As I type this, a colleague of mine is filling out an application for a position at another facility. The background check states that it checks EVERYTHING (pretty personal!) including bankruptcy, which she declared a couple of years ago.
She was wondering if she needs to worry about not getting this job because of the bankruptcy? How much does credit play into whether or not someone lands a job? It seems like it shouldn't make any difference.
Thanks for any input. Unfortunately I don't have much help to offer her.
Yeah ... me too ... which is why I got a second job. I'm sure all of us have been through tough times but, that doesn't mean you can't do anything about it. It was totally unfair that all the trees died and that the area where we had been living had become a major fire hazard but ... we knew we HAD to get out of there ASAP before the place went up in flames. We were broke, but with the second job and cutting back on spending we still managed to save enough money to get out of there. It can be done.
:typing
Well, I was working and going to nursing school. There was no room for a second job.
I think there's more to every story. I'm not perfect so I don' feel I can judge other people or assume I know their life. To each their own.
I can't get past the notion of turning away qualified people with references and a good work history who are doing the responsible thing by actively seeking employment because in 1999 they had a bad year financially. Doesn't make sense to me.
We don't know how employers judge these things, but I think there's a big difference between having credit problems in 1999, and having good credit for the last five years ... versus not paying any bills since 1999. Even banks will give you a mortgage if you've kept your credit clean since 1999. There's probably a good chance that employers will give you a job under the same scenario.
At the 'risk' of exposing myself as of "questionable" character, I'll tell you I filed for bankrupsy. Was it a result of bad decisions? In truth yes. I had some bad things happen that made it where I had no choice but to do it at the time, but I never should have put myself that far in debt. Does it show a character flaw... that depends. What did I do after I filed bankruptsy. I'll tell you. The only large debt is my house mortgage, but even that I only owe half of. I have one credit card that I keep about $50 total on. More then that I pay it off every month. I borrowed $2500 for hearing aids that I got on no interest for 12 mths, and I paid it back in 12 mths. I buy vehicles that I can afford without loans now because I save up to get them.
Did I make a mistake that was exaperated by situations, YES! What have I done? I've learned from my mistakes and made sure it will now happen again. So you tell me. Do you think I have a character flaw?
Soooo many people on this thread are being hyper critical. Is this the way you act with all of your patients? People make mistakes. Situations happen. We only get better if we learn from our mistakes. So should I not be hired because I filed all those years ago, even though I learned and set things up so it won't happen again. I hope none of you that are critical work in HR. You will never understand unless you end up in a bad situation that you can't get out of.
yeah ... me too ... which is why i got a second job. i'm sure all of us have been through tough times but, that doesn't mean you can't do anything about it. it was totally unfair that all the trees died and that the area where we had been living had become a major fire hazard but ... we knew we had to get out of there asap before the place went up in flames. we were broke, but with the second job and cutting back on spending we still managed to save enough money to get out of there. it can be done.
:typing
if you had the ability to cut back then you don't know what it is like to be truely broke.
If you had the ability to cut back then you don't know what it is like to be truely broke.
Wow - this is really true, in my experience.
Just an update: the nurse I was speaking of in my initial post here still has not heard whether or not she got the position. She's not sure if they're still checking her out or what's going on.
If you had the ability to cut back then you don't know what it is like to be truely broke.
Well then ... I guess there's broke ... and then there's truly broke.
We were living month to month. There wasn't any extra money to move so I got the second job, and we did cut back by doing things like stretching leftovers an extra day or two, cutting back on the heat during the winter, etc. so we could save some extra money and get out of there.
Yeah, we did still pay our bills. I wasn't going to get into any credit problems because I wanted to make sure we could buy the house we are in now, and I wasn't going to let anything screw that up if I could help it.
So ok ... maybe I wasn't "truly" broke, but I sure worked hard and did what was necessary to avoid becoming truly broke. That surely would have happened if I hadn't taken the second job and gotten outta there when we did.
Call me crazy but it's not a bad thing to take responsibility ahead of time and avoid disaster ... both literally and financially ... before it happens.
We don't know how employers judge these things, but I think there's a big difference between having credit problems in 1999, and having good credit for the last five years ... versus not paying any bills since 1999. Even banks will give you a mortgage if you've kept your credit clean since 1999. There's probably a good chance that employers will give you a job under the same scenario.
:typing
but if your application is simply denied because you had a bankruptcy or you have a low credit score because of past difficulties (even if you managed to pay off the creditors your score will still be low for quite some time), This is a problem. You may not even get to the interview phase if your credit isn't as good as someone else. Having worked before at a bank, things all come down to a numbers game. I don't think that is a good idea when it comes to credit scores because there is simply too much variability within the situation. Lizz, i too know many people who can afford to pay their bills on time but would rather buy a new couch or go back to Palm Springs etc... I am not advocating for those people. I am advocating for those who are NOT in the situation where they have extra and any small catastrophe can ruin their credit. They may not even have credit cards! But paying rent, car payment, medical bills all go onto your credit report, and if something happens where the person had a lot of trouble keeping up for awhile, I can't see the benefit in deciding that their "character" is so poor that they don't deserve the same chance at taking care of themselves with a job. Many people don't even TRY to get a job, why are we putting roadblocks in front of those that DO?
and i hate hate HATE when someone else decides that it isn't reasonable that somebody doesn't "even" have X amount of dollars for ____. I had a teacher embarrass me when i was a sophmore in H.S. because i didn't have the money for a field trip (it was 5 dollars and my parents didn't have it at the time). She couldn't believe it and said in front of the whole class. "you can't even "get" five dollars to go on this field trip?" I will never forget that! It was rude and uncalled for.
Yeah ... me too ... which is why I got a second job. I'm sure all of us have been through tough times but, that doesn't mean you can't do anything about it. It was totally unfair that all the trees died and that the area where we had been living had become a major fire hazard but ... we knew we HAD to get out of there ASAP before the place went up in flames. We were broke, but with the second job and cutting back on spending we still managed to save enough money to get out of there. It can be done.
:typing
Some people have no MEANS to get a second job at the time when they need it. What if they are ill? what if they need to ride the bus at night to get there and it doesn't run at night, what if you have a child with no child care available for another shift?, what if the jobs you can get require a car and you don't have one, what if there aren't jobs available? What if the jobs avaiable are not ones you are qualified for? I am not saying you just lay down and die, but sometimes it takes awhile to get back on your feet. Just because person "A" who has one set of circumstances was able to immediately get on top of things, doesn't mean that person "B" who has a different set of circumstances will be able too. And if they can't right away we can't just assume that they weren't trying hard enough. This assumption may fit the bill for some, but not all. This idea that everyone can just immediately "pull themselves up by their bootstraps" and get ahead is just wrong and impractical. Life throws you curve balls and if we keep creating more and more and more roadblocks to those who are out there looking for work all we will do is create more of a problem.
Well ... I guess it really doesn't matter if we continue to disagree. The bottom line is: employers can use credit reports as criteria for hiring. People can complain about it but, it's a fact of life that's not likely to change.
Well ... I guess it really doesn't matter if we continue to disagree. The bottom line is: employers can use credit reports as criteria for hiring. People can complain about it but, it's a fact of life that's not likely to change.
:typing
sadly this is the truth, though I enjoy a lively debate.
God I hope nothing ever happens to you, or any of us again. It is real hard when you are trying to get ahead and life throws you a real curve ball. We could post senerios all day, like having a severly disabled daughter and haveing the deadbeat mother (or father) skip the state with no forwarding address and over 5000 behind in Child support, when your child's health takes ANOTHER turn for the worst and she's having about 50-70 simple partial seizures a DAY and going to the ER 3-5 days a week and the nurologist throwing his hands up because he doesn't know what else to do. All this after not being able to makje but a certain amount because your child will lose Medicaid, and no onther insurance will touch her. You get fired because your FMLA is used up for the year and no one will hire you because you can't get to work because there is no one capable of taking care of your daughter and your just praying for things to turn around and money to by food.
I DON'T CARE HOW "PREPARED" you THINK you are! Your not going to be prepared to make it through that, or a thousand other senarios. Why should someone like that not even make it to an Interview because they have bad credit? Don't judge because you haven't been there, just pray you never are!
markjrn
515 Posts
Well, I was working and going to nursing school. There was no room for a second job.
I think there's more to every story. I'm not perfect so I don' feel I can judge other people or assume I know their life. To each their own.