applied for CNA job...and now a credit check?

allnurses Guide · May 4, 2005

I've never had a job that checked my credit and think that is an invasion of my privacy. And scary.

What's next, my private medical records?

My library useage?

What kinds of groceries I purchase?

What I am snacking on right now?

Bad credit does not equal stealing from old folks.

steph

BeachNurse · May 4, 2005

Well it looks like I'll never get hired.
Boy.....jobless before I even hit the market.
Z

I have had times in my life when my credit was quite bad. It should not hinder you, unless there is something serious or something on your background check.

**RosesrReder, BSN, MSN, RN** · May 4, 2005

well it looks like i'll never get hired.
boy.....jobless before i even hit the market.
z

i hear you and it is such a shame! i am in the same boat, worried about being jobless before even hitting the market. i am a victim of identity theft. an illegal alien used my ss# since i was 3 yrs old. i didn't find out until one day i got a notice from my employer that my checks were going to be garnished! turns out the lady had a house,car, and job with my identity and had stopped paying the bills. after hell and back, money wasted, headaches, and thurough investigation, she was caught and deported back to her country. needless to say, til this day no matter where i go, creditors end up at my door demanding for payment and bombarding my mail box! i went from having no credit (had just turned 18 at the time), to having extremely poor credit. the system stinks and the victims of identity theft are not cleared of charges for a good old 7 years. i am dead serious! if you are a victim it is just too bad too sad. unless of course, you have money and a great lawyer.....and i do not! :angryfire

i have lost sleep, job opportunities, apartment rentals denied, embarrassment,....oh and did i mention my identity! :crying2:

i really pray you get that job, i can see you coming back in a few days and posting the good news!

good luck,

jessica

obeyacts2 · May 4, 2005

Around here, it is very common for the agencies (home health) to check credit. One place I worked point blank said if your credit isnt decent, don't bother. The rationale was if someone is irresponsible in one area of their life, the will tend to be irresposible in others as well. Secondly, if you are doing private duty in peoples homes, there is a huge opprotunity to steal if you wanted to. I was doing CNA work for someone once and folded towels that had been washed. I went to put them away and felt a piece of paper in the stack, pulled it out and it was the lip of an envelope filled with money. I took it to the pt and told her I had found it.

But, any reasonable adult knows there is a difference when one incident pushes you over the financial edge and a pattern of behavior. That shows on the report too. I used to work for Macys and they had a policy of terminating you if two companies garnished you in the same year.

Laura

shodobe · May 5, 2005

Sorry, they can do a criminal check and a drug screen but no credit check. How I spend my money and how much debt I am in is no one business but my own. Th epast few years when I have filled out employment apps I ALWAYS cross out the credit check and write in bold, "NO permission is given by me in any credit or financial background check". If they don't like it then I don't want to work for that particular hospital. I have never been asked why and have never been turned down for a interview. I guess it would be appropriate for jobs that would be handling money but isn't appropriate for nurses. Like I said, it isn't any business of theirs, it is a private matter.

nursepotter05, RN · May 5, 2005

My job did a criminal background check, but no credit check. I think this is an invasion of privacy as it is not the empoyers business to see my finances.

**RosesrReder, BSN, MSN, RN** · May 5, 2005

Sorry, they can do a criminal check and a drug screen but no credit check. How I spend my money and how much debt I am in is no one business but my own. Th epast few years when I have filled out employment apps I ALWAYS cross out the credit check and write in bold, "NO permission is given by me in any credit or financial background check". If they don't like it then I don't want to work for that particular hospital. I have never been asked why and have never been turned down for a interview. I guess it would be appropriate for jobs that would be handling money but isn't appropriate for nurses. Like I said, it isn't any business of theirs, it is a private matter.

WELL SAID AND DONE. :)

z's playa · May 5, 2005

i hear you and it is such a shame! i am in the same boat, worried about being jobless before even hitting the market. i am a victim of identity theft. an illegal alien used my ss# since i was 3 yrs old. i didn't find out until one day i got a notice from my employer that my checks were going to be garnished! turns out the lady had a house,car, and job with my identity and had stopped paying the bills. after hell and back, money wasted, headaches, and thurough investigation, she was caught and deported back to her country. needless to say, til this day no matter where i go, creditors end up at my door demanding for payment and bombarding my mail box! i went from having no credit (had just turned 18 at the time), to having extremely poor credit. the system stinks and the victims of identity theft are not cleared of charges for a good old 7 years. i am dead serious! if you are a victim it is just too bad too sad. unless of course, you have money and a great lawyer.....and i do not! :angryfire
i have lost sleep, job opportunities, apartment rentals denied, embarrassment,....oh and did i mention my identity!
i really pray you get that job, i can see you coming back in a few days and posting the good news!
good luck,
jessica

hello jessica and thank you for your response. i'm terribly sorry to hear of your disasterous run in with a thief that basically ruined a great portion of your life! how awful ! i hope someday you will have a completely spotless record and you can proceed without any ghosts haunting you.

i actually never applied for a job in nursing yet.... it was the op but thank you for the good wishes regardless. :icon_hug:

good luck.

z

z's playa · May 5, 2005

Sorry, they can do a criminal check and a drug screen but no credit check. How I spend my money and how much debt I am in is no one business but my own. Th epast few years when I have filled out employment apps I ALWAYS cross out the credit check and write in bold, "NO permission is given by me in any credit or financial background check". If they don't like it then I don't want to work for that particular hospital. I have never been asked why and have never been turned down for a interview. I guess it would be appropriate for jobs that would be handling money but isn't appropriate for nurses. Like I said, it isn't any business of theirs, it is a private matter.

:yeahthat:

Z

lifeLONGstudent · May 5, 2005

I realize that I will have an OPINION that probably represents the minority, but here goes:

To me, credit history is a sign of personal responsibility and moral character. When you buy something on credit, vendors are not giving merchandise to you. You are PROMISING to repay the creditor. To me, if you know you cannot repay your debts and continue to spend, that is stealing (or at the very least dishonost).

Now, that may seem harsh and I apologize if I offended people. I know that many of us have a hard time managing our money - the problem lies more in managing our desires and wants than our money. We live in a GIVE ME society that has no concept of delayed gratification (buy it when you can afford it). The messages of "you can have it now" are everywhere..... and no one is asking you, "hey, do you really need that... and ....do you know how long it is going to take to pay for it.... and....... do you know what it will cost you in the long run....and ......what is that going to do to your savings/emergency fund..."

We don't teach our children how to manage money (because most of the parents struggle with debt issues). You never get lessons in finances in school (middle school, high school, college). We (anyone old enough to read this post) HAVE to stop the cycle and start teaching ourselves and our kids the important life lessons of money management. If you need guidance, ask for it, but start fixing the mess today.

Poor financial planning reaks enough havoc on your life - I don't think it should be a determining factor for whether or not you get a job, but it could be used to judge your moral character and motivations. Someone in $20,000 debt with slow pays on most bills for the last 2 years might be more motivated to steal (and hence a bigger risk for the employer) than someone who did not have these issues.

I am not condeming, just looking at the picture from a different viewpoint. If you have bad credit, you got yourself there, but you CAN get yourself out of it too. Take ownership of your responsibility in the situation and commit to straightening things out.

Jo Dirt · May 5, 2005

Well it looks like I'll never get hired.
Boy.....jobless before I even hit the market.
Z

If they didn't hire nurses for bad credit there would be about half as many nurses practicing as there are now.

tvccrn, ASN, RN · May 5, 2005

If you have bad credit, you got yourself there, but you CAN get yourself out of it too. Take ownership of your responsibility in the situation and commit to straightening things out.

What if you have someone steal your identity as has been posted?? What is you live in a community property state and you soon-to-be ex-spouse was getting cards in his name and becasue it's a community property state you are also responsible? It's not everyone who gets themselves there, sometimes they have a LOT of help and don't know it.