There are a lot of reasons to maintain a good credit history, and one of the many is that potential new employers may run your credit to see how you’ve managed money in the past, and to confirm that you’re not an arms dealer or thief before they hire you. However according to recent reports, more employers are leaning away from running credit checks on new hires now than just two years ago. So if you’re job shopping and your credit isn’t so hot, you might be in luck. But that’s no excuse to let your score fall by the wayside! Especially once you get the job and start making some dough. Use a budget to stay on top of expenses, and actively work to chip away at debt and pay all bills on time to avoid delinquencies. And as for the credit checks on new hires, don’t stress too much about it. Marilyn Kennedy Melia of Philly.com reports,
“You need a job to pay the bills, but will your bills prevent you from getting a job? Fortunately for those who have missed billing due dates, fewer employers are conducting credit checks on job candidates than two years ago, according to a recent survey by the Society for Human Resource Management.
Fifty-three percent of firms say they do not use credit reports in their hiring process, up from two years ago, when only 40 percent did not use reports.
“Employers are paying additional attention to the way credit reports are used,” relates Mike Aitken, SHRM vice president for government affairs.”
Click here to read about the current status of employers checking potential new hires’ credit reports.
Now like I said, just because employers have lessened up on checking the credit histories of their potential new employees is no excuse to let your score sag. In fact, if you have poor credit and do score a new job, you should consider it a second chance to turn things around.
