Should credit checks be used in hiring decisions?
Should companies use credit checks to help them decide whether to hire you?
AJC reporters Katie Leslie and Marcus Garner write that a growing number of people affected by record joblessness and foreclosure have a new worry: Will bad credit keep me from getting the job?
While the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission reviews testimony regarding the use of credit background checks for employment, supporters say the checks are a smart business tool. Critics counter that the reports unfairly discriminate against minorities and those affected by the recession, Leslie and Garner write.
What do you say? How much weight should credit checks be given? Are they relevant? Why or why not?
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414 comments Add your comment
TMA
October 27th, 2010
10:00 am
@ GA Employer – The State of Georgia does not require a company to answer any questions with regards to a former employee other than they worked there from date A to date B. Any company rep who runs their mouth about a former employee is breaching the privacy of that employee.
That’s what letters of recommendation are for. To give you an idea of your applicants abilities and strengths. Do you even look at them?
Adolf
October 27th, 2010
10:00 am
Look at all these irresponsible whiners and crybaby implicating everything from the Economy, to Obama for their sorry, losing lack of moral character lives.
You had to have the Pontiac, the Hummer, the Rooms to Go CHEAP furniture and didnt think 5 minutes into the future. I hope ya lose everything and go bankrupt!!
LMAO!!! LOSERS!!
George Bailey
October 27th, 2010
10:00 am
TMA, if you read my previous posts, you will see that I do advocate for giving the candidate the opportunity to explain.
TMA
October 27th, 2010
10:01 am
@ A Hearty Cheese Sauce – There’s no doubt you’re a total SOB with any sympathy for people with real issues. @sshole.
Adolf
October 27th, 2010
10:01 am
“Any company rep who runs their mouth about a former employee is breaching the privacy of that employee”
WRONG!!
And your only apparent strength is the depths of stupidity. AH HAHAHAA!!!
TMA
October 27th, 2010
10:02 am
@ George Bailey – Looks like you might be the exception then along with 1 or 2 others. I stand corrected about your policies.
A Hearty Cheese Sauce
October 27th, 2010
10:02 am
The only issue I see is your own stupidity. HA HA HA!
PAY YOUR BILLS!
greg Middleclass
October 27th, 2010
10:02 am
Hearty Cheese Sauce Who would want to work for a yes man such as yourself???
Bright Idea
October 27th, 2010
10:03 am
sea @9:56. You might be unemployed now but just look at the bozos you are competing with for your next job. You win!
TMA
October 27th, 2010
10:03 am
It’s pretty obvious that Adolf is a troll.
A Hearty Cheese Sauce
October 27th, 2010
10:03 am
Brookwater
October 27th, 2010
9:58 am
Sorry. With all the credit that was available online, at banks and other financial institutions your EXCUSE making no longer is works.
HA HA HA!!
A Hearty Cheese Sauce
October 27th, 2010
10:04 am
Im not in HR Mr LackofClass…so I could care less what you do or how much you lie on your applications.
Nautica
October 27th, 2010
10:05 am
The reason whites minorities have poor credit (creating a disparate impact from credit checks)…..
-job discrimination
-pay discrimination
-discrimination in promotions
-wrongful terminations
-predatory lending
-unfair interest rates
-higher unemployment for minorities (even when controlling for education)
-previous generations that were robbed of wealth
Unfair hiring and pay practices have become the norm………..why do you think it’s taboo to even discuss your salary with a co-worker? Poor credit has more to do with income inequality and inability to pay than with lack of responsibility and willingness to pay.
TMA
October 27th, 2010
10:05 am
Actually, Adolf & A Hearty Cheese Sauce are one in the same. Better let your doctor know you’re off your meds.
A Hearty Cheese Sauce
October 27th, 2010
10:05 am
Appears most here are big ole crybabys that still need Mommy to wipe them. Hell they are too lazy to pay their MetroPCS bill but EXCUSES? Gotta million of em. LMAO!!!
A Hearty Cheese Sauce
October 27th, 2010
10:06 am
TMA has bad credit…LMAO!
Nautica
October 27th, 2010
10:07 am
Correction!
The reason minorities have poor credit (creating a disparate impact from credit checks)…..
-job discrimination
-pay discrimination
-discrimination in promotions
-wrongful terminations
-predatory lending
-unfair interest rates
-higher unemployment for minorities (even when controlling for education)
-previous generations that were robbed of wealth
Unfair hiring and pay practices have become the norm………..why do you think it’s taboo to even discuss your salary with a co-worker? Poor credit has more to do with income inequality and inability to pay than with lack of responsibility and willingness to pay.
Eddie Long, The Bishup of Pizza
October 27th, 2010
10:08 am
Dont worry fools…I will hire you at my new venture…Eddie Longs Christian Pizza Palace. Come one come all.
“Lets have a slice and save some souls”
A Hearty Cheese Sauce
October 27th, 2010
10:09 am
“Poor credit has more to do with income inequality and inability to pay than with lack of responsibility and willingness to pay.”
Is that what the black ministers and bishops hammer into that thick head every Sunday morning. You people are no good to yourselves nor anyone else.
dumb
October 27th, 2010
10:10 am
This has got to be the dumbest requirement if its being used. What’s the point of trying to get a job? So we can pay our freakin bills to keep our credit good or bring it back up. To hold someone accountable for their credit related to job performance is a huge disservice to everyone involved. There are rich people out there with bad credit. No wonder the countries employment rate is so high and people cant get jobs is because of this stupid requirement companies are using. If they are doing it to avoid the risks involved with embezzling etc. then something is wrong with your company. There are standards now to avoid this from happening and have you noticed that most execs are the ones embezzling. People with money! HA!
A Hearty Cheese Sauce
October 27th, 2010
10:11 am
Maybe Obama will give another “tax cut” to everyone then make ya pay for it at April tax time…like it gonna happen for your 2010 taxes.
Forgot about that one didnt ya. NO TAX REFUND FOR YOU!
Truth Hurts
October 27th, 2010
10:11 am
Problem Solved = If you don’t want to provide credit history then don’t apply for employer that requires it. Nobody owes you a job, or an interview for that matter.
greg Middleclass
October 27th, 2010
10:12 am
George, when some one stands by a stupid discriminatory policy such as credit checks for workers that have no access to company funds and sees only the employers side I would say you are paid off, but at least not as ignorant as sauce. I know a lot of rich people who pay their bills late to all kinds of contractors and stiff anyone anywhere they can, but the score looks great, it is not a good judge of how hard someone will work. You, sauce and the corporate people that put us in this mess see it one way and the American people see it the other. I go with the American people, you go with corporate crooks.
A Hearty Cheese Sauce
October 27th, 2010
10:12 am
“No wonder the countries employment rate is so high and people cant get jobs is because of this stupid requirement companies are using”
Oh yes…Obama 9.4% unemployment rate is due to your very reasoning.
Put on a thinking cap son. And to the rest of you all up in arms. You dont want a job and even if ya had one wouldnt last long so quit whining about something you dont want. Go smoke some crack or something…
A Hearty Cheese Sauce
October 27th, 2010
10:14 am
Most of ya arent qualified to feed a billy goat french fries let alone hold down a job with some other responsibility…LMAO!! LOSERS!
Big Caddy
October 27th, 2010
10:16 am
Cadillac, CADILLAC…Way my CADILLAC!!
questionable credit lady
October 27th, 2010
10:17 am
As a retired person, sometimes the money runs out before the month does. I’ve had to let some of my bills go in order to pay rent, pay health, car and life insurance. My credit rating is in the cellar. This doesn’t mean that I’m irresponsible, just without funds. I hope that none of you are faced with these problems.
Mr Human Resources
October 27th, 2010
10:18 am
…yes I ve read your references and credit report and both are in excellent standing. However, you are very ugly so we can hire you. In closing let me state, GET OUTA MY OFFICE!!!…
A Hearty Cheese Sauce
October 27th, 2010
10:19 am
Well if you are retired then you dont have to worry about a credit rating for job applications. Congrats on your retirement and enjoy.
Georjajim
October 27th, 2010
10:19 am
Buy the room, get the TV.
A Hearty Cheese Sauce
October 27th, 2010
10:20 am
What are you LOSERS doin on this blog anyway. You want to bitch and moan when ya should be applying for jobs…GET BUSY!!
Snafu
October 27th, 2010
10:21 am
Its amazing that people are so easily lead to their own demise. There is not proof that a person with poor credit does not reflect on a person’s performance. So tell me this, Why did the bankers, Wall Street vultures and the likes steal from the American peopLE? We know this has nothing to do with job performance but a way to justify discrmination. And for the idiots who are saying poor financial decisions, what about health problems, divorces, fraud? The credit reporting agencies are making money on other people’s misery and you people are buying into this garbage. Americans..gullible and stu.pid.
Underemployed in Atlanta
October 27th, 2010
10:21 am
I am not opposed to credit checks for employment opportunities if the hiring manager can determine the reason for delinquency was due to unemployment. The credit report should reflect my time of unemployment versus a pattern of practice for paying late. Unfortunately, this practice is another thorn for eliminating viable candidates including candidates over the age of 40.
dumb
October 27th, 2010
10:22 am
A Hearty cheese sauce(wow)
“Most of ya arent qualified to feed a billy goat french fries let alone hold down a job with some other responsibility…LMAO!! LOSERS!”
Any time someone uses these country “A” analogies, then we know for sure its some country bumkin quoting, because of your lack of ability to express yourself in a more intelligent way. lmao!
And to let you know further, I am a nuclear procurement engineer( a black woman…so you can show your true colors) with very good credit, I buy nuclear power parts you cant even spell. HA! (loser)
(I know you’ll have a “hay day” as you people would say, with this)
George Bailey
October 27th, 2010
10:22 am
greg, how does removing the head of his own company in defense of the employees and their right to a civil work environment make me a supporter of corporate crooks exactly? And by the way, I’m still waitng to hear your story of how you stood up in defense of your beliefs on behalf of yourself and your co-workers, knowing that you would probably get canned. Or, do you simply put your head down and do what your boss tells you to do and then bravely blog about corporate a$$ kissers?
tim
October 27th, 2010
10:23 am
Yeah, what he said. That’s right! I gotta go to work and serve the lunch time crowd. I’ll still provide great service to anyone; even if I disagree with their points of view. Freedom of Speech and Spinach!
Snafu
October 27th, 2010
10:24 am
A Hearty Cheese Sauce
October 27th, 2010
10:12 am
“No wonder the countries employment rate is so high and people cant get jobs is because of this stupid requirement companies are using”
Oh yes…Obama 9.4% unemployment rate is due to your very reasoning.
Put on a thinking cap son. And to the rest of you all up in arms. You dont want a job and even if ya had one wouldnt last long so quit whining about something you dont want. Go smoke some crack or something…
Oh..that subtle racism. There are people working two jobs and are trying to find a better job and you seem to want to paint everyone with the same worn out brush. So what is next they will start hiring you based upon what type of car you drive? When does this cr. ap. end!
One Nation Under educated
October 27th, 2010
10:25 am
George, fair enough. The Founding Fathers thought the concept of privacy of your private life important enough to include it 4th in the Constitution. So do most Americans. And even if it weren’t blatantly wrong to do it, it is a stoopid way of judging someone’s character. You know and I know that it is simply another layer of “hire who I want to” instead of the most qualified. It is conceptually in the direction of “more privilege” and away from “less privilege”. To feign otherwise insults most hard working Americans’ intelligence, like the interviewee in the article does – “not that I know of…..” in her best lawyer-ese.
Ken Lay – great credit score
Bernie Madoff – perfect credit score
Michael Milken – awesome credit score
Bill Gates – bad credit score (early)
Warren Bufftet – mommy bailed him out in 1st business vs bankruptcy
Controller mentioned above – ex-wife ruined credit
Teh stoopid runs deeeep in this idea.
HR, Gotta go, Closing (financial) the 3rd fastest growing co. in Atlanta this week, so my life is pretty good. But I am not free until all people are free of tyranny. At least I don’t work in HR.
The Well Hungarian
October 27th, 2010
10:26 am
Wake-up people!
Credit checks should only be if the job is for a bank or other financial-related positions, etc.
Why must a credit check be used to evaluate a teacher or fire fighter (county employee)? Can you answer that question?
We all know it is how companies interpret the credit report. Some only look at the FICO. While others look as something from 10 yrs ago that is irrelevant today.
Public Health Girl is right on target. Well said!
And George Baily—-you really need to chill. Kick back, drink a beer, get a bj and watch some porn. You are way too uptight. Mr. Potter is a better screen name.
A Hearty Cheese Sauce
October 27th, 2010
10:27 am
” I am a nuclear procurement engineer( a black woman…so you can show your true colors) with very good credit, I buy nuclear power parts you cant even spell. HA! (loser)”
OH…No doubt…Well if you are so intelligent perhaps you might stress to the remainder of “your people” that credit rating are important and that 2 + 2 does equal 4.
Bravo and thank you Ms Procurement lady!
George Bailey
October 27th, 2010
10:27 am
One, I don’t disagree with you.
Snafu
October 27th, 2010
10:27 am
Underemployed in Atlanta
October 27th, 2010
10:21 am
I am not opposed to credit checks for employment opportunities if the hiring manager can determine the reason for delinquency was due to unemployment. The credit report should reflect my time of unemployment versus a pattern of practice for paying late. Unfortunately, this practice is another thorn for eliminating viable candidates including candidates over the age of 40.
—————-
Your credit report should not be a condition of your employment. A person can have a very good credit score and still capable of stealing we have seen this time and time again. Talk about being brainwashed into eroding your freedoms, rights, etc. How about the bank tellers who had their credit checked and was stealing pennies for decades? The lack of commons sense is really a damn shame.
John
October 27th, 2010
10:29 am
First of all, NO that is My private information This has nothing to do with applying for a job, If you want to run a background check to see if I have done anything illegal that is fine, but my credit score and report have nothing to do with applying for a job.
And by the way since it is my info, why Am I not being paid for someone to view it??
JimmyJam
October 27th, 2010
10:29 am
What happens to applicants with little or no credit history. I just graduated college. Fortunately I was covered by scholarships and have no student loans and I have no credit cards at the moment. I have no car loan history, I lived on campus my 4 years. I pay a cell bill, cable etc. Could I be looked over for not having much to look at on a credit check?
Mr Human Resources
October 27th, 2010
10:30 am
“So what is next they will start hiring you based upon what type of car you drive?”
Well being as you are still making payments on your 1988 Yugo and have been for the past 10 years I must ask…are you ever gonna pay it off? Now…GET OUTA MY OFFICE!!
George Bailey
October 27th, 2010
10:31 am
Hungarian, when put on the defensive one must defend. Snafu, what about all those peole with college degrees and MBA’s? Maybe we should eliminate the job requirement for college degrees because people that have them tend to be liars, cheats and thieves.
Recent Air Force Vet Unemployed
October 27th, 2010
10:31 am
I think it depends on the job/career you’re looking at…Credit score for a mechanic? There are seemingly many good things about looking at someone’s credit score when it comes to how they need to be managed…Also, if I was a hiring manager, simply a bad score wouldn’t necessarily eliminate a prospective employee, but I may look a little deeper into the numbers to see what the cause/recency/etc of the score is. When you’re an unknown commodity, hiring managers want to make sure they’re hiring the best person for the job.
A Hearty Cheese Sauce
October 27th, 2010
10:32 am
This is so funny. All you losers and pseudo losers and procurement personel all whining about credit and “a black woman” are just plain suckers.
You bought it now pay for it.
Recent Air Force Vet Unemployed
October 27th, 2010
10:33 am
JimmyJam
I wouldn’t worry about that…The point of looking at a credit score has more to do with integrity, timliness of work, and self-management.
A Hearty Cheese Sauce
October 27th, 2010
10:34 am
JJ…no credit history is better than a crappy credit history which is what most of the whiners and winos here have. You should probably be ok. However Im afraid your crack dealing friends will continue to live in their mothers basements for quite some time.
Good luck in the job search!