Will Collections affect me getting a job?

[BarsAndLeanPRN]

I have yet to get my nursing job and I recently submitted an agreement for a background check on all my criminal history and credit. My friend in the military said he was denied a job because he has something in collections from 2010.

I know I have an outstanding collections claim but I obviously cant pay for it right now because I have no income.

So, will my credit/collections affect my ability to attain a job?

Thank you all

[jadelpn, LPN, EMT-B]

There are some jobs that will check one's credit report. I don't know if they base hiring on one's credit score, history or what.

I would not hesitate in the future to ask "what do you check when you do these backround checks?"

[llg, PhD, RN]

"Could it?" is a different question than "Will it?" In theory, anything that shows you in a negative light could hurt you. But whether it will or not is impossible to say. A lot will depend on the particular facts of the situation.

[DowntheRiver]

I had cancer when I was 21. When I turned 23, they kicked me off my mom's insurance. My dad forgot to make a payment on my COBRA, didn't tell me, and I got a CT scan to make sure I didn't have cancer. I lost my coverage due to a previous condition and couldn't get coverage until I got married in 2012 via my husband. Why is this important? Because I lost my health insurance before the Affordable Healthcare Act came into effect. During the time that I didn't have health insurance I racked up some medical bills to having a few CT scans and having diverticulitis. I still owe roughly $4,000 to this day. Does it show up on my credit report? Yes. Have I ever not been offered a job because of it? NOPE! They're mostly concerned with Medicare/Medicaid fraud, misdemeanors, felonies, domestic violence, etc. when looking at your background check. Does that mean it doesn't happen? Not always, but I wouldn't worry too much about it. You can always try to explain if anybody asks questions.

Just remember, military background checks are different than usual background checks. Particularly for certain things, such as OSC, they want you to have a certain debt to income ratio. The possible assumption is that if you're reckless with money you could be reckless elsewhere in your life. Is this necessarily true? Not at all!