Job Interview Questions

Cindy54

Hi Ladies. I have a question that I don't think I have seen here before. I also p[osted this to my friends on the ovarian board. If any of you have had to switch jobs or careers, did they do background checks on you and if they did, did it include a credit report check?

I am asking because quite honestly my credit is terrible. The last three years have not been kind to me. Between caring for Mom and my own health issues I ended up in bankruptcy and my credit is still not right or good. I lost out on some retail jobs. Had interviews and was informed that the policy was that I was a high risk when it came to handling money because of my credit history.

While I am not proud of this credit issue, I am proud of the fact that I managed to hang onto a job through everything, go to school, pay for Mom's funeral, and keep a roof over both our heads and now mine. I may have had to let bills slide or pay them late and yes I have medical bills that are in collection, but sometimes I feel that if the interviewer knew the whole story they would not be so quick to dismiss me. But of course you can't bring up health issues because that will never get you hired. So what to do. I would hate to think that I have struggled through all this, even going to get my 2 year degree for nothing. I just would like the opportunity to show someone what I can do.

I had tried very hard the beginning of this year to land a job, any kind, to get some medical insurance. But since nothing happened, I made up my mind to just enjoy this summer while I still had unemployment, and look for a job once it was closer to my graduation. Today I interviewed for a part time job at the ACL lab here. It would be a perfect time to try something new, something I have been trained to do, and would add some extra money for me. But when it was over I thought about the background check.

Guess I should believe that God had plans for me in all of this and let Him worry. But to be honest, that is hard to do at times. Mainly because I have no family left to fall back on.

If anyone has any ideas or experience on this, please let me know. Thank ladies. Cindy

Marcia527

All I can say is keep
All I can say is keep applying. Maybe apply for jobs where the credit is not such a big deal. In my experience if you hit it off with the interviewer, they may make allowances. I've interviewed for jobs that I was qualified for and the interviewer was my sons age. He instantly took a dislike to me because I hadn't worked for a few years. He wanted to know what I'd been doing all this time. In my head I was thinking, "Go ask your mother sonny boy." I didn't get hired. This was before cancer. So you just have to hang in there and keep applying and keep smiling. One job I applied for said all they wanted was a smiling face. I guess I didn't smile enough.

DianeBC

I have never heard of an
I have never heard of an employer running a credit check on someone. Is that even legal without your permission? I wouldn't think so. Good luck to you!

dyaneb123

A background check is
A background check is supposed to look for a criminal record isn't it? I've NEVER had someone ask for my credit history in a job interview...that's none of their business! Ask your local employment agency about that....it sounds like an invasion of privacy to me....I don't think they have the legal right to ask you that...

Akiss4me

dyaneb123 said:

A background check is
A background check is supposed to look for a criminal record isn't it? I've NEVER had someone ask for my credit history in a job interview...that's none of their business! Ask your local employment agency about that....it sounds like an invasion of privacy to me....I don't think they have the legal right to ask you that...

What if....
you were married and your spouse ruined your credit, but when you devorced you were also stuck with the history? Now you need a job, but you suffer because your spouse screwed up?
I hope it is not legal to run a check on your credit. But if it is, maybe consider asking in the interview what type of checks they will be doing. Then if they mention a credit check, consider explaining your circumstances and assure them it will not interfer with your job. By being upfront, they may put it aside and appreciate your honesty. Pammy

fauxma

Akiss4me said:

What if....
you were married and your spouse ruined your credit, but when you devorced you were also stuck with the history? Now you need a job, but you suffer because your spouse screwed up?
I hope it is not legal to run a check on your credit. But if it is, maybe consider asking in the interview what type of checks they will be doing. Then if they mention a credit check, consider explaining your circumstances and assure them it will not interfer with your job. By being upfront, they may put it aside and appreciate your honesty. Pammy

I believe that it is legal
I believe that it is legal for employers to run credit checks particularly if there is money handling involved. Also for jobs that need bonding etc. I think it is too bad that an employer would assume because you have had credit problem that you would steal which is what these checks imply to me. One way that might help is to write to the various credit bureau and explain the reason for the bad credit, husband ran up bills, husband left, major illness etc. I believe that you have the right to have this information in your credit report as well. If not, then be up front with employers without giving specifics, just say that divorce and medical bills caused this credit problem. Some employers may not hire knowing this but some will. When I went for my job interview 2 years ago, I told them that I part of the reason for a gap in my work history was major surgery for cancer and it did not deter them from hiring me. I hope that you can find an employer that will look past all of this to see that you can do the job that they are interviewing for.
Stef

Ms_Nellie

Happening more and more

Cindy,

Unfortunately the practice of backgroung checks including credit checks for potential job candidates is happening more and more and in strange places sometimes.

I carry a corporate credit card with a substsantial limit. The company can use credit information in some cases to make decisions regarding potential problems. Although the card should be used for business purposes only, we have had to terminate individuals for misuse.

Is it fair? It makes good business since in some caes, not all. Is it misused? YES, everyday. Some auto insurance companies now use credit reports to justify an increase in what you pay.

If a potential employer reveals (which many don't) that they will be doing a credit check you should question how it fit into the hiring process. Most upfront employers will let you know during the application process that a credit check is one thing that will be used during the decision making process.

Get a free copy of your credit report and be prepared for any questions or situations that may come up. You can also do a google search on "credit reports and employers/employment". You still have rights, exercise them.

You said it best, put it in God's hands and ask Him for gudiance, direction and strength. I will keep you in my prayers and thoughts. And good luck on finding employment.

Nellie

phoenixrising

Personally if I thought they
Personally if I thought they were going to do a check I'd be proactive and tell them my circumstances and how it got that way. I think you have a better chance of them hiring you knowing the details rather than just looking at a report that says you have bad credit.
Besides it will also put a more personal touch to your interview and who knows, they may just might admire your strength, dedication and perseverance and hire you because of that.

Best wishes to you Cindy I really hope you get the lab job.

jan

Unknown

content removed by CSN staff

MaryEllen_51

Credit Background Check
I'm skeptical about the poster who is promoting "hard money loans." I especially noted the link provided.....hmmmmmm. Bad advice if you ask for my humble opinion. Yikes!

Employers who run credit checks do so when the position involves handling money as an indicator of future job performance - banking, retail, accounting, et al. There are also employers that run credit checks simply as part of their process to determine future job performance - organizational skills, detail, etc., if they have validated this process as a true indicator. Let's face it. People can say whatever they please about their skills, but it's not necessarily the case. That's why a credit check may also be used. However, if a candidate can show (which is near impossible) that discriminatory practices have taken place in the selection procedure (any part of it), then the candidate would have to take further action on their own. Most candidates do not truly know the reason they didn't get hired. Is bad credit an indicator that a person would steal? Not necessarily. I have to admit that if I had a retail business and ran a credit check that was poor, I probably wouldn't hire the person. The guise is that there are many pieces to the selection process, with one being a credit check if that's part of a company's protocol. But reality is that an employer may stop "looking" at the other pieces once a bad score on a credit check is documented. The Fair Credit Reporting Act requires an employer to state in writing if they are not hiring someone due to an unsatisfactory credit or background check. This would then allow the candidate to explain or correct the problem. I doubt there are many of these letters being written. If an employer "offers you the job" on the contingency that you "pass" a credit and/or background check, then I believe they would have no choice but to notify you in writing if they withdraw the offer. But if you are authorizing a check before an offer of employment, you probably won't ever know if the results of such reports were the reason you were no longer being considered for the job. One of the posters said that many employers "don't tell you" they are running a check. This is not true. In order to run any type of check, they must get your written authorization to do so. There are so many people who think certain actions are in violation of privacy law. If they are thinking of questioning some action, they should check into it before commenting on the legality of it.

There are many factors to consider when you are trying to land that job. There's always a chance that you can muster up some points in other areas, especially if someone who knows your past performance knows the employer and is a credible reference. All selection practices should follow the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission's (EEOC) guidelines. Does this occur? Not in reality in most cases. But it's an ethical company with upstanding practices that will do their best to do so because their reputation, both internally and externally, may be at stake. Who wants to work for an employer with a nasty reputation? The only way an employer is snagged for behaving badly is when a candidate takes action against them. Again, not an easy feat. Most people think that simply filing a claim with the EEOC will do the trick. With the increase in claims filed over the past two years (the highest being age-related claims) coupled with lack of information on the part of the claimant, a large percentage of claims are thrown out by the EEOC before they even take on a life of their own. An employer is notified that a claim has been filed and then notified when the "case has been closed." An employer can readily pull together their defensible documentation to be claim ready. If they are functioning under the guise of "best practices", most likely they are solid in their documentation. In reality though, they very well may have altered an existing law to their advantage.

I agree with the poster who said to keep trying. You never know what will happen. And if you don't continue to try, that's when you fail.

Good luck!

Marcia527

unknown said:

content removed by CSN staff

bad idea
Payday loans are high interest. It'd be like hocking something at a pawn shop. This is a good way to really keep you behind the curve. OK I admit back in the 70's we used to pawn a tape player to make it to payday. Then get it back after payday. We did this constantly until we figured out how to cut back our budget. We also paid a bunch for this. If you really can't find a job, try temporary agencies. Sometimes it's a good way for a company to see what you can do and you can see how you like them.

Cindy54

MaryEllen_51 said:

Credit Background Check
I'm skeptical about the poster who is promoting "hard money loans." I especially noted the link provided.....hmmmmmm. Bad advice if you ask for my humble opinion. Yikes!

Employers who run credit checks do so when the position involves handling money as an indicator of future job performance - banking, retail, accounting, et al. There are also employers that run credit checks simply as part of their process to determine future job performance - organizational skills, detail, etc., if they have validated this process as a true indicator. Let's face it. People can say whatever they please about their skills, but it's not necessarily the case. That's why a credit check may also be used. However, if a candidate can show (which is near impossible) that discriminatory practices have taken place in the selection procedure (any part of it), then the candidate would have to take further action on their own. Most candidates do not truly know the reason they didn't get hired. Is bad credit an indicator that a person would steal? Not necessarily. I have to admit that if I had a retail business and ran a credit check that was poor, I probably wouldn't hire the person. The guise is that there are many pieces to the selection process, with one being a credit check if that's part of a company's protocol. But reality is that an employer may stop "looking" at the other pieces once a bad score on a credit check is documented. The Fair Credit Reporting Act requires an employer to state in writing if they are not hiring someone due to an unsatisfactory credit or background check. This would then allow the candidate to explain or correct the problem. I doubt there are many of these letters being written. If an employer "offers you the job" on the contingency that you "pass" a credit and/or background check, then I believe they would have no choice but to notify you in writing if they withdraw the offer. But if you are authorizing a check before an offer of employment, you probably won't ever know if the results of such reports were the reason you were no longer being considered for the job. One of the posters said that many employers "don't tell you" they are running a check. This is not true. In order to run any type of check, they must get your written authorization to do so. There are so many people who think certain actions are in violation of privacy law. If they are thinking of questioning some action, they should check into it before commenting on the legality of it.

There are many factors to consider when you are trying to land that job. There's always a chance that you can muster up some points in other areas, especially if someone who knows your past performance knows the employer and is a credible reference. All selection practices should follow the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission's (EEOC) guidelines. Does this occur? Not in reality in most cases. But it's an ethical company with upstanding practices that will do their best to do so because their reputation, both internally and externally, may be at stake. Who wants to work for an employer with a nasty reputation? The only way an employer is snagged for behaving badly is when a candidate takes action against them. Again, not an easy feat. Most people think that simply filing a claim with the EEOC will do the trick. With the increase in claims filed over the past two years (the highest being age-related claims) coupled with lack of information on the part of the claimant, a large percentage of claims are thrown out by the EEOC before they even take on a life of their own. An employer is notified that a claim has been filed and then notified when the "case has been closed." An employer can readily pull together their defensible documentation to be claim ready. If they are functioning under the guise of "best practices", most likely they are solid in their documentation. In reality though, they very well may have altered an existing law to their advantage.

I agree with the poster who said to keep trying. You never know what will happen. And if you don't continue to try, that's when you fail.

Good luck!

UPDATE
Thank you all who have given me some info. For the person who suggested Payday loans, well, I have done that as I am sure many others have, and it is basically a loan sharking type thing, no matter how you look at it. I would never tell this idea to anyone needing help. It is just another way to take advantage of someone down on their luck. And for that poster, please don't push that here, we have enough problems without someone pushing us into more. I cannot believe you posted that as a way to promote your cut of it here. Shame on you, it is not helpful to those who are hurting. It's taking advantage of them and you don't belong here if that is what you signed on for. Sorry if this is harsh, but we hurt enough here, we don't need someone taking advantage of us. If this is how you make a living, so be it. But don't push it here.

I have been researching some ideas, including some that you can contact the credit places and have something noted on your record. For now, I have drafted a letter that I will keep with me, should the situation come up again, as I am sure it will. This is a touchy situation for a lot of us not only on this board, but a lot of us with cancer. Or cancer survivors. Many companies don't want to take a chance on us. I just have to find one that will be open to taking a chance on me. One interviewer told me that one of the reasons they check credit reports is to see how responsible you are in paying your bills. If you are responsible with that, then they feel you would be responsible with other things.

As for the Lab job, well it was offered to someone else. The manager called me on Thursday evening to let me know she went with someone else. She said"when you are done with your schooling and get some experience, don't forget us." I guess it was not meant to be. But I had my heart set on this part time job as it would have been a wonderful opportunity. I got the message after I got out of school at 11 that night. I spent the next few hours walking through grocery stores, consoling myself. Some people go to bars, I do grocery stores. Today some of the hurt has eased up. I think I felt so bad because it was another rejection after so many interviews. So for now, I think I will take a breather and just enjoy the summer and my unemployment. I am not ready to go back out there just yet. If that sounds like a cop-out, so be it. Sometimes you can only take so much. Thanks for all the advice ladies, you have helped more than you know. Hugs to all of you...Cindy.

cats_toy

MaryEllen_51 said:

Credit Background Check
I'm skeptical about the poster who is promoting "hard money loans." I especially noted the link provided.....hmmmmmm. Bad advice if you ask for my humble opinion. Yikes!

Employers who run credit checks do so when the position involves handling money as an indicator of future job performance - banking, retail, accounting, et al. There are also employers that run credit checks simply as part of their process to determine future job performance - organizational skills, detail, etc., if they have validated this process as a true indicator. Let's face it. People can say whatever they please about their skills, but it's not necessarily the case. That's why a credit check may also be used. However, if a candidate can show (which is near impossible) that discriminatory practices have taken place in the selection procedure (any part of it), then the candidate would have to take further action on their own. Most candidates do not truly know the reason they didn't get hired. Is bad credit an indicator that a person would steal? Not necessarily. I have to admit that if I had a retail business and ran a credit check that was poor, I probably wouldn't hire the person. The guise is that there are many pieces to the selection process, with one being a credit check if that's part of a company's protocol. But reality is that an employer may stop "looking" at the other pieces once a bad score on a credit check is documented. The Fair Credit Reporting Act requires an employer to state in writing if they are not hiring someone due to an unsatisfactory credit or background check. This would then allow the candidate to explain or correct the problem. I doubt there are many of these letters being written. If an employer "offers you the job" on the contingency that you "pass" a credit and/or background check, then I believe they would have no choice but to notify you in writing if they withdraw the offer. But if you are authorizing a check before an offer of employment, you probably won't ever know if the results of such reports were the reason you were no longer being considered for the job. One of the posters said that many employers "don't tell you" they are running a check. This is not true. In order to run any type of check, they must get your written authorization to do so. There are so many people who think certain actions are in violation of privacy law. If they are thinking of questioning some action, they should check into it before commenting on the legality of it.

There are many factors to consider when you are trying to land that job. There's always a chance that you can muster up some points in other areas, especially if someone who knows your past performance knows the employer and is a credible reference. All selection practices should follow the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission's (EEOC) guidelines. Does this occur? Not in reality in most cases. But it's an ethical company with upstanding practices that will do their best to do so because their reputation, both internally and externally, may be at stake. Who wants to work for an employer with a nasty reputation? The only way an employer is snagged for behaving badly is when a candidate takes action against them. Again, not an easy feat. Most people think that simply filing a claim with the EEOC will do the trick. With the increase in claims filed over the past two years (the highest being age-related claims) coupled with lack of information on the part of the claimant, a large percentage of claims are thrown out by the EEOC before they even take on a life of their own. An employer is notified that a claim has been filed and then notified when the "case has been closed." An employer can readily pull together their defensible documentation to be claim ready. If they are functioning under the guise of "best practices", most likely they are solid in their documentation. In reality though, they very well may have altered an existing law to their advantage.

I agree with the poster who said to keep trying. You never know what will happen. And if you don't continue to try, that's when you fail.

Good luck!

Good for you MaryEllen and Cindy
The people who prey on others misfortune obviously have to live with themselves everyday, but we do not need to see or hear them.
Hope all goes well Cindy.

Cat

survivorbc09

cats_toy said:

Good for you MaryEllen and Cindy
The people who prey on others misfortune obviously have to live with themselves everyday, but we do not need to see or hear them.
Hope all goes well Cindy.

Cat

I have never heard of an
I have never heard of an employer running a credit check either. A background check maybe, but, not a credit check.

Good luck to you Cindy!