Someone recently asked me the following question. The financial and job market and circumstances beyond my control, have devastated my credit history. My career has been outstanding until this point yet some companies make hiring decisions based on a candidates credit history. The credit record of millions of people have been damaged recently. Is there anything I can do about this when applying for a job?
This was my answer:
Been there done that. A lost job and a serious injury drove me to bankruptcy so I know from where you speak. Some companies still mandate a good credit history and won't hire if you don't have it but there is hope. In this market many employers are becoming more understanding if you are honest about it and can demonstrate that it was beyond your control. If you know a credit check is part of the process bring it up in advance and talk about it honestly. Discuss your situation and then talk about your skills, experience and knowledge. Talk about what you have learned from financial problems and why that combined with the rest of the package makes you a great employee. Just keep in mind that the employer's original motivation for basing hiring decisions on good credit was that in normal times bad credit especially if it was a long standing problem indicated a lack of responsibility and poor decision making skills. Times have changed. Tip.. If you and your background are stellar in every other respect and a company holds unavoidable financial problems against you, is it the kind of company you want to work for?
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