Credit check before the interview????
I've been invited to interview--finally--at an insurance agency. Instead of a background check, though, they want to see my credit score. Should I be suspicious of this? I've never heard of it before and it doesn't seem right to me.
Ms. Dupont yes your credit score can and will be used against you in some positions now. Even some major hospitals in the country check the doctors credit before they get hired. You are a theft or risk of taking cash or bribes from Medicaid or Medicare or sometimes the people over bill to pad their bottom line. Cops where I live redirected patrol cars and let drugs go undetected for part of the profit from the drug dealer. But they all got caught. A sheriff, train police officer, and two city cops got convicted. What did they all have in common? HIGH DEBT...... and on the verge of bankruptcy court. So yes you need to have your credit checked... And checked before you accept a job that enables you to handle drugs, money, or other people's property and finance.
Your are dealing with other peoples lives and money. This is necessary when I worked for a bank it also happen to me. That's okay, you can contact to see what information they have on you and correct any necessary information to be updated. We all should know our business before anyone else. Better Business Bureau for corrections and updates.
It's not your credit score it's your credit report. They want to see the amount of debt you have. If you have alot of outstanding debt and many accounts in collections they may not hire you. Most jobs that deal with handling others sensitive information and or money like banks, mortgage companies and casinos do this to screen for candidates they believe may be prone to commit fraud or embezzlement.
Credit checks or even asking for tax returns are common in certain industries like banking, investment, and other places where these facts matter. It is legal.
No Michelle. They always check credit to see if you reliable.
I'd be suspicious for sure. What would your credit score have to do with them hiring you?
To answer your question about "whether you should be suspicious about this" well it depends...to me the credit report is much easier to manipulate than a background check is. Credit checks go back 7 years credibly but background checks go back forever. Personally I think that asking for a prospective employee's credit check without an advertised threshold is opening the employee to possible discrimination lawsuits. What about the person who doesn't have credit because they pay everything in full each month and have never taken out a loan? Are those responsible people going to be excluded from handling money because they don't have a history of borrowing money and then paying it back? And then what score is good enough and how did they come to that arbitrary figure? Will that change frequently? Because if that number changes the employer is opening themselves up to lawsuits. Chances are, like most everyone put already, it is a benign request and you shouldn't worry too much. However because it's insurance they could also be looking at how financially stable you are to see what the possibilities are for you investing in a store front and/or to buy another retiring agent's books. Lastly, depending on which state you live in it might be against state law for an employer to ask for a credit check as a prerequisite for consideration. More than likely it isn't but always do your diligence; just because it's standard for the industry doesn't make it right and surely doesn't make it legal. Who knows it may turn out really well for you and then again they may just ask for it to see who will hand it over (and who doesn't) and in that regard it's a way of sifting out people. Anyway hope this helps! Good luck!