Bad Credit

[FakeResumeFetish]

Its hard enough these days to get good interviews. There are almost no good paying jobs out there and the ones that do exist have a trillion applicants. I have been unemployed since Feb 2009 and am fed up. I have managed to get interviews but have not landed a job because I cannot pay my bills. I recently had an almost perfect interview and my background couldnt have been better. After the interview, I was asked to wait in the lobby while they ran a credit check. They sd they would call later in the week...Of course they never called.

I cannot get a job because I cannot pay my bills and cannot pay my bills because I cannot get a job. Dont know what to do. I am a college educated professional but feel like a criminal, though I have never done anything illegal.

It doesnt seem like a lot is being written about this on the net but I am sure I am not the only one going through this. Any advice is appreciated. Thanks

[Fake Resume Moderator]

I'm sorry to hear about your challenges.  

Before I answer your question, I think it would be helpful to explain why some companies run credit checks on prospective employees.  The logic is that if a person can’t handle their financial affairs, then they probably can’t make sound decisions for a company, nor can they be trusted with making decisions within a company that involve  handling company funds or making important financial decisions for the company.

Another reason for checking your credit is to see if the salary they’re potentially offering you is going to be sufficient to cover your expenses.  During recessionary times such as now many desperate people will take ANY job they can get in order to stop the flow of money out and to keep their heads above water. However as soon as they get a better offer, they’re out the door!  A potential employer wants to see that you’re there for the “long haul.”

I'm going to answer your question based on the assumption that you lost out on the job because of your bad credit.  A 2003 study that was done by the Consumer Federation and National Credit Reporting found serious errors in more than a third of consumer credit reports.  So even IF your credit was stellar, there's a one in three chance that your credit report is going to have errors on it that will adversely affect you.  That alone gives you a fighting chance to reframe your credit.

Remember that your credit just shows amounts, dates, lenders and such.  It DOESN'T give a reason WHY.  And that is the Ace in your sleeve.

Who's to say that you weren't a victim of identity theft?  With the explosion of identity theft many people are living in a Kafkaesque nightmare as they try to turn their life right side up.

Perhaps you had a family relative that was suffering from a terminal illness and you did what you could to help them financially during their last months, but in the process got yourself in a financial jam and now your credit is messed up.

If you can, go back to your potential employer and ask them where you are in the hiring process AND mention one of the suggestions above and see if that gets you back in the door.

Generally speaking, if you know upfront that your credit is going to be run, take the initiative and reframe the story to YOUR advantage.  By mentioning your bad credit BEFORE they pull your credit you get a chance to defuse the situation.

Let me know what happens.  Good luck!

[FakeResumeFetish]

Im not only trying for the good jobs but the holdover jobs as well. I have even applied at many work at home opps and have come to realize that a lot of reputable companies do have work at home opportunities. I read on a work-at-home board that it sometimes takes a couple weeks to hear anything from them so Im not pessimistic, but it really is hard to believe how hard a time I am having getting anything. I live outside a relatively large city and have never found it this difficult to find work.

[Fake Resume Moderator]

Yeah it's going to be challenging for a few years to come.  That's why its imperative that you position yourself as a Problem Solver who will SAVE the company money, or MAKE the company money.

I'm not familiar with your employment background, but you may want to think about transitioning into either another vertical that's doing better or being proactive and contacting companies that you're sure are doing well and pitch yourself.

[FakeResumeFetish]

Gotchya...I have a Sales/Account Management background but am not limiting myself to anything. In an economy like this I think u have to keep all options open. The good news, if it is good news, is that we in America will probably be better off than anyone else in the world despite how bad things get.

For anyone needing a fake company, you should have no problem using the work at home companies. From what Ive read, they tend to have a gazillion (sp?) employees who work at home and onsite. Go to http://wahm.com & http://ratracerebellion.com and browse the boards. Of course, its probably still better to just use local companies (and Im sure every city has no shortage of companies that have gone out of business).

[topspintex]

Sometimes I wonder if we, the jobseekers shouldn't scrutinize the prospective employer's credit?  With so many employers conducting massive layoffs and then descending into bankruptcy it begs the question..'What is the nature of THEIR character?  Also; even in better times, the salary of the average, hard-working employee was nothing to write home about.  This sort of thing should not be allowed in today's times, when companies cannot seem to manage their finances properly.  Who holds them accountable?