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News reports are showing that more and more employers are requiring a credit check before offering a job. This practice simply must stop. I urge everyone, especially those in Architecture to Just say, “No!”. Not only is this a fundamental violation of your right to privacy, but there are only two reasons for requesting it in the first place.
1. Is to find a reason (any reason) to disqualify you as a candidate, so that the employer may hire a foreign worker at a lower wage.
2. Is to find out how desperate you are for the job by determining how many bills you have and how much they would offer you.
Remember, when someone checks your credit they not only get your “score” including your payment history, but also:
If you own a home. How much you paid for your home, including how much money you put down?
Did you take out a second mortgage to put in a pool?
How often you move?
How many cars you own, and what you paid for them?
Where you shop? Do you shop at Walmart or Macy’s?
Got any investment accounts? That’s a credit line that shows up as well.
Still paying off those student loans? Not only will they find out, but they will know how much you spent.
The will even be able to peek into your medical history.
1o% of people who have a medical condition pay off the medical bills when due. That means that 90% of people who have a medical condition will have at least one collection agency on their credit. “Hmm, $20,000 in collection to a hospital. I wonder what happened to this applicant and if they are taking any medications? Oh wait, there it is. It’s a children’s hospital, they must have a child with cancer or something. I can’t hire this person, they will make my insurance rates go up.”
Hope you weren’t late on any of those child support payments. “Oh wait, this must mean that this applicant is divorced. Obviously not very christian, I wonder if they can be trusted?”
“What, they spent over $2,000 at Petsmart? Does she have like 20 cats or something?”
“Hmm, she has 4 last names listed. That means she has been divorced at least 3 times. What a slut.”
I could go on and on with the type of private information that can be interpreted from a simple credit report.
If any potential employer asks (demands) that you agree to a credit check, Just say “No!”. Then follow that up with, “there is no legitimate reason for you to snoop into my affairs and I am offended that you have asked for it in the first place. Furthermore, I will not work for a company who has a policy of spying on their employees so I am withdrawing my application. Have a nice day.”
If you don’t do this, If you submit to this kind of intrusion, you should be ashamed of yourself. You devalue the rights of all Americans.
If you are an employer and you ASK or DEMAND a credit check, you do not deserve to be in business. And if I find out about you - I will publish your name, address and phone number right here on this blog – for the world to see what a piece of shit you are.
Michael E. – Author; Conservative blogger - Comments on Politics, the Economy, Congress & the President. Fighting the Liberal Freaks, Michael E. is saving America one blog at a time. 
I completely agree. It is called “The PERM Process” In this video and American Law Firm teaches American business owners how to NOT hire an American, legally. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TCbFEgFajGU Pay attention at 1′:45″ especially.
The sheeps who fall for this do not realize the people asking for this DO NOT want to hire them ANYHOW, This is WHY they are asking for this info. As you said, they are looking for reasons to say that they could not find a qualified American. Credit checks are run by people you will make PAYMENTS TO. The employer will be making payments TO YOU not vice-versa, so they should actually have the credit check ran on them!
I had one that wanted a Driving record, Background, Physical AND Credit Check. I said NO to all. If they want this you are not going to get the job anyhow…yet they will hire someone from the Congo who has no record of any kind in this country and say, “See, he passed all the checks.” But these people are paid 30-50% less, that is the impetus for it all.
Exactly, the qualifier for your work IS your work – samples of your work, professional references, your last couple of employers, NOT how much you owe on your house, what year you purchased it, what your monthly payments are etc. It is also a way of gauging what you were paid in the past and how in debt you are so they can low-ball, but more often than not, they simply use it to disqualify you so they can bring in an indetured 5 year servant on an H-1b of L1 Visa.
One more thought came to mind on this topic. People need to remember that when they go on an interview with a business that they are not a Poodle dancing on its hind legs… that EACH PERSON is also an individual little business. People seem to loose sight of that and act like they are there to simply make someone else rich and, in return, they are allowed to sit in a chair for 12 hours a day with air-conditioning blowing on them and a whip cracking over their head..and some little low IQ turd managing them yelling “faster, faster” when it was unrealistic promises that HE made, to the client, not you…Don’t think so…Been there done that. The company has NO loyalty to you so you need to negotiate your best deal-for YOUR business.
My business does not care to do business with others who want to invade my personal life, much in the same way they do not want theirs invaded-by me. If someone asks for any kind of “check”, background, driving record, credit, etc. you have the right to ask for the same in return of the individual asking you and the right to simply refuse.
A good rule of thumb to go by: Typically, people who do not trust others know that they themselves not to be trusted. IOW-They know they are sleezy and out to screw people and they just assume that everyone is like they are. Not a place I would want to work.
What a great idea!! Surely if they are going to ask for your credit report they should have no problem providing you with THEIR financial statements. After all, wouldn’t you like to know if they have the financial strength to pay your salary? Don’t you have the right to see if they have ANY new work coming in? Otherwise, they could just be using you to finish up a bunch of work and then fire you when they have no more money. Don’t you have the right to know if you’re being manipulated?
Excellent idea. I revise my statement. First, ask for their financials – then tell them to f-off.
Exactly, Employees have A LOT at risk from an employer with bad credit than vice-versa.
Yes, A credit check to GET paid is moronic and absurd.
I have two friends who own a small business. A company they do business with owes them quite a bit of money. Last week the company called and told them, “We need to get a credit check on you and your wife to continue to do business.” The company pays THEM not vice-versa and was not even thought of until the payor got behind in payments. Luckily my friend and his wife are smart and told them to, “screw off”. The things people will try AMAZE me but the people who go along with it really piss me off! What was the company going to say, “Your honor, we stopped paying them because they have bad credit.” LOL…WHAT rubes!!!!
Guess what I heard yesterday? The latest: employers are now asking people to list what Social Networks they are on (like facebook, etc…) and asking for the canidate to disclose their user names and passowrds!!!! People do not understand that you CAN say “no”. Anyone interested in pushing back or are we going to roll over? It is a slippery slope…next they will be asking for a hair sample (genetic testing) that will be soon and Idiots will say, “It is only a piece of hair….I do not mind…” DUH…
Does anyone know if there is a website for the consumer that lists employers that do not do credit checks? I think this would be a great way for those of us who are opposed to the process to actively opt out.
I found your blog on google and read a few of your other posts. I just added you to my Google News Reader. Keep up the good work. Look forward to reading more from you in the future.
Phyllis,
Hello, that is a good idea. I am not sure if there is a list but, I believe, the best way to send the message is this: when asked to just simply say, “No” — then immediately– ask them for their financials and remind them that you do not need good credit to GET paid, that you are more at risk from their poor credit. Remember, this is not about credit as much as it is about seeing what you owe, to whom and a whole host of other intrusive things. My opinion is that there will always be morons who go along with it while intelligent people may avoid those employers, BUT, the employers actually need to be confronted and asked for the same information, in return. Credit is checked for just that…to be in a payee relationship with a creditor not to get paid. Here in America if something happens once we are shocked, twice and people start chanting, “That is just the way it is…” while their eyes glaze over…This are “just the way it is” because people go along like sheep and we allow it…I have no problem confronting an employer, recruiter, etc, when this comes up because that is not somewhere I would want to work anyhow and most likelym the reason they are asking for that level of information is that they are looking for reasons NOT to hire you. They do this so they can bring in someone from India on an H-1b Visa for 30-50% less and tied to the employer–without the ability to leave–for 3-6 years. It is called “The PERM process.”
“The world is an evil place not because of the people who do evil but because of the people who sit by and do nothing about it.”–Einstein
This whole “background check” thing has gone too far—my credit score and credit report is nobody’s business except a creditor that I am applying with for a mortgage or car loan. It certainly isn’t the business of a prospective employer how many credit cards I have, how much my house cost, what kind of car I drive, what my credit limits are……If they want to prove my identity, fine. But, everything else is none of their business, and A LOT can be found out from a person’s credit report that is actually illegal to ask in an interview—marital status, children and how many, age………so, this should be made illegal too!! What’s next? Submitting to a DNA sample when you apply for a job? It is ridiculous, and George Orwell knew what he was talking about…….our personal lives are nobody’s business, especially an employer’s. The CEO’s and upper level executives of businesses and POLITICIANS are the most corrupt and steal more money than people with bad credit—and they have perfect credit! So, it is a very poor “judge” of someone’s ability to do a job and their “qualifications”.