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My Credit Nixed a Job Offer: One Woman's Story

Editorial Team | On May 21, 2009

A woman wrote to Woman For Hire this week to report that she was denied a promising job at the last minute after a credit check revealed some late payments – making her ineligible for hire.

Has this happened to you or a friend or a relative? How do you feel about companies using your credit history against you in the hiring process? Please email us and let us know. Here’s the woman’s story: I was recently turned down for a management trainee job with rent a car firm.


I made it through the phone interview and then the group recruiting manager set up an observation and second interview with the area manager. The recruiting manager called me the next day and said the interview went well and that they wanted to set up the third and final interview.

I was briefed on the salary I would receive and the hours I would work, but the recruiting manager wanted to make sure I was still interested. Of course I was.

The very next day she called and said she had some unfortunate information for me: I did not pass their minimum required credit history and that there would be no third interview.

Imagine my dismay – not to mention my surprise and humiliation. They never even checked any of my references, my qualifications (I have impeccable recommendation), nothing.

They simply based their decision on my credit report. Everything except two things on the report are all medical.

I even emailed the recruiting manager and told her that I had a lengthy stay in the hospital in the later part of 2007 and that because of it I had fallen short of paying some of my bills and was trying to rectify this situation.

She wrote back saying, essentially, that it did not matter.

Thank you for listening.

P.S I hope that this issue about credit deciding whether you are qualified to do a job gets changed – and quickly. I need to work and have more than 10 years management experience that right now means nothing.

Related article:

Job Offer Rescinded After Credit Check: What You Need to Know and What You Can Do

Check out other articles by best-selling authors:

Dawn Rasmussen – Top Five Questions About Resumes Answered

Sunny Lurie – Eight Proven Strategies to Open the Door to a Vibrant New Career

Stacia Pierce – How to Search for a Job During the Holidays

Dawn Quesnel- Helpful Hints for Job Seekers

Stacia Pierce – Conceit vs. Confidence

Comments

  1. R.

    This may have happened to me too, I am unsure.
    I was interviewed for a job over the phone and wowed the doctor, he even asked when I could start. We set up a face to face meeting and I wowed him yet again once again, he asked when I could start.
    He called me a week later to offer me the job and we negotiated salary. He asked me again when I could start.
    The next day I was asked to provide him with my social security number and driver’s license number so he could run a check.
    I thought my credit was pretty good, and I have never gotten a ticket.
    All of a sudden he doesn’t call me back, so I email him and ask what the hold up is. A few days later he emails me and tells me he doesn’t think I am a fit for the practice. I was flabbergasted. He made me think he was dying to have me start asap.
    Could he have dug up some late payment years ago when we had hit a rough patch? I guess this does happen.

    • Anonymous

      Something needs to change. A person’s credit score should not matter when someone is being considered for a position. If a person has an extensive work history a great personality and can do the job, hire them. Anyone can fall behind on a bill and if you have not promise me it can happend. Things happend. Death, Divorce, Sickness, a lay off, circumstances that occur all the time. Help the economy and hire with hope. You will be surprised some of our greatest employees have
      fallen on hard times one time or another while employed and their credit was impacted in some way or another. Stop allowing a person’s credit score determine their risk to the company. The United States has been in debt how many times and that has not deterred us from making future financial deals with other countries. Start looking at the big picture for change for progression. Long story short, Obviously the person applying for the job is hoping to get the job so he or she can pay their bills.

      • Christine Hayes

        This just happened to me today and so you can only imagine my dismay as I am typing this. We went thru a very difficult time during the housing crisis and ended up filing for bankruptcy! I was VERY upfront with my potential employer and explained that and left with comments of “see you on July 11th”. Today I received a call from the HR department that based off my credit history they have to rescind on job offer. Imagine

        • Karen

          How old was your bankruptcy when you were going for the job? I might now find myself in this same position. Mine is due to fall off July of this year (2021). This would be a great job for me and I have a verbal and written and accepted offer of course now this might haunt me. I didn’t notice the employer as I had forgotten about it until I deceived something from Transunion

    • Priscilla

      I was also denied a job that I clearly qualified for because of my credit . I didn’t know at the time they were even doing a credit check. It was humiliating and disappointing. I believe that it is another form of discrimination. Not being able to pay your bills on time is due to poverty not dishonesty. This should be outlawed!

    • Gina

      I been denied every job I applied to, I made it past everything and even got a response back from the employer saying I’m a good candidate for this position we submitted your application to our hiring management, be excited and expected to come in for your interview here at Frito lay Dayville CT. Then I get a text saying sorry we found a candidate with higher experience. So I called them to find out why I didn’t get hired and that was 2 weeks ago I’m still waiting. I know it’s because of the credit report. Because after I eSign it , it was over

  2. P.

    This is definitely a bad practice in the job market!! I know my credit history is terrible–I’ve had to pay off bills for others who passed away–I was left “holding the bag” and now my credit sucks! I don’t believe a person’s credit history should have anything to do with being able to work. How will a person ever rise above the situation if they don’t have a job! Disgusting!!

  3. DM

    This is a very tough environment right now and thousands of individuals have lost their jobs and their retirements, forcing them to either be late on payments or to file bankruptcy all together.
    It seems unfair to me that companies can run your credit report as a prerequiste to a job offer when our own government is financing the bailout of the auto and banking industries.
    Seems like an no win situation….I can’t pay my bills because I don’t have job, but, I can’t get a job to pay my bills because my credit record is now tarnished.

  4. AH

    The CEO’s of the world (male dominance) bankrupted the economy and left the consumers and their families basically homeless, along with financial woes. How does the economy expect to jump start the economy if we do not put qualified people back to work…allowing them repay their debts. Congress should step in a do something about this major but growing issue. I also think that it is of an bias nature for you to use private information against my employment. Am I to discuss my personal problems in the job interview. If I were a felon or been incarcerated that’s certainly an issue of merit. So are you telling me that the new unemployed workforce with credentials will not be employable. What exceptions are these human resource departments looking for, new entry, no education, no experience, good credit and then reward them with lower pay. Well, you could end up unemployable for life, are their any exceptions.

  5. DW

    I have been denied for several jobs because of this requirement. Many of the recruiters ask you prior to even submitting you if there is anything that would prevent you from a “security clearance” or a “public trust” clearance. I always ask if credit is an issue. I went for a promision job with the Department of Justice and they ran my credit right then an there. I had two payments that were 60 days late. They asked me to write a letter explaining in which I did. They never returned any of my calls and that was in February. I have been out of work since June of 2008 and my credit is worse then ever. So I dont even apply for jobs where a security clearance of any type is needed. The longer I am out of work the worse the situation is. People can not have good credit if they are out of work for extended periods of time.
    I truly believe this ruling should be more monitored because someone has bad credit does not make them a security risk!

  6. Tactical Man

    Consult an attorney on your rights and to investigate any discrimination. File a lawsuit against them for illegal discriminatory practices in my opinion. The majority of jobs that DO NOT handle money or are sensitive credit checks should never be preformed.

    • Ang

      My job history is in the financial industry. I’m over qualified for so much yet not able to get a mediocre job because of my credit. Bad credit doesn’t make a criminal and that is what people think. They also think it means I can’t be organized and responsible at my job. That’s ridiculous.

  7. A.

    I found that out when I applied for a collection position. I had been rear ended in a vehicle accident and could not work for almost 4 years because of a back injury. When returning to the work force I discovered this little known secret; that your credit will determine whether or not you get a job. I was always great at my job, a Top Ten Collector Award Winner (out of 500 people) a Perfect Attendance Winner, great references,yet it didn’t mean a thing. I want to know how can we put a stop to this type of credit discrimmination in employment? With everything happening in the economy how can companies use this as a way to determine whether or not to hire a person. I’m sure many people credit are ruin. Any ideas?

  8. RR

    This situation is happening to me at this time.
    I applied for a position with a financial institution that I have over 15 years of experience doing. I am more than qualified and also have glowing ressmendations. MAinly from former employers!
    However, a year ago my husband was layed off from his job of 15 years. 4 months later i lost my job. In all my adult life we have both had a perfect credit score. Asa matter-of-fact, part of my prior job was giving seminars on how to increase your credit score! I sailed through the interview this week and was then asked to give reeference information and discussed hours etc. I still have not heard from them and am almost 100% certain that it will be because of my credit score. Even thouh it is all within the last 8 months, the fact is my score is damaged.
    Any advise will be welcomed. I need this job more than I can express in this e-mail. Thank you for listening!

  9. AD

    I experienced the same thing. I became sick and was put in the hospital and I missed some pmts but once I was on my feet again I caught up on pmts.
    6yrs later I apply for another job and I was 1 of 2 final candidates and they checked my credit and I was denied the job. I think it is so unfair because I asked them to review my history before those months and after those months and I explained the problem. It did not matter.
    So what’s going to happen to people who have lost their jobs, car pmts, homes and the economy gets better and they apply for jobs they are experienced for and companies judge them on their report instead of experience.
    Why can’t they change that? It’s unfair and can be biased.
    Angela

  10. ZQ

    I can relate to this story. How are we, the unemployed, suppose to rectify our current status if we are not even given the chance to prove ourselves due to our credit history. It’s because of unemployment status that many of us fall behind. Before then, my credit history was impeccable. In my opinion, checking credit history should not determine whether or not an individual is qualified for employment. I also am in need of employment, but my qualifications and work experinece, at this point, means nothing. It’s like having to start all over again. It’s unfair, and I am very upset behind this. I am not a criminal, just another honest US citizen who fell behind due to unemployment.

  11. R.

    To get straight to the point: having BAD CREDIT is not the same as being a hard-core CONVICT OR CRIMINAL! How would an employer or anyone for that matter expect you to pay back your credit cards or whatever if you don’t even have a JOB or 9-to-5 in the first place??? I really don’t understand that logic! Employers will use ANY excuse in order to deny an honest, hard-working person a chance. It’s just straight up RETARDED!!

  12. C.

    How many of us might have been victims of this when we get the terse note “Sorry, the position’s already been filled”? AFAIK the employer only gets the three numbers, not any of the background of why, so we’re caught in the catch-22 of being unable to get a job to pay the bills that are losing us opportunities to get a job. Basically, everybody who doesn’t have “perfect credit” (however that hiring manager defines it) is being treated as a deadbeat. Meanwhile, incompetents who have no credit history are being hired ahead of us — but try and prove it! you almost need somebody inside HR on your side, which would probably get you the job anyway.

  13. BE CAREFUL ABOUT EMPLOYER’S ASKING FOR CREDIT REPORTS! As CEO of an online job service focusing on legitimate telecommuting jobs, our trained staff comes across job scams of all sorts on a daily basis. After reading this article, I thought it might be helpful to share information about a new one we’ve come across. So…
    We’ve recently become aware of a new scam going around that tells people that they’re one of the finalists for a job opportunity, but that in order to have a final interview they need to submit a credit report… which the company has conveniently arrange for them through a “free” service… only to steal all of the user’s personal and financial identity information.
    I hope this helps.
    Sara Sutton Fell
    CEO of FlexJobs.com

  14. K.

    This has happened to me as well. I got through the phone interview and was one of the top five going to the final interview. Then I was told that I was no longer in the running because I have had some problems with my credit in the past. In my opinion, credit should not be a factor in the hiring process. If you pass a background check and have no criminal record you should be able to have a chance at the position. Just because you have bad credit does not mean that you are a bad person or even a criminal!! Not fair!!!

  15. T.

    I have been victim of this same type of prejudice. I believe that if enough people banned together to protest companies not hiring an individual based on his or her credit is not fair. As a matter of fact the person’s ability to do the job, his/her appearance, and overall attitude should only matter.

  16. KA

    I believe it is very unethical and ridiculous that one would deny employment based on credit issues which certain conditions can quite often happen beyond one’s control. I am hoping that a law will be passed prohibiting using credit report for qualifying reasons to getting adequate employment. Several things can happen that put one in that position. I went through a divorce, became very ill and my creditworthiness suffered from super A-1 credit to dismal nothing. That still did not take away my integrity or character of being highly responsible, dedicated, excellent employee and certainly did not diminish my skills. It only said that I went through some very hard times financially, depleted what savings I had and had to do just what I had to do to survive. If they want to base employment on credit, let’s be fair and look at my credit history from the time I graduated from college, became gainfully employed and took care of business when my life was going great. It is then that they can compare and say, hey, this person had impeccable credit up until this point, which significantly signifies that something happened in their lifetime for them to be at this point with their credit. Compare and compare reasonably and fairly, if you want to use credit as a means of weeding one from employment. Better yet, think like this: they probably would not have bad credit if these situations had not occurred in their life.

  17. BJ

    I can relate with all the comments above – seems like the credit report has become the defining factor in hiring someone. Truly sad. I know dozens of people who have great credit but are truly worthless in the workplace and are the ones who always seem to get by with just enough, while pawning their work off on someone else.
    Like many, I had awesome credit, owned my home almost 9 years, never late, etc. I had an accident that required ankle reconstruction, was in a wheel chair for 5 months while being unemployed. Unemployment ran out and so did my funds. I lost the house, the car and perhaps, some dignity.
    My attitude is great, positive and while I do embrace where I am presently, I still make it a daily job to network and look for a job. I have had many interviews, in person and on the phone. I too have often wondered if I did not receive an offer due to MY credit.
    That was then…
    Now, when I apply for a position, interview and am asked to fill out the usual employment forms, including SSN, I do so as asked, only omitting my SSN. I state that when the time comes to run a background, I will be happy to provide a SSN, and not a moment sooner. Many HR personnel understand, what with the myriad stolen identities these days. They must contact me for the SSN and calling me to provide it alerts me to the fact that they may run a credit report. I ask or confirm if a credit check will be pulled. I am also up front and simply say that due to my unemployment, I have had some ‘financial challenges’, and just wanted to alert them to that so there are no surprises. Doing it this way puts the control back in MY COURT by not having my SSN on dozens of applications where I’ve not gotten the job. IF the employer is serious, they will move forward to do the check (it costs the employer to do this). Regardless, a person should not be defined by a credit report designed by the credit agencies, no less. Rather, more attention should be given to the content of one’s character and their ability to be a productive, contributing employee.

  18. TH

    What a travesty to be so prejudiced in obtaining a job due to a bad credit history! In this economy that should be the last thing to even consider. How many truly innocent people are out there that have lost their homes, their jobs, their status, their credit, due to the guilt of other people; ie, the greedy in the mortgage industry, stocks industry, bank industry…need I say more? And as we see it all has a devastating, rippling effect–that is still occurring! I am so sorry to the victim that lost this opportunity of a possible job because, she, like so many, have fallen on such incredibly hard times! And shame on the company or organization that doesn’t know the meaning of the words grace and mercy to another fellow human being! Maybe it was a blessing in disguise!

  19. T.

    I too have been a victim of this credit prejudice. I wowed an interviwer, and thought that I had the job. When he ran a credit report there were a couple of items on my credit report due to financial hardships that cost me the job. I have several years of an outstanding work record, and I have two higher education degrees, however this doesn’t matter anymore. Yet we have “crooks” running companies, I’m sure that passed the credit checks that are stealing hard working Americans retirement money. Yet the government is using my hard earned 401k funds to bailout the auto industries and the banks. Yes, we do need to fight this, and stop this biased practice now. If companies want to know if they are hiring criminals, perform a criminal background check.

    • Beth

      As I watch my credit score plummet due to family illness plus the State of California garnishing my wages due to someone’s clerical error and my inability to resolve it despite numerous phone calls and letters, I get a job offer. One of the best I ever had. Please say prayers for me and my country. It seems this trend to use the credit scores to determine who gets jobs is likely just to reward those who make the most money for the financial institutions who own the credit cards and mortgages. I spent many years as a faithful wife and mother, earned a graduate degree at midlife, and I swear if my credit history costs me this job, I will lead the revolution!

  20. GC

    I was unemployed for 21 months and of thes 21 months all my bills including my mortgage, car note, insurances, child care and credit card bills were paid for 18 months. Then the money ran out and I fell behind on my mortgage and other obligations. If you’ve had a good credit history until you loose your job or something castrophic happens in which you have no control I think this should be taken into account. I’m sure that if there wasn’t a lapse in employment there wouldn’t be be late payments. It seems that you are punished because you lost your job. The question is should you tell your prospective employer beforehand or wait until the shoe falls? There should be some questions asked before you’re taken out of the running for a position. I’m sure I lost out on an opportunity because of my credit. Just because you lost your job and you’re trying to get employment doesn’t mean that you can’t be trusted as a new employee. Shame on those employers.

  21. JM

    I have a good friend of over 30 years who just recently was told that she could not continue employment where she had been recently hired due to her credit situation. I guess that there are pros and cons to this very serious issue and each side (the employer/prospective employee) has their stance. What really vexes me is that once you’ve actually been hired and have started to work companies seem unsympathic in realizing that it is a virtual “slap in the face” to then ask someone to leave because of the findings from the investigation or background check. I too have bad credit but that has nothing to do with my integrity, knowledge, skills or abilities.
    In January of this year I was hired and it has been almost six months since my date of hire but I still “cringe” at the thought that one day I may be quickly dismissed because of something that was found out months after the fact. Employers should make every effort to do any checks/investigations long before the selected candidate is hired.

  22. MH

    As a CPA and having been in Controller/CFO roles I understand that the value of a credit report indicates responsibility. However, individuals experience unepected events in life such loss of a job or health issues which can greatly impact their credit. Therefore, I do not beleive that an individuals credit report should be part of a hiring process.

  23. A.

    This is horrible news to hear especially in this type of economy. I mean who really is going to have a perfect score or credit report nowadays. There are so many people experiencing foreclosures, bankruptcies, late payments, layoffs, etc. Banks and credit card companies are screwing around with their customers accounts, credit scores and credit limits regardless if they are late or up-to-date or not to make themselves look good on paper. This practice makes the customers look bad.
    Employers expect such excellence when so many companies are experiencing financial loss and failures and are in need of bailouts. They need to step back and evaluate people based on the interviews, resume, and references given. Bad credit nowadays doesn’t necessarily mean they wouldn’t be exceptional employees, it might just mean they got caught out there in this economic “mess” with no bailout to help them. It MUST be illegal to not give someone a job based upon them not being able to make payments because they need a job! And if it isn’t, it should be!

  24. Anonymous

    I work with someone who was offered a job contingent upon the credit report. It has been two months and she has not heard anything. When she calls, she gets the run around. I can understand if you are working with budgets, purchasing etc., but, things happen in people’s lives. What is going to happen to all of the people impacted by this current economic crisis?

  25. RO

    This is nothing new I have been dealing with being denied a job for my credit report for years now since 2004. When I read they will do a credit check I simply dont apply, which is a shame because people have hard times and to be judged on your credit report is absurd. How can you fix your credit when you can’t find a job paying enough to barley pay the rent.

  26. MR

    I think it is terrible when you can not get a job because of your credit history. If you were a criminal and your credit was bad I can understand but, if you are trying to make an honest living, why should you be treated like a criminal. I was laid off for 10 months and had good credit, however this happens to the best of the best. These employers need to get over it, this could happen to them as well.

  27. MMB

    I am also one of the many who have bad credit due to loss of employment. Even when I was able to obtain a job, companies rarely pay hourly workers enough to live on let alone enough to resolve late payment problems. Now that I am no longer a single parent of underage children, I don’t have the major cost of childcare, k-12 school, etc. However, I am still behind in my credit card, utilities payments and my many,many attempts to obtain a job that pays more than 5 cents an hour or jobs with the state or city has not surfaced. I believe it is because of the credit issue.
    IN ORDER TO PAY OFF DEBT, A PERSON NEEDS A JOB. REFUSING TO EMPLOY SOMEONE BECAUSE THEY HAVE CREDIT ISSUES DOES NOT ALLOW THEM THE OPPORTUNITY TO PAY OFF DEBT! hELLO COMPANIES!!!!!
    Thanks,
    M

  28. Just Betty

    Back in 7/05, I was *put out* on medical leave by my assistant manager. After I begged to come back, they let me re-start in 12/05. Because I’d been gone *over 12 wks* they cut me back to p/t status. It’s EXTREMELY difficult to pay all my bills with a 40% pay-cut. I’m also reluctant to now apply for positions that say they’ll run a credit check. Before that, I had immpeccable credit!!!

  29. PN

    I would ask to see that credit report and see that the information is correct.
    I worked where paper work was a mess ,privacy was invaded and MOBBYING BULLYING and sabatouge was an afternnon of great fun.
    So I know my credit files had been fooled around with and since 2001 I was RUN OFF JOBS by coworkers and THIS HAS SCREWED UP MY 800 score.
    I also have a BUSINESS DEGREE and 30 years of work experiance ,passed al types of behavioral interviews DID NOTHING WRONG ETHICAL and hard working—Had I known some one was so determined to RUIN MY LIFE ,I asked for help but all I get is EMPLOYMENT AT WILL and Managment gives you a BIG DUMB look—Maybe that FRAUD ENFORECMENT RECOVERY ACT will undo the FRAUD I WENT THROUGH.

  30. C.

    Too much judging is done, and not enough understanding. A credit report does not define who you are, or what type of worker you’ll be. That is so unfair, and should be deemed as an unfair practice. One could be a great employee if given the chance. I myself have experienced this type of discrimination.

  31. PN

    I have been TRAUMATISED since 2001 about TERRORIST AND ID THEFT and I know people will screw up peoples info on computers.
    Worry worry worry
    CHECK EVERY FILE ON YOU
    BUT I have worked with people I sure DO NOT WANT THEM TO HAVE ANY OF MY PRIVATE INFO so they can twist turn it and GOSSIP ,lie defame sabatouge and DO NOTHING MANEGMENT

  32. PN

    Now they are paying attention I want my credit fixed my money back and FEAR OF TERROIST a little removed. CHECK YOUR CREDIT becuase now i know how much SABATOUGE WENT ON human error computer error
    and sabatouged in a bank NORTHERN TRUST
    reported it and got fired HOW DO YOU SCORE THAT ?
    so BULLY MOBB OUTSOURCE DOWNSOURCE ??????
    I wrote i called i complained NO ONE LISTENED

  33. A.

    I lost everything in a federally-declared fire disaster; my husband finished me off in the divorce. I’ve tried valiantly to recover but as soon as my credit rating went south, so did my prospects. It’s been a downward spiral I can’t seem to pull out of. I think it’s a form of discrimination that should be done away with.
    I’ve been offered jobs and had the offer rescinded when my credit was examined.

  34. LB

    I feel that your credit score has nothing to do with your work performance or work ethic. please some times have credit issues due to lost of emplyment or health reasons and it doesn’t meant that you can’t do a job you are qualified for. I strogly beleive that this practice showed be abolished.

  35. S.

    I think that its discrimitory.They have no right getting into everyones business.

  36. C.

    I think it is COMPLETELY unfair for companies to judge you by your credit history for a job. The only time I would understand this requirement is when you are getting a job with a credit reporting company or a position dealing with cash. Otherwise no, it doesn’t reflect the majority of the public as a person or their abilities to perform a job.

  37. A.

    After I posted previously on this blog, I thought what could I do? I went to whitehouse.gov and sent an email to President Obama asking him to step in a do something about this situation. I also referred him to this blog. Everyone that has posted on this blog please send the President an email and let him know how this is affecting you.

  38. Anonymous

    I lost my job after 19 years, had perfect credit, owned a home, etc. I have now been unemployed for 14 months. On top of that I was in the homebuilding industry, people from this industry are being stigmitized. Companies will not talk to us even if our skills are transferable. We have lost our jobs through no fault of our own. I paid my bills until the money ran out. I was responsible all my life. I have been trying to shortsale my home. I have a buyer that has been sitting for 6 months and because the 2nd lien holder wants more money than Fannie Mae (the 1st lien holder) will allow and won’t call us back. I am now filing bankruptcy, then probably a
    foreclosure. So now I have 3 strikes against me. No Job, No Money, No Credit.
    All those years of perfect credit, several houses bought and paid for are now worth nothing. I believe that companies should not be able to run your credit. Your job offers should be based on criminal history and whether you can do the job.

  39. Anonymous

    We should all start writing our congress people on line and bombard them. Just because we write on this blog that this is wrong, does not mean anything will get done about it.
    It is time we stand up!!!! I believe with the state of affairs the american people have put up with…. Paying the banks, the autos, the insurance companies. Banks and credit card companies ruining peoples credit by lowering their credit lines, closing their accounts, raising interest rates. It is time for our bail out!!!
    If you have lost your job and can’t find one due to credit reports. Let’s abolish credit reports totally!!! Or tell Congress we want our credit reports wiped clean.

  40. Annonymous

    Having been out of work now for more than a year, I know that my credit has suffered, and I am VERY concerned that it has contributed to my long time out of work (job eliminated 2/8/08). I guess I can see both sides of the question. Credit score is ONE indication of how responsible a person is. But there are SO MANY OTHER FACTORS that need to be considered. And as someone said — it is really only DIRECTLY relevant in jobs where one is handling cash on a regular basis.

  41. SM

    I have been unemployed since the recession started and employers using our credit reports against us is not right. That is the whole reason you are looking to get a job is to pay your bills and to get your credit scores up. Not the opposite.
    So since hiring companies are doing this…. how/what do these companies suggest to people like us suffering from this lovely recession are going to do to get out of this hole the financial companies and other greedy companies claimed this huge recession since they aren’t hiring us.

  42. D.

    It depends on the type of job that you are applying for. Some companies require this information for bonding. If the job doesn’t require handling money, then it should be none of anyone’s business if you have been affected by this credit crunch. I will follow the advice of writing to your senator and congress representative and have the law changed to allow the applicant more privacy.

  43. MG

    I was offered a job, was given the start date, salary and informed of all their benefits. When he informed me they were doing a background check, I knew I was OK. I did not know a background check was the same as a credit check. Within minutes, he was calling me back and said after retrieving my background check, he had to recant on my job offer. I asked WHY, he said it was my credit, I informed him you said you were doing a background check. I did not know they would be the same. I informed him why my credit was in the shape it was and his statement to me was I am sorry. This was an IT Analyst position, no money or anything associated with my credit that they should have recanted on the job offer.
    I am currently laid off and when I receive a call they want to check my credit before I am sent on a job interviewd and there are times, when they do not even call back. I need help, I am a single parent and I am doing all I can to keep to find a job.

  44. JL

    I too have had a problem getting a job due to my credit report. I dont think that it should be a consideration when being hired. It really isnt relevant when applying for a position that you are highly qualified for. It is ashame that good qualified people are passed over due to credit. Life happens, and sometimes things are out of our control. These employers should put themselves in our shoes. It is hurtful, degrading, and depressing when it happens. I still can’t get a full time postion and have to work parttime without benefits due to this practice. Someone needs to change things, and give honest, hardworking people the benefit of the doubt, who knows they may be happily surprised at their decision to overlook a credit report, and there would be more people WORKING and less on the unemployment line if they changed this practice.

  45. I agree with a lot of the comments expressed above. I, too, have been laid off and was struggling to pay bills before the lay off. Due to some circumstances that I won’t go into, my reliability and excellent credit history have now been destroyed.
    I do believe we need to stand up, get our Congress to understand how this is limiting many Americans from having those jobs that can enable our country to come back from this recession.
    I am in the process of trying to find work and feel that my credit history is going to limit me from obtaining the career I want. I’ve been in sales for over 17 years and am afraid that I may never be able to recover before retirement age.

  46. A.

    I,too, was a a victim of a layoff and had difficulty finding a job for 2 years. During that time, my credit rating went to the bottom. After almost 30 years of never having credit problems, I’m nervous about job hunting again because I am about to experience another possible downsizing. Surely Congress could issues some type of debt forgivness bill.

  47. SM

    I was given this bit of info some years ago from my insurance agent at the time. I could not believe that companies were doing this. What do they expect if a person is unemployed and trying to make ends meet. It reminds me of the days when first trying to establish credit and no one would give you any because you had none, makes a lot of sense right.
    I was unemployed for over a year, when I did finally get work (making $10.00 an hr.) and tried working something out with my creaditors, I was informed it was too late and had to pay the balances in full. I had no choice but to file a bankruptcy. The threats went on every day, every night, even on weekends. This was a difficult decision to make. I always had excellent credit and feel strongly that if someone trust you enough to allow you to walk out with there merchandise, you need to live up to that trust.
    I am certainly going to whitehouse.gov and send an email to President Obama.

  48. S.

    I have 20+ years in sales, 4 years collection experience, 10+ years of customer service, won awards at the companies I have worked for, have a degree from UC Berkeley. After the last 5 years in mortgages as a loan consultant, I as well as hundreds of thousands others mortgage workers like me are being blackballed by prospective employers. There are employers that scan for mortgage experience and if found your application is rejected before it is even reviewed. They put in their employment ads “mortgage workers need not apply” or you just never get called which after 35 years of working is new to me. Discriminating against a lowly mortgage worker is like kicking the gas pump because the price of gas is too high. Most didnt make the rules, the loan programs or the money the ceo’s on wall street made selling and reselling our loans, or even our employers. Honest mortgage brokers like the ones I was working for suffered loss of business due to dishonest brokers taking advantage of customers and lying, or putting people in bad or “stated” loans they couldnt afford. It’s hard to compete with big fat lies and no one in all my years ever thanked me for declining their loan.
    I know for a fact from working in the credit industry so many years that you will get your credit run for any type of job, finance, sales, customer service and that list has probabaly grown longer recently. After being laid off 12/2007, I went on disability the following month for a knee injury and the resulting knee surgery and rehab which took a year. This January I went from disabilty to unemployment, but never stopped applying for jobs since I was laid off. I have had a total of about 5 interviews in 1 1/2 years, all down to the final interview then I dont hear anything. I had to wait 3 months each time I applied for unemployment and disabilty checks without income because California is overwhelmed with people just like me. My savings, credit and spirit are trashed and I wont pass any kind of credit check despite the qualifications I have. I have been told to take off the awards I have won and downplay my resume to exclude acheivements and mortgage jobs. But how do I edit out the last 10 years of my life I worked 50-60 hours trying to do my best at? I am losing my rental home because I cant afford the mortgage and my rent. My tenant has lost their job so is not paying rent, unemployment doesnt pay all my bills and I dont even have the money to evict them. My son has had to drop out of college because we cant afford tuition and is helping me pay bills. We are barely making it and I have had to borrow from my retired mom, humiliating. I am so ashamed of all this feel like crying every day, but alone where no one can see. In public I put on a smile and I try to stay strong and positive but I really see no end to this, and any help the government could give seems too late for me. Many of my friends are in the same situation or on their way. I cant even afford to file bankruptcy and I wont qualify for a loan modification because I am unemployed. I just turned 51 and dont mind starting all over again but it doesnt look like employers will give me the chance. Bank and credit institutions are getting a bailout and having their bad credit wiped out after profiting from this mess, the bailout and gouging us They have laid off massive amounts of employees who dont even have an industry to go back to and arent even allowed to compete for jobs in other industries. Where is the same help for us? They have crappy credit, made bad financial decisions but they are getting credit and help from our government, not us. How can employers hold us accountable for a credit system we have no control over and are held hostage by? Whether we were good or bad borrowers, employed or unemployed, paying our bills on time or not, our credit limits have been cut or frozen maxing out our credit and we are only told after the fact causing additional financial hardship. Our rates have doubled and tripled, our payments and fees skyrocketing, dashing prospects for employment and social services are bankrupt.
    We should be able to run the credit of prospective employers to see what financial situation they are in and see whether they are even going to be around next year. Why should we be held accountable and be judged and penalized for our credit when the credit agencies, lenders, wall street and those profiting off this arent? The new credit protections are too late for most of us, the damage is done. Or will be before those protections are in place.

  49. M.

    This is truly scary. I thought only bankruptcy could be a liability. I was paying off three credit cards and a loan until I lost my long term temp job in September when the bottom fell out of the market.
    Even my creditors admitted that I payed the minimum plus the interest promptly every month. But they have been ruthless since I cannot pay the bills now.
    It’s a Catch 22. They will not set up a hardship case unless you are working but if you were working you could pay your bills! I know they have ruined my credit that I worked so hard on.
    How depressing and horrifying. Yet one more thing to have to worry about and fight against.

    • Kelly

      Incurred a employer can not base any turn you down for a job because ur in a bankruptcy its agent fair debt practice however they can for collection acts or past due act. Better off filing for bankruptcy then apply for your dream job.

  50. J.

    I don’t know when or how we got to the point of using credit reports as a qualifier for everything from jobs to car insurance. My credit is NOT my employers business and it has nothing to do with the work I do. My driving record should be the qualifier for car insurance not a credit report. Using credit reports is an invasion of privacy by this broad spectrum of companies/people. The practice is way beyond the intended use of a credit report and needs to be stopped.

  51. LI

    I’m just another voice (email) proclaiming the same predicament.
    I too was a responsible person with a good credit history. Paid my bills on time bought the house from my ex after a divorce, refinanced it after a couple of years. Put my 2 kids through college, with no help from ex.
    I lost my job 14 months ago (Real Estate office manager) and have not been able to make my mortgage payments. As soon as credit card companies see this they cut off your credit, even though I continue to pay those on time. I’m afraid to even look at my credit report, there is no way that I can fix it without a job. Times are hard enough finding a job, now we can’t even get a job if we find one because our credit reports will knock us out of the chance.

  52. DG

    I do agree that our credit reports should not come into play for hiring purpose. Especially now in today’s world. More and more people are loosing their jobs (something beyound their control) and their finances are suffering due to that. Also, such as what happened to me, my daughter and unborn grand-daughter was killed in an auto accident, I nor she did not have insurance to pay for her funeral. I was so depressed that I did not work for three months and, yes, my finances suffered because of it, but does that make me a person who does not know her job, “no.” Or should I be judged on what I had to do to make it through such a rough tragedy? Things happen in life, and we have to do what we have to do to move on. I agree with another writer whom made a comment on this blog, “just because we are saying it is wrong on this blog doesn’t get the message in the right ears, we need to write our congress, president and whomever else that will listen to the consumers’ cries.” You have to work why should a credit report stop you?

  53. A.

    Hopefully Tory can do a story on GMA regarding this HUGE DISTRESSING issue in order to bring more attention to our President and representatives. We need a bailout! OBAMA WE NEED HELP!!!
    Banks and credit card companies received our money to help bail them out and make them look good on paper. Yet they are, one, not releasing that credit back into the economy. And, two, they are penalizing and torturing those that do still have credit. It is just disgusting.
    Sure credit reform is coming but it is not coming immediately and it doesn’t cover nearly enough of the issues. For instance, put a cap on those crazy high percentage rates, if you are not late on a particular creditor…stop allowing them to raise your rate because you might be late on a different creditor (sometimes you have to choose who gets paid), or if you are paying on time and more than the minimum why are we still having our credit line chopped…and getting a letter in the mail from the creditor saying its because of the “economy”. We know the economy sucks right now but it seems you have to be a millionaire to keep your credit lines and credit score intact. CREDIT REFORM ARRRGGGHHH…Most of us will have tarnished or ruined credit by the time it kicks in anyway. Then what! Will we all have to wait 7 to 10 years from our last late payment or bankruptcy to escape the stigma. And how will we be able to do that if we can’t find a job.
    We are getting hit from all sides. The majority of us did not cause or contribute to this issue. Yet we surely are among the casualties with loss of jobs, credit, and housing. If you are middle class there is practically no help available because you are not destitute enough. You have no choice but to rely on your credit to feed your family or pay Peter and Paul which digs you into more of hole.
    In a way this is good for us all as when it is all said and done, most of us probably won’t have credit so we will have to pay cash. Then the banks will be begging us to come back and get credit, and they will understand where we were. Can’t wait to see them sweat!

  54. Starrider2012

    NO THEY HAVE NO RIGHT! If you have 20 years of experience and your great at what you do – the credit background should have no bearing on your job experience and performance. For one thing they don’t know what the circumstances my be and why you’ve been late or anything, that’s like them coming into your home and checking if you keep your house clean! Maybe you had a bad marriage or a victim of identity theft. Maybe because some of these employers play GOD with your life. They downsize and restructure anytime they want. Credit should not be used in thier hiring process –

  55. T.

    I think we need to go to the White House and have this changed. I am a qualified, degreed administrator, and single mother and cannot get a job now because I lost my other job and of course got behind on some payments. Why does it matter what my credit looks like. Who stills have excellent credit in this economy. What is really sad and harse it that they use your credit as a critieria to hire you because they think if you have finacial problems you are more likely to steal from the company or compromise your integrity, or the company or do something bad. I totally disagree with this. Look at all these execs that have done some horrible stuff that helped this economy go under, and I’m pretty sure they are the ones with the excellent credit but that didn’t stop them from doing what they were doing and they had excellent salaries while the employees with the less salaries loose their jobs and get then have credit problems and cant get another job while they still maintain they luxurious lifestyles.

  56. C.

    Hello!! Why do these companies think someone is looking for work?? It almost makes you wonder if they really want to hire someone! Most people at some time or another fall on difficult financial times – especially when there is a job loss, illness, or family incident. Unless someone’s job requires some sort of funds handling that makes their credit history relevant, it shouldn’t be any kind of consideration. I think we can blame the credit reporting companies for this – obviously they have sold their credit reports as some sort of character analysis tool. The question is – what can we do about it??

  57. Hmmm, I have mixed feelings about this one. On the one hand I think everybody deserves a second chance, and each situation needs to be looked at on an individual basis.
    On the other hand why didn’t she call the hospital and make arrangements to create a payment plan? So there maybe some truth to the matter that she was slightly irresponsible…
    I wish her the very best in her job search!

  58. Anonymous

    I too was rejected from a job offer because of my cedit history. I got the call that I had the job and couple days later was told no because of late payments. I was already set with a debt consolidation co. but they did not want to hear and I really do not think this is fair. The job was paying a little more and was closer to home, all I could think about was paying a little bit money on credit cards etc and saving on gas, but that did not work out for me. It is truly sad, who will help to bail us out, when we need help. One can not help unfortunate cicumstances that come our way, we do not know what tomorrow will bring, good credit today and lose your job the next and then what. Not only that car insurance is sky high because of the same situation. I can’t win.

  59. TS

    I too agree that a company seeking to hire you should not base what you can do against your credit report. I was on a job and the company performed a second credit check and was let go. I have had a hard time getting a job since then and I think the credit history is part of it. I have a friend that had to file Chapter 13 and she has received the run-around by temp agencies. One’s credit history does not have anything to do with how well someone can perform their job and I think it is wrong.

  60. CS

    I agree with all these ladies!! I too was denied a banking position with Centier Bank because of my past credit situations. Although most debt was made in college and when I was in between jobs, and I have paid and still in the process of paying off, it still cost me a possible position. I did a phone interview and both the recruiter and myself was excited and then she told me that as part of the hiring process they would pulled the credit report, but it had no baring in getting/or not getting the position. I waited for her phone call to set up the first in-person interview and it never came, instead I got a letter saying that i could no longer be considered for the positin based on information obtain from the credit report. I think this is wrong, just because I have debt doesn’t mean I can’t work, would steal, or be dishonest. It’s wrong and there should be laws in place that keep companies from doing this. Everyone has credit and debt including the hiring managers and CEO’s.

  61. Anonymous

    It’s seems like anything that corporate america can do to keep us down they try. They lay people off without cause, renege on deals (I’ve lost a lot of money big time by companies doing this to me!. They use our worst days against us with the credit checks and do not care. Yet they still want all of us to be able to afford their overpriced products! How can we ??? People are hurting, they are broke, they need help. I’ve had a home based business for years now and I’ve been so thankful for the extra income. They are the most reputable company I’ve ever been associated with. Where corporate america looks to screw people over, my company looks to lift people up. I’m currently working on a web site to bring home based business people together so we can purchase from each other, keep our dollars in our home based busines family and cut corporate america out of the profits! They dont deserve them, we do and companies that are shifting towards a “kinder, gentler” way of taking care of their employees and their sales staff. In the future, we’ll all be making money and corporate america will wonder where all the resumes went! Meanwhile, If you are interested learning about a home based business that you can really earn a great income at, check out my website http://www.tx.brightwomen.com and/or http://www.tx.brightexecs.com. See ‘REQUEST MORE INFORMATION’ for how to reach me. I’d love to help you get over the tough time and look back on this as a great turning point in your life and your financial future.

  62. Anonymous

    Ah, I can totally understand how you feel and what you are going through. I myself have been unemployed since 4/08. I have applied with tons of companies as I’m sure every other unemployed individual has. I even requested the assistance for help in re-drafting my resume and paid that expense, which now I wish I’d just kept the money. I have had excellent credit up until these past couple of months with no funds left to make the credit card pymts etc… I am a diligent, responsible, person but again unable to be given that break….for a well paying decent job. It has literally put me in a terrible state of depression and on the verge of unthinkable thoughts. I can’t take the phone calls from the creditors asking for money, which I don’t have anymore of. I guess if I’m dead then that’ll keep them from calling then. We all see it, read it and even hear about it in the newspapers, and TV broadcast about others who have taken this way out because of their financial dilemna.
    I 110% agree that Congress, Senators, etc… need to make a change…regarding the view of our personal information. There are tons, millions of good hard working individuals with good values, great work ethics out there looking for work and really want to work. However, this “credit check” is preventing us to carry on. This is unacceptable, and greatly discriminatory. There are circumstances beyond our control that life gives us and yet we try to make the best of it. But this has gone extremely too far now!!

  63. RC

    I agree that the credit report should not be a factor in geting hired. I lost my Automotive Designer job in 2001. I had excellent credit untill that point. But, I went from $25.00 per hour to a meanial labor job of $9.50 per hour. I tried to pay my bills but you just cant do it when that happens. Sence then I have also been turned down for jobs because of my credit report.
    Duhhh… Cant pay people on time if you cant get a job that pays you enough to do so. I had to remortgage my home to pay everyone off. Now I am looking at Backruptcy. I have put out over 2000 Resume applications and have not even had a job interview in over a year.

  64. Anonymous

    I went to a website called HUB under search I typed, “What is the purpose of a pre-employment credit check? Guess what everyone that has been turned down for employment because of your credit please file suit with the EEOC.gov. If you are a minority you can get the company on a double whammy. Meantime, please contact your state senator and asked him/her to sponsor legislation in your state.

  65. Anonymous

    Re: my last post website is called hubpages

  66. Anonymous

    I posted a comment before and it was not put on site. Please go to hubspace.com. You can file a discrimmination complaint with the EEOC for credit discrimmination. President Obama’s head of the EEOC is aware of the problem and very upset about the situation.

  67. Anonymous

    Unfortunately, I believe this “credit-check-to-get-a-job” policy is going to increase due to the recession we’re in. Because so many people are searching for employment, the bar has been, and will continue, to be raised – placing those with the most impeccable credit on top of the list.
    I too am experiencing unbelieveable hardship because of not being able to find a job due to credit. This policy is cruel and hurtful to people who have been unfortunate enough to simply fall on hard times.
    . . . and get this – if you consolidate or make arrangements for settlement with creditors, it reflects negatively on your credit! How do I know? Because I’ve done it! With absolutely nothing to gain. I’ve even had to live out of a car for a while, parking in hospital garages – eventhough throughout my life, I’ve had high work ethics and great credit, until recently . . .
    Ladies, I think it’s only going to get worse – unless someone with a lot of power takes it seriously.

  68. Anonymous

    I totally agree with the credit check job denial crap. I worked in the financial industry for over 20years and was recently laid off. I was interviewed by a company and was told they would be glad to have me on theit team. Went back to second interview and was told the same thing. even though the company would be paying me less than I was used to making I need a job. However the company I was laid off from kept another womam that had been with the copmpany less time than me and had less experience, she was recently fired for embezzeling funds from clients accounts. Oh and by the way she has good credit. so tell me the logic in that.

  69. Anonymous

    When did we start allowing anyone access to our private information?
    Unless you are applying for a morgatge or some other form of credit, no one should be able to get your credit information.
    The only time there should be an exception is if the job is in Goverment or clearly high security.
    It is an outrage that anyone with access tour social security number can get your life history.
    The law needs to change. I would like to see some of our Congress and Senators credit reports before I vote next time. Just to make sure they have clean credit for the the job.

  70. Anonymous

    Does anyone know how we could write to congress about having this changed? I too was up for a great job but due to credit issues, I was denied employment.
    Everyone of my past employers stated I was a great employee and did not want to lose me. Due to medical issues and problems with co-pays I was late on everything and some things ended up in collections.
    I find it completely frustrating that I was working, had to go on short term disability which then cut my pay to 66 2/3 and still had to pay the large co-pay for my medical expenses. If I quit my job and went on government assistance, I would have all my medical payed for! Why is this fair that my credit report is used against me when all I want to do is work and PAY MY BILLS?
    I would love to start a petition and send it to congress to have this stopped or changed. Anyone with me?

  71. KG

    When did a background check for employment become a credit check? I think a background check is a good idea…did someone steal, embezzle, defraud? Did they make a late payment or did they keep their payments up and just have more debt than they wish they had? Right now, there is too much credit based EVERYTHING going on and not enough common sense being used to do anything.

  72. NW

    The whole world is in debt. The system has allowed greed and wealthy people with power to destroy this world. The credit report is another
    way to discriminate against poor people. A credit report has nothing to do with a person living in the world that god made. I DONT SEE CREDIT REPORT IN THE BIBLE. DW

  73. A.

    The condition of this country is the reason the majority of us have less than perfect credit records today. How are you supposed to get back on your feet when a select few are able to access such personal information and use it to gauge what kind of employ you will be? This is America!This sort of treatment is outrageous! We all have dreams and aspirations. We all want to make a living for ourselves and our families. That is all that the majority of us want! What kind of morons are in charge when they think that a person with less-than-perfect credit is going to somehow bring down an organization? I am an American living in America. I have worked hard all my life. I had great credit until I lost my job through no fault of my own. Now, I’m treated like I’m some kind of shady person who doesn’t deserve to have anything. Not even a decent job so that I may live.

  74. AL

    The forestry office started a “controlled burn” on a spring day without enough hoses and 40 mph winds, let it get away from them and it then burned down the town, forced the evacuation of the neighboring three towns and I lost everything. My husband stole all the FEMA payouts for himself. I contacted my creditors right away and told them why my excellent credit was being destroyed–they didn’t care. BTW, the moron from the forestry office who gave the burn order was allowed to retire at full pension.

  75. MJK

    I believe that not only my age is keeping me from getting jobs, but also the credit checks are a big thing. If you have good credit you have nothing to worry about, but if not, good bye jobs.

  76. Carolyn Fields

    I’ve been out of work for over 7 months and finally recently got a few interviews and was denied due to credit. Something must be done or a lot of us will be living under a bridge. What can our president do about this.

  77. MRL

    I concur, I’m a recent college graduate who, unfortunately have bad credit and I’ve gone back to the same job I’ve been doing, part-time. I need to not only pay off my credit card debt but also my student loans. How can pay back any of this if I can’t get a good job just based on credit. I’m an honest, hard working, American citizen, followed the law, never stole or took anything from anyone. But the only thing that could cost me a decent job, in which I’m qualified for, is credit.
    I WANT to pay down my debt but its difficult when I’m currently working part-time at $9.90 an hour. Credit should NOT and should NEVER be a basis for which to judge someone one their job qualifications. I hope we can all band together and not only inform President Obama but Congress at the wrong and discrimitory praticies that companies are doing to prospective employee’s. It kind of reminds of a line that Arthur Clennam (in Charles Dickens LITTLE DORRIT) said that, how can you pay down your debt and your creditors when you sitting in prison?
    We all are in a debtors prison, but it’s without walls; it’s the pratices of companies who will find any reason to NOT hire you. I say take them to court and get the law changed ASAP.

  78. H.H.

    I too, just recently experienced losing a great job offer because of my credit. I had two interviews and they both went great. I was even offered a higher position than what I applied for and was told that the next call I get would be from human resources. A couple days go by and no word. Then I received a letter in the mail stating that I would no longer be considered for employment due to my credit. I immediatly called them and stated my case. They were very rude and said there was nothing I could do. They did mention that if I was working with a credit counselor that it would help, but I wasn’t. Unfortunatly I have ten years experience in financial services and the only type of money I can make to even fix my credit will come from a job in financial services!! I am highly qualified with many references yet that made no difference at the end of the day. I have decided to be honest and upfront next time around and have signed up with a credit counseling service eventhough I don’t have money to give them!! This is very discriminatory in this market and it needs to stop.

  79. Toni Lawrence

    I believe there is too much access to personal information, and employers have no right to check out your credit. In these troubled times too many people have gotten behind in their bills, and being out of work is one of the reasons credit scores are getting poorer. Your credit report has no bearing on your capabilities to do your job.
    Employers have no need to research your credit history, even for those working in the financial industry. A poor or fair credit report is not always an indicator that you are not a responsible person. Circumstances, and not just poor management, can often cause money problems, but that doesn’t mean the person is not capable of improving them. It takes time, and a job!
    Credit files are being used as profilers – to indicate the possibility that a person may be dishonest because they are having financial problems. I understand that money problems can lead to theft, but just because a person has money troubles does not mean they are dishonest. A good paying job would go a long way in alleviating those problems. It’s like you are being accused of a crime before one is committed. Honest people will always be honest, and thieves will always be thieves, and a poor credit score can only make a person suspect before they even start.
    The banking industry itself is at fault as well. Credit scores are determined by a number of factors, and the banks can change those factors at any time. Example: when the economy tanked many people had their credit limits lowered, and their interest raised, even though they were paying regularly on their accounts with no problem. This can cause more financial problems and a lower score, when the individuals had done everything right.
    One of my creditors lowered my limit from $1000 to $600 when my balance went under $600, and I had never been late with them. I did pay another credit card on the day it was due, but was considered late because according to them you have to pay two days before the due date. What is the due date for then? If you pay ON the day you should be considered on time. I do not consider that late, however on a credit report it shows up as 30 days late (there is nothing for 0-10 days on the report). In turn, other credit cards can up the interest (making it harder to get out of debt), or lower your credit limit – which brings down your credit score.
    These practices have to stop! Honest people work hard, follow the rules, and get penalized because the institutions make bad decisions. Employers need to look at the individual, and not at their credit profile, in hiring.
    If you can’t get a job – how can you improve your credit rating?

  80. S.

    I have been unemployed for 6 months and i final had promise of getting a job. they told me i was for sure going to be hired then 2 days later I got a call back and they said no because I had to much debt and i would be more likely to steal from them! I am not a thief I am a person who has been laid off and has no income coming in I also have a baby on the way which makes it just that much more frustrating I hope that someone out there will give me a chance

  81. s

    I too have bad credit now. I have been out of work for almost 2 years taking care of my husband who passed away in May 2009 from terminal cancer. So there was very little income. There is no life insurance to even get me through these tough times and I am in dire need of a job and I pray that my credit standing does not get in the way. I have worked for the past 35yrs with the exception of taking care of my husband. I have never been fired from a job and have no criminal record which should count for something. I have just started looking for a job after having to move out of my house with hoping to rent that so I don’t lose it and pray I get a job to be able to move back to the home I love and be able to support myself. It’s getting to be a scary world out there and if employers don’t change their ways when looking at a person’s credit report, we will be out on the streets homeless even though we are not lazy and willing to work. At least give the person a try and if it doesn’t work out then fire them.

  82. v

    I believe the system that we have in our country is against us the consumers, we are the ones that endup paying for everyone faults, and on top of that with no education at reach or any tools to help us, it didn’t took long to save the big corporations out of brankrupcy due to greedy ceo and faulty transactions. Why can we get the help we need when we need like a reestructural system for those who have fallen behind payments with a bad credit in ther backs for however long this may take. The aggravation that we consumers go trough in this country everyday is ridiculous.

  83. MD

    IT IS REALLY SAD THAT EMPLOYERS HAVE TO GO CHECKING YOUR CREDIT TO GIVE YOU A JOB I THINK IT SHOULD BE AGAINST THE LAW IS NOT A LOAN WE ARE APPLYING FOR IS A JOB AND YES OUR CREDIT IS BAD BECAUSE WE ALL LOST OUR JOBS AND IS UNABLE TO MAKE PAYMENTS ON OUR BILLS //I AM ABOUT TO LOOSE EVERYTHING I HAVE BECAUSE NOONE WILL HIRE ME I HAVE THE ABILITY SOMETIMES I FEEL LIKE ENDING IT ALL ….IS LIKE I HATE LIFE

  84. kristie

    I think that it should be against the law for employers to base their hiring decision on credit. We have laws that protect educational records, medical records, etc. Do they honestly think that credit history is not just as personal as the others I’ve listed above. In my opinion, this is yet another method and form of discrimination. It is judgment made about a person’s character based on a “stereotype”. I’m sure that individuals that support this method would feel differently if they hit a turbulent time in their life when things got out of control beyond their capability to rectify it. I too have been in this situation. Since when does a corporation have any right to suggest if someone is in financial difficulty that they would compromise their values and morals? I’ve seen individuals within government compromise their characters for less. This is just ridiculous and disturbing. An individual is trying to alleviate their financial issues by becoming employed but the law will allow these very people to be punished for their misfortunes further by denying the very thing they need at that time the most. We wonder why we have criminals? Maybe because our government gives individuals no other choice when things of this nature are allowed to occur.

  85. deb

    i too have been denied a job due to a bad credit rating. i was laid off in march or 09 and have been struggling ever since. never mind i have 20 yrs of accounts payable and my credit was not perfect at my last job, but they still let me run checks for the company in excess of 100,000 dollars a week with no question, because they knew i was highly qualified to do so. if i am qualified to do all this why cant i even get hired at walmart.

  86. C.F.

    I am angry and sad that employers will not hire someone who has bad credit. My husband is the primary bread winner in our home and he was laid off and unable to find employment for 20 months. This devastated our credit. We were unable to pay our bills and we received notice from the mortgage company that they were going to start forclosure proceedings. I was laid off in September 2009 ( 3 months after my husband found a job making half of his previous income )and because we now have horrible credit through no fault of our own, NO ONE WILL HIRE ME!!!!! Checking credit should be outlawed. The economy has ruined many people and how are we supposed to get our lives back on track when no one will give us a job because of our credit? My husband and I are losing everything we have worked so hard to build. My children are suffering and NO ONE CARES!! All I want is a decent job.

  87. chris t.

    Lets send this web page to President Obama and ask him to change this credit check discrimination to get a job!!!! Does anyone know how to do this? Send this link to the right place?
    I am also suffering from this problem. I am losing my house to foreclosure from the bad economy and my credit is ruined and I know it is stopping me from getting a job that I want.
    Please someone that knows how and where to send this page to Washington….please do it…..I will support or sign a petition to get this thing going, any others think this is a good idea? The president wants to help the economy, this would be a good way for him to help us!

  88. chris tanton

    I recently wrote on here that we all need to do something about this and get a law made to forbid credit checks to get a job….so I wrote to my state senator and also to Washington. You can find both on the search engine. Please join me to get this put into law. Explain your situation and ask for a law to be made and try and get as many people to write also….
    Any better ideas? Please post your thoughts…
    Thanks

  89. Anonymous

    My husband has been out of work for over a year, He finally got an interview and it went great. They ran his credit, and he wasnt hired. We are so bummed. We have lost our house our cars and had to move in with his parents. How is our credit going to look, Hello times are bad. They shouldn’t base is off credit. If he had a job we would pay our bills obviously.

  90. NS

    I just recently froze my credit reports – I believe I have been missing out on job opportunities (after 150 applications over 1 year – even having 5-7 years of experience in my industry) because of my credit which was ravaged due to unemployment and Student Loans that went unpaid as a result. Hopefully the freeze on my reports will at least open a dialogue with my prospective employers! There is a bill in the works, H.R. 3149, that may deal with this issue – in the meantime, write your to your state representatives!

  91. JEFFERSON HUTCHINSON

    This article was great. I have been searching for just this sort of article.Thank you for this information.

  92. SC

    I know I can’t get work and I have two associates and one Bachelors degree and bill, bills, bills that I cannot pay. my home is headed towards foreclosure and all companies tell me is thanks but no thanks. I am currently working only part time jobs with minimum wages, I am in debt up to my eyeballs and unable to find any kind of work in my field due to my bad credit score. I cannot fix my credit score paying less than minimum so what are my options. I am being told by everyone there is nothing we can do for you and my options are slim. How is this possible that the one thing they tell you do by getting a good education, puts you in debt and then unemployable. I need a job that will help me pay my bills yet I can’t qualify due to my credit.

  93. LiShon La Fontaine

    Sounds like your average “Equal-Opportunity Employer” isn’t so EQUAL when it comes to diverse Credit Types. I am a hard working individual, amitious, always will to learn new things, with bad credit. In my case, the poor work-to-life ratio at my previous job actually took a toll on me financially. However, my level of performance at work had always lead to a promotion, and that meant more responsibilities and training. I put so much of MY life into the company, unfortunately paying the bills became secondary. I admit, I developed poor financial patterns of a course of years. I understand a company’s right to protect itself, for Example — if one is applying for a position in Law Enforcement or some Public Service position — Rightfully, the personal credit would be a concern. But if you are interviewing for, let’s say, a Call Center, assisting Customers with their cell phone problems. I find it appauling that one’s personal Credit would be a requirement. I believe this this practice would have LONG Term effects and pose a negative impact on society — Eventually turning good people trying to find jobs into poverty (in extreme cases). Isn’t the unemployment rate something we want to keep at a minimum? By Refusing Jobs to good Qualified people who want to WORK, these companies are putting the perspective employee in more of a financial turmoil. Which could lead to other things…like Crime. The strange thing is… Companies commonly have the disclaimer “A conviction does not necessarily Bar you from employment” … The same statement SHOULD be made when it comes to a Poor Credit Report !!! What is the world Coming to, IF writting a bad check(s) can disqualify you from a Career unrelated to cash handling.

  94. Mike

    My wife is in this position currently. She was asked about one credit card payment being 30 days late 5 years ago, a $400 medical bill that she didn’t even know existed and student loans being three months late 5 years ago. We paid the $400 instantly and for the life of us could not remember being 30 days late for one credit card payment. (But I mean come on, is that really a big deal? Can’t you accidentally miss a payment?) And 5 years ago she had some confusion with her student loans and deferment and IBR which resulted in her being 90 days late, but got it sorted out and hasn’t missed a payment since.

    Making employment dependent on credit is ridiculous and only keeps people poor.

  95. Tiffany

    I’m in the same position. Due to student loans (got an education for a field I only worked six months in) and medical bills (cancer diagnosis from 2009),it’s reached a point where if the application says they check credit, I don’t even bother applying. This September would be three years I haven’t worked. My only bright spot is my husband, he has a good paying job.

    The local hospital here stabilized my condition in 2014. They didn’t even tell me why I was sick, had high blood pressure or my low grade fever. Just ran tests, gave me two meds, and said my blood work came back fine. Got billed $4,077, and it was added to my credit report (all three of them). Today, I had to make the painful decision to file personal bankruptcy. I see my attorney friday. It kills my husband to see me so depressed. He feels helpless because my school loans was an attempt to better my life, my hospital debts were out of my control. But, I’m paying for all of it in every aspect of my daily life. Not able to find work, and putting off doctor visits because I don’t want the bills to add up anymore (haven’t had a pap since 2010). Maybe things will get better. It’s just a day by day process for me at this point.

  96. I was denied a job at major jewelers because of something on my credit , I have no criminal past , work hard and have good morals. the weird thing is I work for the competition another major jeweler and they also did a check and I was hired . This is all within the same 6 months and nothing major has happened. soo confused about it .

    Charlene

  97. anonymous

    This happened to me yesterday…after getting thru 5 interviews and a 4 hour assessment test with an insurance company. I received my offer letter with a start date of August 1st; which is Monday. Well the company called yesterday 7/26 and advised they have to rescind their offer due to my credit report. Does anyone have any words of advice? I was laid off a few months ago after 8 years with a major bank and my credit was not an issue there.

  98. Anonymous

    Wells Fargo did this to me. In September 2016, offered me employment,I had the skills,16 years of experience, education and the drive and not to mention 4 that’s right count them 4!!! recruiters all working together to get me interviewed and then they ran my credit, I owe them on a credit card since my college wasn’t upholding their deal of assisting my job search I have no job so no money for a payment plan and they took back their offer!! Skills and education don’t mean anything anymore, drop out of school now its not worth it!!

    • Richard S

      I had Well-Fargo as a client when I had their appraisal business. They were very slow in paying.

  99. Timeka Williams

    I have worked in retail all my life and up until this point of my life I decided to make a career change from management in retail to going back to school for a degree in business administration while stepping down I took part time work while trying to get my foot in the door in the banking world. It’s been over 3 years since I’ve had a full time job that was not in management. Regular full time work does not exist anymore. Finally I found a full time position recently this week, I made it all the way threw to getting the job only to hear today that they could not continue with the application due to my credit. It blew my mind, I’m a very hard worker and my credit score does not reflect on me and my work ethic and my integrity. I am not going to steal from you or your company. I am very hurt, how can I take control of my finances if I cant work.

  100. Bethy

    This is such a frustrating problem. I’ve come to the point where I am now working for myself and building my own business because I’m tired of being humiliated and having job offers pulled from me based on my credit. While I understand that some credit issues might indicate a pattern that could make a poor employee in some fields, I fully believe that one’s credit should never be the sole reason for job denial. I mean, at the surface of it all… think about it. People are looking for work because they have bills to pay. If a person is in need of an immediate job, it’s a pretty safe bet they may be presently unemployed and struggling to get all the bills paid. That means cutting back and yes, even being late on payments. If I were a hiring manager, I’d expect to see unemployed people with some late or slow payments, medical issues and yes, even bankruptcies. It happens. But then… I’ve been there. Sometimes, catastrophic medical situations occur that wipe you out. There are just so many things that can happen. Just before we were married, my husband was in an accident (not his fault) that has disabled him. We were in college at the the time, so we hadn’t even started our careers. He had some bad experiences in the hospital that required multiple re-do surgeries because of neglect of the hospital and his surgeon. He had years of extended physical therapy, etc… and we spent many, many years in a battle over malpractice claims. However, the hospital decided they wanted their hands on the measly $25K insurance policy payout he received — even though his total medical bills were well over $500K. While he was still recovering they filed a lawsuit against us to get the cash… cash we already used up within 60 days for his at-home medical care and related bills. We ended up filing for bankruptcy just to stop them harassing us, but they broke bankruptcy court laws and they repo’d my 10 year old car illegally one night claiming they had a judgment against us — which they did not. Keep in mind we were still broke college students with nothing to our names. It was a mess, and ultimately, the cases were settled, mostly in our favor, but our “debt” keeps getting sold and resold as zombie debt to fly by night collections agencies who ding our credit and it takes months and months to get it removed. Meanwhile, I still have a disabled husband with costly medical needs, and despite fantastic skills and great interviews… it’s always the same thing. They love me until the credit check comes back, and then it’s as if I’m a felon who did something horrible — and no job which means no income. No income tends to result in late payments to the medical equipment company, who just loves to report 30 day late payments. This is a situation that could be easily resolved if I had a steady job and paycheck. Imagine that! So, I’ve given up, started my own business. I’ve decided that if a company is so judgmental about such things without looking at the bigger picture, they aren’t a company with standards I want to be associated with anyway.

  101. BELI

    i find your article very informative,i will like to share my experience.i don’t know if its against your rules here.Recently I have choose to check my credit report often after attaining a score of greater attraction to lenders,kept my credit card balance low after being cleared of $8000 debt and cut my spending also i have good financial track record and all thanks goes to hackmania_9(outlook . com) who assisted me with all i have without denying me right to enjoy good life,just like the privilege and famous ones in getting approval for loan after fixing my credit score to 810 and all debts deleted .i have no idea before now that credit scores can also be hacked and raised.

  102. I have a good credit score over 735, but PENFED Bank in Maryland rejected my hired based off y credit history which may NO sense

  103. Diana

    Unfortunately, this happen to me today. I went to a job fair for a bank, got interviewed and the recruiter even told me I was overqualified for the position, I told her I was still very interested because I wanted an entry level position. She set up my second interview, the manager loved me, she made remarks like you are going to love it here and you have so many opportunities to grow, and other remarks confirming that she likes me as a candidate. Third interview that same day, manager also liked me and told me that if I could give him an opportunity to work there and that he liked my skills, how soon I could work, benefits, and pay. The third manager told me that they should conduct my background and credit, afterwards, I would receive my job offer. I didn’t hear anything for a few days, I called and left a message for HR. Again no call, I called again and left a message, no call back. The third time, which was today I finally was able to speak to a HR person, who just told me I would receive a letter explaining why I was not moving on to a job offer. I explained that my credit was not the best, for I went through a divorce. I am trying to get back on my feet, I just graduated with my bachelors and am a current student for an mba. But that didn’t seem to matter, I feel discriminated based on a personal hardship. How am I supposed to pay off my collections debt if I can’t find a job? This is very discouraging and sad situation.

  104. ML

    I have been unemployed since June 1st 2018 I been applying for jobs since then every week. I know I’m being denied because of credit I have 28 years of banking. My husband has a terminal illiness and we had to let my debt go. This has to change people go through hard times. I need to work but cant get hired.

  105. Susana Barbosa

    Unfortunately, this is happening also to myself and by the above replies to many others. I have been unemployed already for 6 months and truly it is not due to not having qualifications and/or applying to jobs. I have had interviews and no positive replies at all. I believe that the government is committing an injustice with the workers in allowing access to a credit report for employment purposes. That is discrimination due to your economic status. Because of this, I am unable to pay my bills not due to negligence on my part as a citizen but due to the standards allowed by the government to employers as a criteria to employment offers. People lose what they have worked to gain in all the years of working. Their personal material gains, their personal market credit score, and their dignity to say the least. The government and the department of labor should really be sued.

  106. Richard S

    I was denied a position I was qualified for. When I called them as to why I didn’t get the position, they told me it was my bad credit and that I was in a consumer proposal. There should be anti-discriminatory laws in place like this.

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