly I don’t care if the guy making my hamburger got high the night before, I don’t care if the person handling my bookkeeping has bad credit. I had a bookkeeper with a criminal record and horrid credit, never stole a penny from my company. I had techs working for me that were stinking drunk 30 minutes after they got off work. But they did thier jobs and came in sober. All these checks are wrong. I have been both boss and employee. The US was founded by criminals. we still have them in office. We should all be more concerned with if the person can do thier job rather than if they have good credit or punched out a cop that desperately needed it. I have worked with good and bad employees. What I have found is the most skilled ones tend to have bad credit and criminal backgrounds, sometimes smoke or drink too. Be more concerned with how they do the job rather than thier personal life.
Keep in mind also that the people that get all this info on you can steal your identity. Do you know who is looking it over? do you always just hand over such sensitive info over to people that you do not know? Just because you might get a job out of it? Sounds like a scam from nigeria almost.
There are certain jobs that checks may be a good thing, certain sensitive jobs, but that is not what is going on. Seems alot of people are pissed off about this, but nobody doing anything.
It IS DISCRIMINATION. it was not long ago that sexual preference was not on the discriminiation list, but it is now. Again it needs to be expanded so that criminal, credit, and drug checks are listed as discrimination too.
Yes I included drug tests. I live in a place that Marijuana is legal but still can keep you from getting a job (how backwards is that?).
I think this is where we yell, unite and stop this before we end up living in “Demolition Man” times… for those not knowing it is a movie with stallone.
Easu answer, have your credit report locked down so that authorizations are required on inquiries. Yes…it can be done. The other option is to print out your credit report and take it to your employer. If they tell you that they are going to run your report…tell them “No. I will not allow you to check my credit history as that inquiry directly affects my credit score.” Show them your credit report and deny the credit authorization form.
Your work ethics, performance at work, and experience have NO BEARING on your credit score…or vice versa. People with low credit scores tend to work harder as they know what needs to be done to clear it up or raise it. No attorney can prove this otherwise…they have no idea what goes on in the real working class anyway.
This is such a bad idea. I have great credit but I don’t think it is fair to enable an employer to see your financial history. How much I pay for my car and how much I pay for my house is no one’s business.
In response to post #4 from Moose (over a year ago)…you are an MBA student and you still don’t know the difference between “effected” and “affected”. Those are pretty basic grammar skills. Your intellectual credibility is 0 at this point.
To neocon,
Think about this the next time you try and move up the corporate ladder, get a promotion or a better job…the person in the HR department or the hiring manager checking your credit might be the same “bad credit, lazy ass fool” you mocked. He is having trouble financially for whatever reason and can’t make the mortgage payment each month, has four kids and is driving some crappy minvan. Meanwhile you drive a decked-out Hummer and probably live in an extravagant house. Maybe he is bitter, maybe he is jealous…but he nows sees what you have and what you fork out for your oh so great lifestyle and decides (based on personal views) that you’re not getting the job/promotion.
Be careful what you flaunt because it can come back and bite you in the ass. My finances (and yours) are private and should be kept that way.
People are like monkeys.
They do what others do.
They get easily influenced by B.S. and they follow
all type of bull shit path.
Credit check is very bad idea.
Also, you should only have interview with one and
only one person, and not 5.
They also ask you question like what is your week point and can you give us your grand mother name as reference.
To determine if a potential employee fit a position according to his or her credit history is a banal and very superficial criteria that should be abolished. The fact that you showed a good credit score while you’re applying for a job doesn’t mean necessarily that you’re financially responsible, you could be swamped in debt but if yo’re making the minimum payments or paying off one credit card transfering the amounts to a new one, if you’re checked in the interim the report will look good. If Corporate America is going to punish employment applicants based on their financial judgment in this present times, them we have the right to punish them back not buying the goods or services of all those big companies who made wrong decisions lending indiscriminately and asking afterwards bail-out money from the Federal Goverment to avoid bankruptcy.
The truth of the matter is you’re applying for a job not a loan, of course the people that went to scool (because of their parents support)and have great jobs wont complain about this issue because they have money to pay off their loans, but for people like me, who had to make it on their own, it’s hard. I once had a good job and good credit bad the Economy ruined me, I can’t for it to ruin those who can’t complain yet,,,,,you’ll see just remember he who is without sin cast the first stone……..sooner ot later you’ll get your bad credit you’ll see….
Of course people with bad credit are going to see it as wrong because those with good credit feel they have nothing to worry about. However, the main point here is being missed. It is wrong to make a hiring decision based on someone’s credit report no matter how you look at it. A bad report DOES NOT proove that someone has bad tendencies and will rip off the company. By saying so is the same as refusing to hire a woman because she has a tendency to get pregnant. To accuse someone of criminal tendencies when they have absolutely no criminal history is accusatory and again…WRONG! Should someone have a criminal history, then yes it is justified, but because someone has debt it is NOT!
This whole thing screams wrong because we live in a country that is not supossed to call judge someone guilty without proof, and once again, owing debts is not proof of anything other than they owe debts. Honestly, many who are imbezzling, and laundering money from companies are the ones who do not have negative credit reports, so what does this process proove? Someone who does have debt issues are the ones who may need to have a job that pays them well enough to pay off their debts rather than have a job they plan to steal from.
Now that credit reports can be pulled by just about anyone for any reason doesn’t mean they should.
By the way, I realize I made a lot of typos. I went fast and did not proof-read it before I submitted it..oops, but I’m sure everyone got the jist of it.
I did forget to mention that I agree with what some people have said about the changes in one’s credit report. Say someone hires you because you have good credit now does not mean it won’t be bad later. Or, what if it’s bad now and gets better later? Does this mean that when it was bad you were a crook and were ripping off the company, but now that it’s better, you won’t do such a thing? It would be silly to say you refuse to work with a blonde because they have a tendancy to make more mistakes, and it’s just as silly to say someone has a tendency to steal or misuse confidential information because they owe people money. This tickes me off so much that I could go about it all day.
I too agree with the majority of people here that these credit checks are no indicators of whether a person will make a good employee. I have been working in banking for over ten years and have always been a hard worker and have never called in sick but 3 days out of the ten years and have been commended on my great customer service skills and dependablity. However, this past year I have made some bad decisions that have made my credit score drop low. I am now in between jobs and trying to go back to college and finish the 35 hours that I need for my degree. I am having trouble getting a bank teller job because of my credit.I have been turned down for sevral jobs and I know it’s because of the credit because I have too strong of a work history and a clear crimminal background with not even a parking ticket. I just think it’s sad to use someones credit against them to keep them from getting a job. I feel that even though I work hard, don’t steal and pay my taxes that none of that matters-all the employers see is a person with not the best credit. They don’t see someone who has been working since the age of 15 or a person who quit college to take care of their cancer stricken mother until she passed but all they see is the white pages of a credit report. It’s funny how the few pages of a computer generated report has the power to determine whether or not I get a job. I am not trying to get out of paying my bills but sometimes things come up and there just isn’t enough money to pay everything. Just because someone has less than perfect credit doesn’t make them an evil or vile person who is looking to rip off their employer. It just means that they are human and sometimes make mistakes.
What is next? Can not hire you because you are divorced, therefore, not a responsible Husband,wife, father, mother. Can not handle commitment,not loyal enough, etc… Everything is not black and white. Company’s do have a right to protect themselves, but to what extent? They claim they do not just base their decisions on cc checks. Bull! Everyone that I have heard this sad story from, had qualified above and beyond many applicants,until that fatal blow from HR. People get real and look beyond what is in a computer report at look at the individuals!!!
I have $45,000 cash in hand ready to purchase a manufactured home in Thurm’s Mobile Home Park in Calverton, NY. The park is touted as a 55 and over retirement park, yet applications must be sent to First Advantage Safe-Rent for approval.
To make a long story short, I was denied for no reason because First Advantage never contacted any of my references, yet had the nerve to deny my application because I am receiving social security benefits, which they claim is not an income. Apparently a retired person needs to get a job before applying to these “retirement” communities. A search on my credit reports shows that I have a credit score of 650. The lot rent at Thurm’s is $200 less than what I pay at my current mobile home park. It would actually be cheaper for me to live there.
My realtor and the park manager (Patty) are standing behind me on this. They tell me that nobody has ever been denied an application to Thurm’s. First Advatange blames Morgan Management (the park’s owner) and Morgan Management blames First Advantage for this determination, so this tells me that neither side wants to take responsibility; an admission of guilt. An internet search shows numerous lawsuits from scams and ibel that were generated by First Advantage SafeRent. Who are they to judge anyone?
Pre-recorded phone announcement (888) 333-2413 instructs one to download dispute forms online at http://www.residentscreen.com, which is not a working website — another scam. In the meantime, I may lose out on the home of my dreams.
Your assistance is greatly appreciated.
How in the world can having bad credit in this economy keep me from getting a job? After being unemployed and self-employed, which has good and plenty of bad aspects. I have three degrees; one technical; and the other two are college degrees. So much for a degree and plenty of experience getting my foot in the door.
Well it happened to me a major company hired me. Then on a fluke I called the human resources person who hired me to ask about a paperwork deadline. I now regret that call. She stated, “Oh, did ******** send you that letter?” Well, no I never have recieved any letter stating anything, such as ‘we rescend our offer.’ Only one email Congradulating me on getting their offer. So, here I go again looking while the clock ticks away my time within this mess.
Is there a light somewhere in the distance? I hope so!
this should be put out for the public to respond to all over the world.
Two years ago I was in a car accident. I was hit by a careless person who was busy texting driving a fancy new truck. The person decided to ignore the stop signs, ignore that there was traffic passing right in front of their car and on a busy highway, emerged right into my vehicle knocking my vehicle, including me out of the way. I was left with an extreme amount of medical debts and injuries that I never caused and yet I am expected to handle them in an expedient manner. In a fair world one would think that the settlement would have covered all the bills and in a fair world one would think that money would have been immediately there to cover my bills. Although, in this world, nothing is fair. Every one is out for money, and people are allowed to have just liability insurance that only covered up to 100,000 in medical.
Now for the stupid man that compares what he has, feeling he has worked hard to get where he is and laughs at others that are presently struggling. With such an attitude, what comes around, goes around. There will be a point where you will regret the words you’ve posted on this site. Right now you sit there thinking nothing can touch you and the funny thing is, so many people were in your position with the same thoughts and yet unforeseen circumstances can befall anyone. Anything can hurt someone’s credit, anything, even a car accident that wasn’t your fault. So far I haven’t had to seek for employment knowing I have medical bills that might appear on my credit report but I definitely wouldn’t want that particular instance proving what kind of person I truly am. I also don’t have to have a huge vehicle that waste guzzles gas and ruins the environment to feel important. I think that says a whole lot about your character and what kind of person you are. You see there is more to life than riches. After all, we have so many movie stars that die young and can never find happiness to prove this. I agree with most people on here. A credit report should not be a main reason for someone not getting a job. I’d think most people should be more concerned with a person having a criminal record. I suppose since the person that hit me might have ruined my credit I have recourses. The settlement is now just coming to close and I’ve to pay the lawyer 30 percent of anything I receive. I suppose I could also sue the person that was driving that fancy brand new truck, that hit me and garnish wages and make the person’s life a living hell by ruining their credit now. Ummm…
I agree with the majority of the comments made by everyone regarding this matter. I believe the only way for any company to deny an individual a job is only if the individual has a criminal record. Financial checks should have absolutely no bearing on whether or not an individual(s) should be considered for employment. After all, Celebrities and High standing political figures seem to always be immune from these practices and in many cases are not required to show copies of their tax returns. Just goes to show you how even a high standing political figure like the President of the United States never is asked to have his background check run??. So, my point being if we can’t secure a job in this country without a credit check maybe we should extend the same practices to high ranking officials. After all, how can we trust companies to do the right thing when our own government cannot even be trusted.