Your Adverse Credit History Will Follow You into the Workplace: How to Handle it if it Does.

If you’ve ever had difficulties paying your bills or credit cards in the past, it is likely that you have seen your credit rating take a nosedive. Many of us are in this unenviable position. 

Should your prospective employer run an actual credit check on you—as many of them tend to do these days—your history of paying bills on time (or not) will send a loud and clear message. Regardless of whether it is true or not, what it will tell him is that you do not possess sufficient business acumen to get your bills paid on time.  Worse yet, he may construe your behavior as being simply irresponsible, which leads to questions as to whether you can be trusted with money.

Whichever the case may be, the bottom line is that you are most likely NOT going to end up with that job.  And, no manner of after-the-fact cajoling, convincing or explaining is likely to do you any good.

The preferred strategy is to ‘come clean’ up front and simply state in a separate letter to the employer what difficulties you’ve had in the past, and how you have resolved them, or are in the process of so doing.   Perhaps you experienced financial difficulties due to a long illness or circumstances out of your control. Whatever the situation, just state the facts in a logical fashion without undue emotionalism or emphasis on details.

You will want to offer the future employer your assurances, in the form of personal references from those who are familiar with what happened. Such attestations should state that your credit history does NOT impinge on your desire or ability to perform to their standards and it is certainly not an indication of any overall character flaw on your part.  Make sure that the person who signs this letter on your behalf is fully familiar with your situation.

By bringing this information to the attention of the employer ahead of time, and presenting it honestly, you may be able to preserve your chances of success in the interview. If you are interviewing for a secured position, the agency may have concerns about you and view you as a security risk. Quite frankly, this will be tough to get around, and you may want to consider seeking alternative employment for a few years until the adversity is behind you and has been definitively resolved.