Think you have to have good credit to get a job?
One of the myths perpetrated by those who would have you live in slavery is that your credit score can keep you from finding a job. Not true!
Like nearly everything else when job hunting, credit checks are a matter of company policy…policies that you, the job hunter, must CHOOSE to accept as part of your employment conditions.
Would you accept a job from a company whose policy was that you must wear a mini-skirt and 6″ heels every Friday…even if you’re a man?
What about a policy that stated you had to purchase 365 expensive hankerchiefs, one for eachd ay of the year, since blowing your nose in tissues was unseemly?
I know…these are ridiculous…but that’s sort of the point. They have roughly as much to do with your ability to perform your job as your credit score does…and yet, companies all over love to check your credit as part of the hiring process….and love to tell you it’s common practice and that there’s some mysterious valid business reason for it.
Now, maybe you find having your credit checked as part of a background check to be acceptable…if so, knock yourself out. If you agree that your willingness and tendancy spend money for the privalege of spending money you don’t have is indicitive of your ability to do your job, then by all means, agree to the credit check.
If not, however, consider the following:
1) The FCRA demands that you be informed if a company’s going to check your credit. So, be informed! Read everything before you sign it…and if it’s not clear, ASK!
2) Ask around. Talk to friends, neighbors, other employees. “Hey…did ______ check your credit when they hired you?”
3) If you’re adamant about it, then save everyone some time. Make a note on your resume or job application that you will not consent to a credit check as a condition of employment.
4) Give it a shot anyway. If you really want the job, then go ahead and apply. Even amongst those companies that have a credit-check policy, there’s rarely a “minimum FICO score” needed for employment…and if there is, then it’s (by definition, since the two are unrelated) an arbitrary number than can be overlooked.
Finally, take heart… at least 15 states are considering joining the 2 who already make it ILLEGAL to check your credit as a condition of employment: