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Mykle Ykle

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Should employers not hire you or fire you when they discover your bad credit history?

It has been a sad situation for me and many others in the USA (I don't know if this is an issue worldwide) I have great qualifications and work experience. Yet, in the majority of states you are obligated to submit to a criminal background check which is completely understandable, but that also includes a credit check. I understand that a credit check should be mandatory for executive, banking, casinos and industries directly involving money. Sadly, those of us with bad credit are being discriminated for regular jobs i.e. retail, call centers, customer service.

The government, banks and debt collectors wants their money, as they should. Yet, if you have bad credit, it's a lot harder to find a job making it impossible to get out of debt, let alone be a productive citizen.

This is an issue that is not widely discussed, I've searched online and there are some bills being proposed to end this discrimination but I don't think is really going anywhere.

I would like to have the TED community input in the most civil way possible.

Topics: Equal Rights Human Resource Unemployment credit credit checks credit reports economy eoe equal opportunity employer
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    Gail . 50+

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    Feb 6 2013: I understand why many jobs require credit checks. For some jobs, you don't qualify for a bond, which is the employer's protection. In retail, the temptation to steal might be too great - and the employer has no way of knowing exactly who you are. In call centers, it depends on the industry and the access that an employee has to information.

    Seeing as the Bank of America uses prison-labor for its call centers, one would think that there are some call centers and customer service jobs that don't require good credit. But at a time when there are MANY looking for a FEW jobs, it's just one more way to clear through the piles of applications.

    The good thing is that time heals all wounds - even wounds to your credit rating. But that's not what you want to hear right now. What you NEED to hear is that it is not government's job to protect you (with bad credit) from those with good credit. The reverse is true, regardless of how you got into your mess. It's not discrimination. When someone complains about what you are complaining about, it can come across as you thinking that the world owes you something - which is NOT what ANY employer EVER wants to hear.

    In don't know your situation, but bankruptcy allows you to get through the process more quickly in some cases. YOu may have to rethink your job path until the mess is cleared up.
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      Mykle Ykle

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      Feb 6 2013: Thank you for your reply. However I do not think the world owes me anything. Most of the people that are in my situation are not looking for the government to fix our ¨mess¨ as you put it. I would think just helping by the way of making it illegal to discriminate against hiring individuals with bad credit would be a place to start. It's helping us to helping ourselves in our situation, we are not asking for a magical solution to fix our ¨mess¨.

      I'm my description I was very clear in explaining that I think the government, banks and debt collectors are in their complete right getting back their money. We just need a job to do so, and with this discrimination it's just a stupid vicious circle. Also, not everyone in this situation can afford a bankruptcy and certainly applying for a bankruptcy will not guarantee you will get it. If it were so simple, this wouldn't be an issue. At the end, having a bad credit and getting discriminated for a job due to this, will create more government dependency (which you assume it's what we want) and will add to the massive deficit of the country.
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        Gail . 50+

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        Feb 6 2013: I do not assume as you suggest. I believe that money itself is the greatest problem that our global culture faces. I believe that money is the cause of almost ALL of our problems. I also believe that because our fiscal paradigm is unsustainable, it will all come crashing down - probably in my lifetime. Then equality can again reign and the word "job" will take on different meaning.

        I wasn't trying to tell you how I felt about your situation. I was telling you how many employers MAY look at your situation, and how the word "discrimination" contains undercurrents of thought that you do not intend to convey.
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          Mykle Ykle

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          Feb 6 2013: Thanks TED Lover, I responded somewhat defensive. It's just an issue I'm passionate about. Thank you for responding from a different point of view.

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