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Home > Blogs > Chatterbox > Archives > 2010 > March > 15 > Entry
Should your credit history affect your chances of getting a job?
Sixty percent of employers say they run credit checks on job applicants. Should your credit history affect your chances of getting a job?
OLIVIA ALLEN, Huber Heights: “No. Just because they’ve had a hard time financially in the past doesn’t mean they won’t be a good employee. It may mean they’ll work harder because they have a debt to pay or don’t want to go back down that path.”
LORI FIELDS, Jefferson Twp.: “No, because that doesn’t tell you exactly what their skills are. That’s not telling what type of person they are.”
QUIN BAILEY, Madison Twp., Butler County: “In my occupation it has to, because they go into people’s homes. So we have to have a background check, and they check everything, including finances.”
BILL STEPHENS, Vandalia: “I don’t see why your spending habits have any bearing on your work.”
TRACY WILSON, Springfield: “I don’t think it should, because people fall on hard times, and it shouldn’t prevent them from working, especially in today’s economy.”
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Comments
By Peter
March 15, 2010 10:36 AM | Link to this
No … Having a bad credit history is not a criminal offense and should not be used as a factor when applying for a job. The credit history does not detail the reasons behind the entries so the viewer could be jumping to the wrong conclusions. For example, if a family member got ill and you exhausted all your resources to their aid and as a result your credit got damaged does that make you a bad person?
By Squirrellygirl
March 15, 2010 11:52 AM | Link to this
I think it is an unnecessary invasion of our privacy. It shouldn’t be available to employers, only to creditors. Especially in the last few years consumers have been hit hard. And with unemployment at 13.7% in Dayton, I wouldn’t be a bit surprised of people getting behind on their obligations. It’s backwards that companies can file bankruptcy and stay in business, but they want to credit check their employees to make sure they’re “worthy” of employment? It’s not right.
By The Old Cold Warrior
March 15, 2010 3:46 PM | Link to this
Debts and credit problems have always affected security clearances and police work; signs of possible bribery and blackmail and extortion with drugs and drinking problems.
By Peter
March 15, 2010 4:21 PM | Link to this
But Security Clearances and Law Enforcement work require in-depth checks which cost quite a lot of money. The available “credit checks” which most people can access do not provide any details so in reality they do not provide an accurate picture of the person. For that type of picture you need to have additional checks performed and most companies simply cannot afford it.
By tom timpson
March 20, 2010 1:37 AM | Link to this
Credit checks are essential tools for assessing an employee’s background and level of responsibility. Hiring an employee is a very risky and expensive undertaking, and it is really the only cost-effective way that employers can gain a clearer understanding of who this person is through their financial history (in addition to normal reference checks). Excessive debt and a history of financial irresponsibility could reveal financial stress and may indicate a lack of trustworthiness, which are certainly relevant to jobs in financial institutions, stores, and other jobs of responsibility. Of course, if an adverse decision is about to be made based solely upon a credit check, then the prospective employee should be given the opportunity to explain the underlying circumstances.