ryske

does anyone know what kind of impact having bad credit would have on being hired. ive never filed bankruptcy or anything like that but its really not that good?

Elphaba

When I worked in banking, a clean credit record was a must. That situation is rather obvious because need and opportunity can cause a person to steal. I own a service business now that sends our technicians into up-scale private homes and businesses. They are taught that picking up a penny off the floor and pocketing it, rather than setting it on a counter is theft and will not be tolerated. That may seem extreme, but we ask our employees at what amount do *they* think it would be stealing from a customer. Is it 35 cents, 75 cents, a dollar? It doesn't matter because it doesn't belong to you. I haven't done credit checks for any of my employees because they have always been employee referrals who know what we expect. I would never hire an unknown person without first making sure that he or she is a "good citizen."

A company like mine also needs to protect itself and careful prescreening of employees goes a long way in doing just that. Last year a woman claimed that my technician had stolen her jewelry. It was the first time anyone had made a claim like this to me, and my employee had been with us for five years with nothing but rave reviews from his customers. I called her bluff by insisting that she call the police to report the theft because I had absolute confidence in my employee's honesty. She was annoyed and blew it when she asked, "don't you people have insurance for this type of thing?" We never heard another word from her.

Ryske, my long-winded answer is that sometimes it is very important to have a decent credit record. If you are considering applying for a job that requires it, you should explain your credit situation upfront. That will answer your question.

Does that help?

texxasco

I know that a lot of law enforcement agencies look at prospective employees credit history. What they are mainly looking for is whether or not the prospective employee pays his/her bills. Another thing they look for is people who are extremely indebted. Those are the people most likely to take money for something they shouldn't.

Many employers use different criteria for deciding whether the prospective employee is suitable for hire. Unless you know someone who works for a specific company that you want to apply for a job with, the only way to find out is to apply and see. I wouldn't disclose whether you filed for bankruptcy unless asked. Unless it is a job that you are required to take a polygraph and pass, I would keep your credit rating to yourself, and see how it turns out.

Bad things do happen to good people though, and if asked be truthful and explain your situation honestly. It's a safe bet that an employer that requires a clean credit record, wants just that...and a bankruptcy will pretty much rule you out. But, you can always take a chance and apply.

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Beautiful

def depends on the type of business...and for you i would assume that they would not check. has your interviewer mentioned anything? since you are outgoing and may have a comfort level with him... maybe you should ask? i really doubt it though. it's financial but your not a financial advisor...your position is different. I doubt it ryyyskkee

amonkie

I back Elphaba on the industry requirements. I used to work in Credit lending, and the background credit check was also done because we were in a position to potentially be passing on information about credit to other people, and they wanted to make sure that we weren't guilty of fraud, or had knowledge or were in a position to put the company at risk.

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analog

I think that, especially today, poor credit history and (usually credit card) debt are so common, that using credit score as an absolute means of gauging theft potential in an employee is bullshit.

That being said, I respect and uphold that a private company can set whatever standards for employment they wish, it's not up to us. We can complain, but we can't seriously do anything about it. It's their right to hire based on criteria they feel is appropriate to their business, as long as their criteria doesn't violate government-mandated "equal opportunity" rights.

Other than that, if you apply to a bank that demands that you have a year of farming experience, then you can either shop yourself to another bank, or go get to plowing a field.

Jinn

I've always thought credit checking for employment was a very valuable thing -- but not for the reasons above. It's a RESPONSIBILITY check. Is this person responsible for their money? In my field, be able to set a reasonable time estimate and work to it is important, and thus your credit report is a good reflection of setting a goal and meeting it. Within reason, of course.

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Elphaba

Exactly, JinnKai. The same can be said for a good driving record. My insurance company will not allow me to hire someone that they deem uninsurable based on their driving record. It is always about being responsible.

ryske

much appreciated everyone

Catdaddy33

When I was fresh out of college (years ago) I applied for a job at a local bank and in addition to a credit check, I had to come in and take this ethics test, which was 200 questions long and was actually 20 questions they rephrased in 10 different ways. I figured that out halfway thru the test and spent the rest of the time trying to match up the questions...they never called me back..

Astrocloud

The cold facts are that the people who do credit checks to see if you are hireable are only doing it because they want to keep poor people poor.

saltfish

Being poor and having bad credit have very little to do with one another; unless the common denominator is being wreckless with one's finances. There is a nice chunk of the populus whom make very little yet have maintained a healthy credit history.

xepherys

Astro-

I have not great credit, but am far from poor. I also know people that have practically no money at all and work for dirt cheap wages that have great credit. Maybe you could enlighten us with a bit more meat to your argument?

Astrocloud

Bad credit means the inability to pay ones debts -which is exactly the definition of poor. Many people with bad credit -such as my friend Bob -have undergone a medical crisis which has drained his financial resources and put him on the bad credit list.

No, being poor is not equivalent to having bad credit. But having bad credit usually means that one is poor.

As far as "being responsible with money" -would you let a sick child die because you can't afford the bill from the hospital?

The credit companies in this country have many people swallowing their propaganda cold. They make more money off of people with bad credit than people with good credit. It's not about "being responsible" -the credit industry wants you to have bad credit.