Alright so like a lot of people I’m looking for a job and one of the places I look is Craigslist. Well I applied for a receptionist position and I received this email:
Ok what? They want a credit report? I’ve never heard of an employer wanting a credit report BEFORE an interview. The link they gave me is an empty page and the human resources email is from an Internet Marketing website. Has anyone ever heard of anything like this? I’ve pretty much decided I’m not going to send some yahoo my credit report but it still seems strange to me.
I can warn you on this. I have had THREE people try to steal my idenity. I actually traced back two.
And these weren’t scams these were legit job with shady H/R Clerks.
There is NO REASON why a potential employer needs your social security number, your references or credit report BEFORE an interview.
If you fill out an application put “on request” and leave it.
The scam is these low paid H/R clerks take SS# off of employment applications then use your references to get enough info to open a credit card in your name.
Most employers will not check references till you past the first interview, and often they only do so before the final decision 'cause it’d be a waste of time.
I found one guy at the DoubleTree Hotel opened a credit card in my name, he was charged. I actually got the job at another hotel and the H/R clerk at the hotel that HIRED me did this with MY information. I got him fired.
So it happens a bunch. When I was an internal auditor I found Accounting Clerks will harvest credit card numbers from guests who stay and sell them online.
That’s why you have to stay on top of your credit.
Credit report before the interview is pretty strange. A lot of larger organizations will want one before they offer the job; seems like it would be a waste of money to pay for credit reports on everyone who came in and flunks the interview.
I’ve never heard of that being done. Maybe I would understand if you’re going to be handling a lot of money but that’s what auditors are for. I wouldn’t do it and unless it was a government job I wouldn’t even give them my SSN until I had accepted an offer.
I’m really tempted to email them back asking exactly what’s wrong with their phone where they can’t call to verify employment. Hell since I’ve got nothing to lose…
Some employers want to check your credit history to find out if you’re a deadbeat, especially if it’s a sensitive position where you’ll have access to money or secret information. The employer is required to obtain your consent before getting the report.
Most employers won’t care if you have a mediocre credit score, as long as they can see that you pay your bills on time and don’t have mountains of high-interest debt.
Welcome to Amerika. 35% of employers now routinely pull credit reports on job candidates. You’re not legally required to come across - only if you want a job. Something like 90% of insurance companies require a credit report too. And they will double your rates if the report shows problems even if you have settled up.
It’s none of their business, they do it because they can. They can do it because they apply money to the political game. Advantage: the bad guys.
I’ve tried to get several jobs that requested a credit report - and didn’t get the job because my credit sucks. They can use your credit rating to decide whether or not to hire you.
Yeah, I got one of those and I emailed back, “I actually just checked my credit last week at annualcreditreport.com and my score came back at 826. Is there any other information you need?” and never heard back. If you look at that link it isn’t a legitimate credit reporting site, they are obviously just harvesting your information for theft purposes.
I think it’s a scam of some sort too. What makes no sense to me is that the OP appears to be US-based and said he/she applied for a receptionist position, but the slofab.com company is based in Slovenia.
On the other hand maybe they should do it like that, it would save everybody a lot of time and aggravation. What’s the point of being interviewed, and perhaps nearly getting hired, only to be disqualified at the last minute because you had some credit card problems five years ago?
The link in the OP where they “suggest” you pull your credit report from is a broken one. My thought was it’s probably a site that asks you to pay for the report, and that is their real business.
Actually, I have a paycheck stub from every employer that I have worked for in the past 15 years, a letter of recommendation from one supervisor from each employer from the last 15 years. I have carefully blacked out my social security number on the stubs. I have told people that I will provide the information in hard copy when I get to the first interview [I have had that scam pulled on me at least 5 times now] and I never get callbacks from the scammers but on valid job interviews I am apparently given brownie points to providing employment documentation and references … they have always had a postive effect on the HR persons involved. I keep copies of all my various certs even the expired ones, and have both my social security card and a valid passport, current drivers license and military ID.
Really, it isnt hard to keep copies of documentation around if you have a single place to keep them and are careful to always keep track of stuff. A locking file cabinet is very useful=)
[I once had an exroomie steal some checks out of a checkbook and bounce 3 or 4 checks in my name. How helpful :rolleyes:]
