5 States Challenge Employer Credit Checks

[Flamingo]

http://www.usatoday.com/money/perfi/credit/2009-02-12-creditchecks_N.htm

[banca rotta]

They better do something about this and in more then 5 states.

If the down turn is as bad as everyone is predicting then once we are in recovery most applicants won't qualify for jobs causing problems for companies trying to hire not just the applicants looking for work.

They should also stop it for car insurance as well.

[debtmonster]

This is good news. Looks like I should move to Texas for more than one reason!
My wife has ZERO desire to move to that state. But if it would help me with a job, this would be perfect!!!

It's EXACTLY like it says... you're sentences to a lifetime of debtor's prison.

[Ifonly]

I actually lost my job (supposed reason) in August for credit worthiness/being in debt.

I understand that the employer could feel that need since I was the Controller; (still crap, in my mind - if I was going to steal in that position, I wouldn't be in debt); however, that should have been done BEFORE I was hired. I actually revealed my low credit score at the time of their doing a background check and I was told "it was no big deal". So much for honesty.

I think the truth of the matter was that I was the third professional to run thru that job in under three years. Some companies fail to realize that the controller can not be a "yes" man - not if they're truly doing their job.

Interesting thing is is that the layoff was a self-fulfilling prophecy - now I'm forced into bankruptcy without that paycheck and I now face the prospect of being blackballed in my career.

This practice should be illegal.

[debtmonster]

Interesting thing is is that the layoff was a self-fulfilling prophecy - now I'm forced into bankruptcy without that paycheck and I now face the prospect of being blackballed in my career.

This practice should be illegal.

Why are you going to be blackballed? I've burned many bridges and still managed to get jobs. What's the big deal? Is there something I don't know?

Can't you just make up something for that empty resume spot? I always did.

[Ifonly]

It's not the issue of the empty resume spot...it's the issue of this very practice. It's becoming more and more frequent in financial/accounting careers and a bankruptcy is something that will potentially eliminate me from over 75% of the jobs I'm qualified for.

[spearmint]

Anyone know which five states?

[debtmonster]

It's becoming more and more frequent in financial/accounting careers and a bankruptcy is something that will potentially eliminate me from over 75% of the jobs I'm qualified for.

We need to get laws passed that make it illegal for employers to check credit. Only banks should check credit.

[WorkingItOut]

Why are you going to be blackballed? I've burned many bridges and still managed to get jobs. What's the big deal? Is there something I don't know?

Can't you just make up something for that empty resume spot? I always did.

You can't generally get away with that sort of irresponsibility when you have a higher level professional job.

Burning bridges, lying on your resume, etc. are more easily caught when you are going for a top position in a company. The more responsibility you have, the more checking they do into your background. And the more people with similar jobs talk to each other. My former boss made a huge mistake by burning some bridges and he has now been shut out of his field entirely. Word spreads quickly in some industries.

[debtmonster]

You can't generally get away with that sort of irresponsibility when you have a higher level professional job.

Burning bridges, lying on your resume, etc. are more easily caught when you are going for a top position in a company. The more responsibility you have, the more checking they do into your background. And the more people with similar jobs talk to each other. My former boss made a huge mistake by burning some bridges and he has now been shut out of his field entirely. Word spreads quickly in some industries.

How exactly does the world find out? What kind of high level jobs are you talking about? Being a CEO of a Fortune 100/500 company?

It doesn't matter about burning the bridges. The jobs that I burned the bridge on, if anyone called for a reference, the people who worked there over 10 years ago are all long gone now to give me any kind of bad reference.

That's why it's best to just be self-employed and not work for other people. That's pretty much what I've been doing for the past 7 years. I tried working for somebody in 2007 and it didn't work out. I am not cut out to be an employee. I am too much of an entrepreneur and clash heads with management. If I do any work again, I want a part-time job paying no less than $25-30/hr. Otherwise it's a total waste of time.

You see how easily people get pissed off at me on here. It's no different in the work place. I simply can't get along with others.

[Ifonly]

You can't generally get away with that sort of irresponsibility when you have a higher level professional job.

Burning bridges, lying on your resume, etc. are more easily caught when you are going for a top position in a company. The more responsibility you have, the more checking they do into your background. And the more people with similar jobs talk to each other. My former boss made a huge mistake by burning some bridges and he has now been shut out of his field entirely. Word spreads quickly in some industries.

Please let me say for the record that even in this case of termination, I did not burn any bridges. I felt their choice was unfair; however, as an employee, I still realize it was their choice to make. The company and that professional experience is still on my resume which is 100% accurate. I have many wonderful professional references from my prior stewardships of companies.

My only point is that it is extremely distressing to know that this practice could eliminate me from any job race before I even get out of the gate. Plus, put yourself in my shoes - I am an incredibly principled and honest person. To be terminated in such a way, when you are an honest professional, makes you feel dirty. It's as if you've been charged with a crime you didn't commit and have been found guilty with no trial.

[debtmonster]

Please let me say for the record that even in this case of termination, I did not burn any bridges. I felt their choice was unfair; however, as an employee, I still realize it was their choice to make. The company and that professional experience is still on my resume which is 100% accurate. I have many wonderful professional references from my prior stewardships of companies.

My only point is that it is extremely distressing to know that this practice could eliminate me from any job race before I even get out of the gate. Plus, put yourself in my shoes - I am an incredibly principled and honest person. To be terminated in such a way, when you are an honest professional, makes you feel dirty. It's as if you've been charged with a crime you didn't commit and have been found guilty with no trial.

Since I can no longer qualify for jobs paying $60-80k anymore, I won't even bother looking. Commuting 2-hours per day for a $20-25k job is just not worth it. I make much more than that from home right now being self-employed. I could be an ex-felon for all that mattered. Actually, I do have an ex-felon working with me now. I am helping him out because he can't even get the worst of the low paying jobs right now. If all of us think we have it bad, he's had the worst when it comes to being black-balled. As soon as anyone does a background check on him, it shows that he's been a convicted-felon. He can't even get a job at a pizza shop at this point, so he's trying to follow my footsteps in the home business gig.

I've been making $60-80k since 1997 until almost 2007. All the skills that I took forever to become an expert in are no longer viable. In order to get those same pay grades, I have to work at a place to have years of experience. At my age, I am too old and tired to start at the bottom again to go some place and work for peanuts until I get the experience. By the time you master something in the computer field, it quickly gets replaced by something else.

In South Florida I've never been able to have any job paying over $42k. I've sent out about 16,000 resumes all over the country and nobody will hire me out of state. When I ask why, they all basically tell me the same thing, "Call us after you've moved here first." I don't want to move to a place without having a job lined up before going there. So with me, everything is a catch-22.

It's almost like trying to get credit when you don't have any (and from what I learned now, you DON'T WANY ANY!)

At this point I can almost delete all of the resumes from my hard drive as I don't seem to need them any longer. In my situation, being honest, burning bridges or not, it would make absolutely no difference.

Maybe in 2-4 years things will get better.

[WorkingItOut]

How exactly does the world find out? What kind of high level jobs are you talking about? Being a CEO of a Fortune 100/500 company?

Nope. I'm talking about a middle-level manager at a small university. He made enemies with his superiors who know pretty much everyone at least on an acquaintance level at all the places he would apply for around the country. And even if they didn't know them, the people they did know knew them. It resulted in him being shut out. He was fired, then unemployed for over a year before he finally gave in and switched careers. It was sad because he really didn't do anything wrong. It was all about personality conflict and a different working style. Benign stuff, really.

My point was that your past actions CAN come back to haunt you, in certain industries. And you don't have to be a CEO of a Fortune 100 for that to happen.

It doesn't matter about burning the bridges. The jobs that I burned the bridge on, if anyone called for a reference, the people who worked there over 10 years ago are all long gone now to give me any kind of bad reference.

Well, you're clearly not in a field like mine. It doesn't matter if people move on. In small industries where people talk to each other, news travels fast and people don't forget. My industry is not the only one where your past can come back to haunt you for years and years.

[WorkingItOut]

Please let me say for the record that even in this case of termination, I did not burn any bridges. I felt their choice was unfair; however, as an employee, I still realize it was their choice to make. The company and that professional experience is still on my resume which is 100% accurate. I have many wonderful professional references from my prior stewardships of companies.

My only point is that it is extremely distressing to know that this practice could eliminate me from any job race before I even get out of the gate. Plus, put yourself in my shoes - I am an incredibly principled and honest person. To be terminated in such a way, when you are an honest professional, makes you feel dirty. It's as if you've been charged with a crime you didn't commit and have been found guilty with no trial.

Ifonly, I wasn't referring to your situation in my post. I was talking about DebtMonster's comments alone.

My former boss was in a similar position where he didn't agree with his superiors and has now been shut out of his industry for it, even though he did nothing wrong. I'm sorry it happened to you too. It's NOT fair.

[debtmonster]

Well, you're clearly not in a field like mine. It doesn't matter if people move on. In small industries where people talk to each other, news travels fast and people don't forget. My industry is not the only one where your past can come back to haunt you for years and years.

I am just a computer programmer who works for very small companies. What do you think my chances are?

I've never worked in any management positions in my entire life.