Posted on 10/31/2009 5:34:00 PM PDT by hsmomx3
I have been job-hunting for some time now and applying for jobs online.
I applied for one job in particular which is an office job and received the following email in response to my application and resume:
"I have reviewed your resume and I am very interested in hiring you. Before I can setup an appointment, I would need your recent credit score. Your credit score is required because the position you applied for includes handling company cash and using a company credit card. Don't worry, if your score is low for a legitimate reason, you will have an opportunity to explain why."
Does this sound legitimate to you? I am hesitant to give information such as this.
Couldn’t you have suggested he use one of your CPAs or finance guys?
If we had been allowed to ask for Obama's credit score, he would not be President right now, because he has admitted that he and Michelle were considering filing bankruptcy around the time that George Soros came into their lives.
Then, suddenly, there financial difficulties evaporated.
Assuming the above is true, it's perfectly legitimate and frankly most companies especially in financial services or a financial role require it before hiring.
It's just a fact of life these days.
For a real estate company but now I am going to toss this one out and forget about it. It has been years since I really had to do extensive job searches and this was a new one.
Yes, the company will pay if they want the info. bad enough.
Thanks to all who replied.
It may seem unfair that the purpose of the job may be to improve the very score that will prevent you from getting the job but that's the way it is.
They can perform a credit check if they need the score - though I think they need your permission. You don’t have to go out and buy it for them.
Skip it. Someone is just being lazy and trying to weed out interviews based on an arbitrary score.
Personally, I have hired people and found out later they had financial problems which many times were no fault of their own or life just happens.
But, I would never ask for this kind of stuff upfront.
Either you and your boss are going to get along together, communicate well and you do your job or you are going be at each other real quick.
In which case you will be as we say in Silicon Valley “Back on the Beach”. (ie, without work),
You are going to work with other humans for 8+ hours a day. You should ascertain whether you are going have a shitty day, every day or be able to pleasantly work with your team.
No reason to feel awful all day. You will just beat down when you get home and dread getting out of bed the next day.
You need to interview your potential employer, just as much as they need to interview you.
TEAM work, not I work.
My wife is a Human Resources consultant and handles issues like this daily. She says it’s legal for a company to ask for a credit score if the job requires handling company money. Otherwise, no.
I agree telecommuting is common, in fact our Hosted Telephony solutions make a job like yours a sinch.
Still, they need to really be concerned about how well you work together and your ability to self manage.
Skip them.
A company needs what is called a "Permissible Purpose" to run a credit check. A job application is not a permissible purpose unless you consent.
they have to get consent to run the credit report, which they may do, and then see if the applicant offered an accurate reflection of his score.
I would consider this to be in the same pattern as asking a potential employee who they plan to have care for their three children, all under age five, while they work, and how do they plan to get to work since they have no car. You simply can’t do that anymore, you have to hire them and then jump through the hoops to fire them if they don’t work out.
NO!
That smells like a scam.
Are Dumb?! /s
Dont give your frickin SS# or credit score to someone or anyone for that matter.
It sounds like you havent even interviewed with them. Why would they want to hire you without some handshaking and face time?
Besides, if they want to know your credit score they will pay for it as part of your background check.
Dont answer any more of their emails.
On the other hand, you might call his brother in Nigeria.
I’m with you on that!!!
It stinks to high heaven.
Scam-ola to be exact. If your are a member of NAACP, SEIU, AARP, or have the latest NAZI PARTY badge, regularly pay exhorbitant finance charges and are a healthy meal for the financial parasitesi you may get the ultimate score, (may require a bribe). If you just pay on terms, well, what good are you?
NO! It is NOT legitimate! A legitimate employer can run a credit and/or background check on you as a condition of employment, but they cannot require your social security number or date of birth prior to making you a written offer of employment (which may be conditional on various things, such as credit check, criminal background check, drug screening, etc), and they need those things to run a credit check. This sounds like a total scam aimed at getting your personal information for purposes of identity theft. You should check with local law enforcement about whether this is something you ought to report and if so to what authority (probably federal, because if it’s happening online it’s almost certainly an interstate operation).
And another clue that this is a scam: they say they’re interesting in “hiring” you, not in interviewing you. No legitimate employer is going to express an interest in “hiring” someone they haven’t even interviewed yet.
“My wife is a Human Resources consultant and handles issues like this daily. She says its legal for a company to ask for a credit score if the job requires handling company money. Otherwise, no.”
Bankers can actually lose a current job if their scores drop. But seriously, if you are interested in the job, tell them you decline to give that out and see if they waive it, at least until there is a job offer on the table, pending satisfaction. If they won’t, try somewhere else.
I know it sounds funny, but some places will try to see how compliant someone is by making an odd request. Some, of course, are stupid and some are dishonest and some are lazy. This isn’t necessarily malevolent. I can run a credit report on employees, but wouldn’t without their permission. Even if they were applying as CFO, they would present it in person, at the interview, but not before. Odd request, IMNSHO.
It’s becoming more and more common. Whether you comply with their request is your decision.
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