Do employers rum credit reports on prospective employees?

[Shaun @ Tru6]

My old assistant just emailed me asking for a reference saying that Costco didn't hire her because they ran a credit report on her and said she has bad credit.

Is that true? Anyone else heard of this?

[bmcuscgr94]

Yes, my work does that for some positions. Bad credit and access to cash equal risk is what our HR experts tell us.

[stomachmonkey]

Originally Posted by bmcuscgr94

Yes, my work does that for some positions. Bad credit and access to cash equal risk is what our HR experts tell us.

Yup, not only access to cash though. Common every where. In the tech sector we worry about people with cash flow issues selling R/D out the back door.

[M.D. Holloway]

yup...I wanna hire a person in serious debt so they work their butt off! Just kidding...sorta

[LakeCleElum]

Yep, I would run credit checks as part of the hiring process...

[sammyg2]

I don't think many of them rum reports. They might run them tho. My company does.

If someone is too irresponsible to manage their own finances they are too irresponsible to be trusted with a multi-billion dollar facility.

[Tobra]

I never have, but have had it done to me.

[Rot 911]

Credit reports? Yes
Criminal history? Yes
Social Media? Yes

[bpu699]

Yep... credit and background check is mandatory. If you have bad credit, that makes your reliability questionable...

I do facebook/ggogle searches also. Amazing what you find...

Bo

[TheMentat]

I find it surprising that an employer would not at least seek an explanation from the applicant before rejecting them. There are a lot of ways that an otherwise hardworking and responsible person can run into cashflow issues!

[TechnoViking]

Originally Posted by TheMentat

I find it surprising that an employer would not at least seek an explanation from the applicant before rejecting them. There are a lot of ways that an otherwise hardworking and responsible person can run into cashflow issues!

Imagine you have two equally qualified candidates (one who is a bad credit risk and the other who is a good credit risk) and you have to pick one.

[RANDY P]

why didn't u pay the poor girl a living wage? It's YOUR fault.

rjp

[Esel Mann]

Originally Posted by TechnoViking

Imagine you have two equally qualified candidates (one who is a bad credit risk and the other who is a good credit risk) and you have to pick one.

Which one is the hotty????

[Baz]

Originally Posted by RANDY P

why didn't u pay the poor girl a living wage? It's YOUR fault.

rjp

Originally Posted by Esel Mann

Which one is the hotty????

Those 2 replies made me laugh...out loud...

[330]

They are trying to make this illegal.

[Rick Lee]

How can you tell if I have cash flow problems from a credit report? I actually do have them since switching to a job that pays commissions quarterly instead of monthly. But my credit is perfect. And my FB profile is only viewable to friends. So how would you know what I've posted there (unless you were the NSA)?

[Bob Kontak]

Originally Posted by TheMentat

There are a lot of ways that an otherwise hardworking and responsible person can run into cashflow issues!

If one were legally bankrupt and you were up front with the story, at least they would know the HR department would not have to mess with wage garnishments and the prospective employee has dealt with their misfortune, regardless of the reason.

From a security risk, in theory, an employee with access to cash or assets would be a higher risk with bad credit vs someone who is bankrupt. Thinking being, they would steal from the entity to pay their debt. If you are bankrupt, you are totally played out and starting over.

[HHI944]

Some employers require access to FB accounts for the interview process.

I took a part time job a few years ago to help the place out....Some medical dings on my report from my insurance dragging their feet got the employer worked up pretty good.

Their next hire had a violent felony conviction including a crime against a child....no problem.

The employer was the Catholic church......

[Icemaster]

Yes. So do insurance companies. It's often viewed as a measure of responsibility. In some cases it's more telling than a criminal background check.

[Bob Kontak]

Originally Posted by Rick Lee

And my FB profile is only viewable to friends. So how would you know what I've posted there (unless you were the NSA)?

Agree - don't really get that one.

I do know that in the oil company I work 25 years for had some wizz bang program that could remotely zero in on your ISP and monitor everything you do on your computer - even if off the company proxy server. This poison pill was saved for folks they thought were selling high dollar information and it required God's approval to unleash, given the downside if they were wrong and nailed. Can't really see them doing this for a routine job.