REALLY pissed off right now!

[BigHurknFrontman]

So, many of you know that I've been unemployed since November 6th. I'm collecting unenJOYment, which is alright, but certainly not up to par with what I was making. Since November 6th, I have only been able to land ONE interview. ONE! And it's not from a lack of trying. I'm busting my ASS, applying for everything I'm qualified to do. ONE Goddamn interview!

Now, I'm finding out that when a prospective employer performs a "background check", they're ALSO looking into your credit! How the fuck is this constitutional? SO many Americans have had to dip into their credit in order to merely SURVIVE, and now that jobs have been lost, that need to survive is being held against them. I'm sickened by this. How does an individual's credit report determine whether they'll be a valuable employee?

Surprisingly, I'm not behind in ANY of my payments. Don't ask me HOW, because I'm fucking stunned by it as well. But my credit rating is in the toilet, just based upon my debt-to-income ratio.

I'd like to hear from YOU GUYS on this. When did it become acceptable for prospective employers to poke around in your personal credit report... and is it constitutional for them to do so? I'm no fuckin' lawyer, but I think there's something fundamentally WRONG with this practice!

I need a JOB... not a loan.

Discuss

[derek666]

I have been searching and searching online and everything I have found says that potential employers need written permission to do this??!! I think its a crock of shit and doesnt sound constitutional at all! When the hell did they start doing credit checks for employment??

[BigHurknFrontman]

I have been searching and searching online and everything I have found says that potential employers need written permission to do this??!! I think its a crock of shit and doesnt sound constitutional at all! When the hell did they start doing credit checks for employment??

Oh, you DO have to give written permission. However, I've found that they're cloaking the credit portion within the "background" investigation.

And if you really need a job (like I do), you'll sign whatever the fuck they want you to sign. It's complete bullshit.

[derek666]

http://www.esrcheck.com/Links/links_to_the_ftc.htm#9

this link has other links but I hope your eyesite is good, the print is tiny haha
guess the bastards have been doing it for years and mainly for people dealing in financial institutions, mortgage etc.

[Evil Red]

See, I thought that was usually only done when an applicant is looking for more of a financial type of job like Derek says.

When was the last time you checked your credit reports, Hurk? Have the jobs you've applied at just done this too, because that shit can all drag your numbers further down too. What a pain in the ass.

I'm actually awaiting a bunch of shit in the mail right now to do my own and to specifically learn more about FICO scores, so this just caught my attention.

Those assholes.

[Six6VI]

I was told a while back that not only can they check your credit (with permission, I guess) you can also lose your job based on your credit. Now I don't know all the details that go along with that but that's what I've heard. How the hell you're supposed to get your credit back on track without a job is beyond me.

BTW, I'm also laid off, yet again.

Lee

[Blake NWR]

As I understand it, credit checks by prospective employers do NOT bring your credit score down. Certain inquiries do, but there are a couple that don't.

FYI, my credit rating sunk 50 points as soon as the balances on my credit cards went over a certain percentage.

[AchimbaProphet]

It is ridiculous. Completely and utterly ridiculous. The entire credit score structure is a scam anyways to punish for profit.

[derek666]

It is ridiculous. Completely and utterly ridiculous. The entire credit score structure is a scam anyways to punish for profit.

agree 100%

[Jenzy]

We just started including a credit check with our background check and drug screen for all of our applicants about six months ago. Thankfully I was hired on before someone had this bright idea. I wouldn't have made it past the company's threshold of comfortable debt and guess what I am a District Manager now. . .go figure.

You do sign a form and usually it just says, "Authorization and Consent Form" in big letters and not a single one of my applicants EVER reads the fine print. I tell my potentials that we do background, criminal, and credit check along with a drug screen that test for like five drugs.

I have yet turned down a good applicant based upon thier credit, just won't do it.

What gets me is we will run all that crap but not a single call to a previous employer to get any sort of information from them. . . .


In my industry my employees are around alot of cash and I have to protect my stores as much as possible these days. I tend to focus on the criminal background instead of credit.

[gunther]

just send them an envelope full of corn starch...that'll shut them down for a couple of days.Of course you might go to jail, but it would be funny.That's why you have to do construction, you can be a crack-junkie and still get a job!

[BigHurknFrontman]

You do sign a form and usually it just says, "Authorization and Consent Form" in big letters and not a single one of my applicants EVER reads the fine print.

And what's the point in reading that fine print? If you choose not to sign the form, you've kissed that job goodbye. They should rename that form the "If you REALLY want ths job you have to allow us to dig into your asshole with a magnifying glass" form.

Frankly, I don't know too many people who's credit ISN'T pretty much fucked right now.

[Blonde leading the blonde]

OK, I don't know when it became common or stylish, or how many people do it, but stop and think about what they might see. Stop worrying for a minute and reason it out. They might see someone who is deeply in debt, but up to date on their bills. They might see someone who pays late from time to time and has some medical collections. They might see someone who's credit went to shit shortly after their last reported date of employment. OR, they might see someone who chronically pays late and appears to have always done so, routinely bounces checks, has multiple collections/judgements/repos, and frequently overspends. Who, of those people, would you be worried might not be a model employee? If you know they're doing a credit check, tell them proactively what they're going to find and why. (i.e. my score sucks because I've been laid off and it screwed up my debt-to-income ratio, but my bills are current) Like as not, unless you're a chronic screw up, it won't matter. Here's the thing - you know your current and past employers are not allowed to give a more illuminating job reference than start/end date, position, duties, and I think they can confirm salary if you tell them what you think it is. They're still trying to come up with creative ways, I suspect, to get the information, anyway. *shrugs* and like you said -- do you want the job? If it bugs you, pull a Tim Eyeman and bust out a new law.

[Adremelech]

I work at a Credit Union (Almost like a bank, but CU's don't ream their members like Banks). Although I'm a sysadmin in the IT dept, I was sent through Teller and Loan Officer training so I would better understand the business (Yes, I had to be a teller for 2 weeks... That sucked hard). I have a very good understanding of credit, so I can shed some light on this for you.

First off... Red - Blake is right. Checking credit doesn't drag your score down at all. Applying for credit, on the other hand, does affect your score in some ways. If you apply for a home loan at 5 banks (shopping for best rates), your score won't be affected as much as if you opened 5 new credit cards.

Bryan... Having a low credit score based on debt to income should not disqualify you from a job. They are looking for people who are irresponsible. A credit report is a treasure chest full of clues as to whether or not a person is responsible. If you rack up a bunch of credit cards and then don't pay them, it shows that you have moral issues and don't take responsibility for your actions. The fact that you've made all of your payments, even in hard times, shows the employer that you are not one of those people. Another reason for credit checks is that employers are also trying to avoid people who are financially desperate. Doesn't sound like that's the case with you either.

If you have bad credit because you are down on your luck, it will still show that you made efforts to be responsible. Credit ruined because of medical bills isn't as bad either.

Just remember that the score is only a tiny part of the report. It show ALL of your accounts, how much the loans started at, what they are presently at, the number of late payments, etc... Those clues give an employer a decent idea what you are like.

Hope that answers some of yer questions.

[Adremelech]

We just started including a credit check

Ironic, given that your industry's business model depends on people with bad credit, eh?

[soundguy]

I understand that your credit score now affects your insurance rates too. Don't ask me how it could possibly be relevant.

My scores are 750 to 800 but I haven't had to fill out a job application in over 15 years and since I'm self-employed, I'm hoping to never have to fill one out again. Not sure I could make it thru the process these days without killing someone, especially in a corporate environment.

[Adremelech]

I understand that your credit score now affects your insurance rates too. Don't ask me how it could possibly be relevant.

Agreed. I can understand checking the report to see if the person is an irresponsible douchebag, but the credit score itself says nothing about a person. A lot of a credit score is plain ol' good fortune and I don't think it says anything about how well someone is going to drive.

[wadruid]

I understand that your credit score now affects your insurance rates too. Don't ask me how it could possibly be relevant.

They've been doing this for over 20 years.

[Evil Red]

First off... Red - Blake is right. Checking credit doesn't drag your score down at all. Applying for credit, on the other hand, does affect your score in some ways. If you apply for a home loan at 5 banks (shopping for best rates), your score won't be affected as much as if you opened 5 new credit cards. Another reason for credit checks is that employers are also trying to avoid people who are financially desperate.

Ah. Thank you, Joe!

Ironic, given that your industry's business model depends on people with bad credit, eh?

You just took the words out of my mouth.

[Jenzy]

Ironic, given that your industry's business model depends on people with bad credit, eh?

You just took the words out of my mouth.

Not necessarily, there are now several alternatives to having a traditional bank account and to some extent are cheaper and less harmful to your credit score than a bank. With the today's economy many don't trust banks for several reason. The increased amount of Credit Unions is a good example of that.

I have a traditional BofA checking and savings account but I also carry a prepaid Visa card. I love the hell out of that thing. I put all my play money on it and never have to worry about an overdraft fee with it. I can drop it in the negative by a buck or two and thank the heavens that $4 latte doesn't become a $36 latte due to an overdraft charge.


Also most traditional banks don't want to loan such small amounts to individuals, it's not worth the risk. And most are usually borrowing that money to keep from having to pay a banks overdraft. If one was to default on a loan at the bank I would expect a more negative mark on your credit score than that of a compnay such as I.

I would say 30% have decent to good credit and of all my customers 70% have traditional bank accounts regardless.

~I swear I'm not a spokesperson for my company:D

[LIVE FO RETSINIM]

The credit check doesn’t bother me. My score is in the upper 700’s. See, unlike “So many Americans” I didn’t live beyond my means. I wasn’t one of those suckers that went out and bought a completely overpriced home in a bad neighborhood, 2 brand new cars, a big screen TV, and start spitting out fucking babies like a factory. Those are the people that are the cause of this whole fucking thing.

Yeah, I don’t mind the credit check, actually, I am GLAD they do it. Now I will get a job over all the idiots that are irresponsible with their financial well being. I know if I was running a business, I would not hire some average American moron that is irresponsible with his own finances. If he can’t manage his own shit, how is he going to do with mine????

I KNOW that the credit score IS an accurate representation of a person’s financial intelligence. Plain and simple. If you don’t know how to play the game, it will show. That’s just how it is, and you can’t argue that. If your score is low, it’s because you fucked up somehow. You should always be prepared for the worst.


Finally, I don’t give a fuck where you work at; I also KNOW that your credit score IS affected if it is checked multiple times. If you don’t believe that, go ahead and get 5 or so credit checks from different places in a close time frame. And It affects it. Of course applying for loans and CC’s affect it.

[Blake NWR]

Wow, I thought that was gonna be sarcastic.

Good points, all of 'em.

[ophidian]

I did not know that employers were allowed to do that. I've been self-employed for the last 13 years and have not filled out an application or submitted a resume in over 14 years. I actually worked for my uncle's company prior to being self-employed over a decade ago and only had one job prior to that where I got a W-2 at the end of the year. I'm totally out of the loop on how things like that work.

I have a buddy that graduated with a degree in finance from the Univ of Washington in 1994 and after a couple of sales jobs went to work in the financial sector and had an interview with American Express/Ameriprise and did not get the job because they tracked down an incident when he was younger and grabbed a case of beer from a Safeway at 3am and ran out with it and got caught (shoplifting) and one of the companies they used to research prospective employees (he was a financial advisor) found out he was in a poker tournament years prior in Vegas (and his name was somewhere online because he won it) and they decided that it didn't fit their profile for a financial advisor and actual require their advisors to not participate in any type of gambling whatsoever even if it is legal. I have a buddy that got fired from Edward Jones when they found out he was having Texas Hold 'Em tournaments at his house once a month (and inviting clients like me) and some guy lost a few hundred dollars and left pissed off and wasted and called Edward Jones the following week and reported him.

I think it depends on the job Hurk -- you mentioned before you were in the security field and maybe they want to make sure that if someone is in debt they won't be stealing to pay off their debt.

There was an article yesterday in the Seattle Times that two contracted moving companies that were moving Microsoft offices at night inside the campus stole over 500k in software and were selling it on craigslist. It turns out that both guys were deep in debt, and maybe employers think people that are not in debt will not steal.

oph:(

[PnDsCm]

"they decided that it didn't fit their profile for a financial advisor and actual require their advisors to not participate in any type of gambling whatsoever even if it is legal."

Oh teh ironing...

[Blake NWR]

I referred a friend to my employer for a tech support position. He aced the tech screening and the behavioral interview and could have been one of the more advanced techs they had. He was offered the job and had a start date all set. I was also gonna pocket a sweet referral fee, too...

Until his background check pulled up two misdemeanors from way back (not sure what they were). Offer rescinded immediately.