What will do if the employer ask for credit report?
I have answered many help wanted ads and have gotten very little response. Some of the responses are questions regarding my credit score. Is this something new? I did talk to a friend of mine and she told me her previous employer asked before continuing the application/interview process. I don't feel that that has any bearing on my qualifications, experience and education. Is it legal for employers to ask this information of people applying for work?
Alas, it's entirely legal for a prospective employer to request your credit report. But they can't do that without your explicit permission.
If you refuse to give the hiring manager authority to pull your report because there's stuff on it you don't want them to see, or you just think it's an invasion of privacy, you have every right to do that.
Unfortunately, the employer also has every right not to give you a job.
If you do agree to let them see the report, and they base their decision not to hire you on something in it, you have the right under the Fair Credit Reporting Act to see it, says EFL's Meschke. This will give you an opportunity to try to explain or rectify any issues or errors that may be on there.
The best thing to do is to get a copy of your credit report right now and make sure there's nothing on it that could derail your chances of landing a gig.
Under the Act, the credit reporting firms – TransUnion, Equifax and Experian – are required to give you a copy of your report for free once a year.
Also, if you do have stuff on there that may make an employer nervous, tell them upfront so there are no surprises when they see it, says Tim Mohr, a certified fraud examiner and partner with BDO Consulting.
