Corrections and background checks

It depends. Some correction departments are really picky because they think if you are broke you are more likely to help and inmate for money. Not all check credit scores for backgrounds though. Good luck!

It's a beautiful day to save lives.

While you must consent for an employer to run a credit check on you, they certainly can use it as a deciding factor in hiring.

I guess it would boil down to how bad is bad?

Many people took financial hits due to the last recession, so it shouldn't be an automatic disqualification

I would imagine their hiring thinking would be more "who's the best candidate" rather than "who's the worst candidate." On that note, you are competing against many people with varying personal situations. Just depends on who has applied and what they need at the time.

It's more of a concern if you work in an area where you have direct access to, or control, over, agency funds. Even as an upper level manager I don't have such access. I couldn't put my hands on cash from our budget if I wanted to.

As MrChicago said, a lot of people took hits with the recession. I can't imagine a scenario in which a credit score decides who gets hired.

Some states don't allow a credit check for any job. Some don't allow it except for certain jobs. Some don't allow a credit report to influence hiring, even if a credit check IS allowed. Some states don't allow questions about criminal background on an application ('ban the box'), but only after a job has been offered. Some states don't allow background checks except in certain cases. Some states don't allow a criminal conviction to bar your employment if the crime isn't related to the job applied for. Basically, amidst this all- your application, and what is asks for and what it asks permission for them to research on you is most likely in line with your state's laws, but you can find them easily online to see for yourself. BTW, some cities that have their own employment law dos and don'ts, not to mention the federal laws.