I was given a job offer contingent on a drug test and background check.

36 Comments

1. AnonymousJanuary 25,2024 at 10:21PM UTC

   You should have been provided with some sort of adverse action letter with the report attached to it. That you haven't is concerning. Would definitely call them back demanding it.

2. AnonymousJanuary 25,2024 at 10:46PM UTC

   Thank you! That’s what I thought. Hello FCRA!???? I don’t know why they didn’t provide it but I will reach out via email. I mean, I wasn’t even given a chance to dispute what they saw on my report! What if it was false information? Hmmm ?

3. AnonymousJanuary 26,2024 at 2:16AM UTC

   They have to provide you with the report and the contact information for the company they used to complete the BG/credit report, with instructions to review for accuracy and respond if incorrect info is found. If you didn't receive the actual report, you may request it from the BG company and I would reach out to the hiring company with the BG attached once received, asking for insight on what was the deal breaker so to speak. It may be something you can add positive context to or if incorrect info is found share that and salvage the offer. Hope this helps and best of luck.

4. Gerald CombeJanuary 29,2024 at 1:20PM UTC

   Incorrect. They have to give you an option to request the information. Of you do not check the box, you do not get copies. It's proprietary (and public) information that they paid for.

5. Maggie StoneJanuary 27,2024 at 1:17PM UTC

   I am really sorry you went through this.

   In my experience, when an employer runs a background check, you have to authorize a credit check and you should have the option to receive a copy. You have the right to see your credit report. I would recommend that you run a credit report that includes all the major credit agencies to find out what is there and correct any mistakes or find things that you may not be aware of like fraud.

6. Gerald CombeJanuary 29,2024 at 1:18PM UTC

   You are correct. There is a lot of misinformation in replies to this post. However, you hit the nail on the head.

7. AnonymousJanuary 27,2024 at 2:31PM UTC

   There are credit reports, and then there are credit reports. You need to see a copy of the one they used. You can request a copy from the recruiter who contacted you with the decision.

   Depending on the focus of the decision (financing a home, car, obtaining insurance, or employment), the credit reports may look different, so that is why you need to see the copy used in the decision process. Some items may be in error if you expect your report to be excellent and clean. You can also ask what criteria caused you to be excluded from consideration.

   I was moved from one job description to another in a previous job, and they forgot that they hadn't run the credit check when they first hired me, so they had to get one retroactively. If they had run it before they offered it to me, I would have never been given the new position, as the job included receiving and acknowledging donations. At that time, my credit score was low. I wasn't terminated. They just took that duty away from me and gave it to a social worker, but I was micromanaged after that, and they started complaining about every little error. Eventually, they laid me off due to a low patient census, but I never got past the feeling that the credit score had more to do with it than anything else.

   I am looking for executive and auditing jobs now and have been able to bring my score up quite a bit. It still isn't in the good or excellent range, but it is above my "poor" rating back then.

8. AnonymousJanuary 27,2024 at 3:43PM UTC

   If you are in the US the law (FCRA) they have to provide you with a pre adverse notice and tell you what 3rd party information was used to make this decision. They have to give you time to contest the decision and explain. I would call the recruiter and ask why the didn’t follow the Fair Credit Reporting Act.

9. AnonymousJanuary 27,2024 at 4:50PM UTC

   Under the FCRA they are required to provide you with a letter of intent of adverse action/pre-adverse action and the report. After sending the report and letter, they would need to wait at least 5 days before sending an actual adverse action letter indicating they will not be moving forward. When sending the adverse action letter they must also include the report again. The "pre-notification" would allow you the opportunity to review the information and dispute it if necessary. In my previous role we had a candidate who we issued the pre-adverse letter to and it turns out he was dealing with a stolen identity matter, and had the appropriate documentation to dispute what was included in the report. Note: Employers are usually sympathetic to medical debt, and employers except private cannot hold bankruptcies against candidates.

10. AnonymousJanuary 27,2024 at 6:19PM UTC

    Contact the company that they used to do the background check. If they did not disclose to you up front that you needed a credit check ( used usually only for money touching or finance or exec roles) then you might have some recourse to go after them. If you have to do a background check I always tell folks to get a copy that way you can control or fix what might be incorrect in the records. It's not too late to get it though the job might be lost already, ask for it from the employer too and if they decline you file a complaint with the EEOC or FEHA if that is relevant.

11. AnonymousJanuary 28,2024 at 2:12PM UTC

    As you didn't pay for the background check, you cannot get a copy. However, I believe California and a few other states do require you to be provided a copy of the FCRA if run.

12. AnonymousJanuary 28,2024 at 7:22PM UTC

    FCRA is a federal law. They are in violation.

13. AnonymousJanuary 28,2024 at 5:17PM UTC

    Wow. I'm so sorry this happened. Someone should outlaw using credit against people for employment. How are they supposed to improve their credit without a job?

14. Gerald CombeJanuary 29,2024 at 1:14PM UTC

    If the job capacity revolves around company finances ... credit reports can reflect how that person respects or disrespects financial responsibility. It can be a warning sign.

15. AnonymousJanuary 29,2024 at 5:16PM UTC

    I get that. At the same time, I don't think that is always true. For example, I have average credit. I've had situations where a company has called me about paying bills, BUT I've NEVER thought about doing anything with the funds at my workplace. My personal financial issues are just that...PERSONAL. And the only thing I need is a paycheck so I can handle them. Credit is irrelevant if you have ethics and a good auditing system. Why should someone be penalized because they got sick and couldn't pay bills or their spouse passed away or something like that?

16. Tonia D. WoolfolkJanuary 29,2024 at 1:47PM UTC

    I agree.... especially if it's to circumstances beyond people's control...like the pandemic. A lot of people's credit was affected negatively by that. It's unfortunate and difficult to get ahead if things like that are held against an individual seeking employment.

17. AnonymousJanuary 29,2024 at 2:58PM UTC

    It provides a risk assessment for people handling cash or other people's money. People with abysmal credit ratings have likely maxed out their credit cards and have bill collectors bugging them daily. If they aren't able to pay their bills, they are at a higher risk for internal theft or embezzlement. I have had it mess up my chances for jobs before. It took a few years until I could work my way out of it.

18. AnonymousJanuary 29,2024 at 5:20PM UTC

    It's just a risk assessment for how they handle their own money or money they've borrowed NOT how they would handle other people's. Some people are great at taking care of others even if their own life is in shambles. If anything abysmal credit shows they need assistance. To me it seems contradictory that America preaches "pull yourself up by your bootstraps" and then tells you you can't have a job because of some made up #.

19. AnonymousJanuary 29,2024 at 9:25PM UTC

    I agree. I was only passing along what I've experienced. I couldn't touch donations that came in through the mail (by check) because of my credit rating. Still, it wasn't like millions of dollars, maybe a hundred or so a week. If it were up to me, credit scores would be outlawed, as you can't get a good score until you go into some significant debt. It makes absolutely no sense. I finally got a credit card after working on my report for ten years with a $300 limit, and boom. My credit score jumped 50 points. After several months of paying more than the minimum (usually paying it off before they charged interest), they bumped my limit to $800. My score jumped again. If you ask me, it is absurdly crazy.

20. SueJanuary 28,2024 at 5:41PM UTC

    I was ready to start a new healthcare position on Monday , had my schedule, everything. Friday morning I got a text message withdrawing the offer, saying a malpractice issue .. I’ve never had a malpractice issue , no claim , nothing … but that’s all I could get … a few weeks later, I had a great interview at another practice, they’d call me by the end of the week … never heard another word

21. Tonia D. WoolfolkJanuary 29,2024 at 1:39PM UTC

    That is so concerning. If your position requires you to have a license to practice, you may want to contact the licensing board to see if an error has been made. If that's not the case, could it be a previous employer? You have to get to the bottom of that issue so you can work again.

22. AnonymousJanuary 28,2024 at 6:19PM UTC

    Do you have negative credit?

    Have you ever requested a copy of your credit reports? Everyone should, if for no other reason than to find out if there's some bogus data in there.

    I was recently turned down for something, and I thought I had excellent credit. Turned out that somebody had stolen my identity and had gotten a credit card using an address and phone number that had nothing to do with me. I simply challenged it on each of the three major credit sites and they removed it.

    Go here for free credit reports. It is usually recommended to check one of the three main bureaus every 4 months, since you can only do each for free once a year.
    https://www.annualcreditreport.com

23. AnonymousJanuary 29,2024 at 10:26PM UTC

    How do request only one of the reports at a time? Every time have gone to the free site/link page it always defaults to all three and I have yet to figure out how to only get one at a time.

    Even in the past if called the provided number for the request it always gave all three at once. Maddening or maybe I'm missing something!!

24. Gerald CombeJanuary 29,2024 at 1:12PM UTC

    Depending on the responsibilities of the job, using a credit report holds weight. There should have been a question in the process allowing you to request copies of the background information obtained. If you did not request copies they are not required to provide that information. They paid for that information so it may fall under proprietary definitions. Get a copy of your credit report it is viable in today's expectations. Best of luck to you.

25. Tonia D. WoolfolkJanuary 29,2024 at 1:42PM UTC

    I work for the government so I don't know much about the private sector. Here, we can submit a FOIA request to HR and get copies of whatever documents they reviewed to make their hiring decision. If that's an option, that's definitely the route I would go. I'm sorry that happened and I wish you the best.

26. AnonymousJanuary 29,2024 at 2:06PM UTC

    Why did they check your credit?

27. Deb AllenJanuary 29,2024 at 2:47PM UTC

    The Federal Fair Credit Reporting Act covers this, they are required to provide a copy of any background investigation report, whether or not they hired you.

28. AnonymousJanuary 29,2024 at 3:01PM UTC

    I assume you gave consent for this credit report? In most states there are laws against using credit reports to deny employment. Unless they only used it to verify employment. Unless its for certain types of employment positions of authority. I would check your local laws for information on this, perhaps a lawyer. Not legal advice.

29. AnonymousJanuary 29,2024 at 3:41PM UTC

    You have to put in a request with retrieve the credit report . The company can provide you the telephone number and address but you have to put in the request. The company can't tell you what was on the report but you can view it yourself and dispute it with the credit agency.

30. Madeline SalleyJanuary 29,2024 at 3:58PM UTC

    Sometimes you can't (believe it or not) help it that you have bills overdue and your credit gets messed up. If a person is a senior citizen and/or on a fixed income; gets fired; or something whacked happens in life and it's either eat pay the rent or this damn bill; most would not starve or get evicted over a bill. So what do you do??

    Well, that depends on who you are and who you know that can help you. I choose to try to find work even though I'm a senior; because if I can increase my meager income then I can pay up these bills that are eating me alive. Yeah; they all say "You can pay a little each month on a payment plan", but if you do that and you have about 3 or more of these "a little each month" bills it adds up to them nibbling away ALL your money. a Hail Mary IS to find employment somewhere. BUT the catch 22 is this credit report thing...you're trying to pay up the bills off your credit report by getting a job and then you will have more money to do that; but because of your bad credit they won't hire you...you can't get a loan, either from a reputable source because of your bad credit; so basically you're fecked. You're NOT a Loser, a moocher, a lazy bad person; you're someone in a bad situation trying to get out like a crab in a bucket but because of this fecked up law you keep getting pulled back down to the bottom of the bucket. WHY do they need to know WHO I owe money to, anyways?? Isn't that MY personal business?? If we could get a JOB we could PAY our bills and straighten everything out. But no; we can't. If you ask me this is really messed up; people who are trying to do the right thing CAN'T. This is evil and NOT ok.

31. Teena JonesJanuary 29,2024 at 6:00PM UTC

    The company should provide you with a letter advising you of which Credit agency provided the report. You are able to file a dispute with the agency if there is an error on the report. Credit reports are only to be applied for specific jobs. Check the rules in your state and the job which you applied for to see if this has been properly reviewed. Not all jobs utilize your credit report. Good Luck

32. Antonya WadeJanuary 29,2024 at 10:52PM UTC

    You should have the opportunity to see the report they see. Many times the 3rd party they went through may be contacted directly by the applicant to see the report that was pulled.

33. maria roseJanuary 30,2024 at 1:53AM UTC

    In today's age, reviewing your credit report yourself is highly advisable. Certain jobs, especially those that use AI computer selection for both keywords and also certain FICA scores. They are looking for traits with FICA scores on reliability, which a low credit score would negate. So if you don't know your credit score you should make a point to know it and read the whole report for where you need to improve. Nobody has a perfect credit report but you do want it to be more fair going to average working to good instead of a poor score. Most of the time the credit report company used to get your score will send you a notice of how you can obtain a copy if you don't request one yourself.

34. Crystal HowellJanuary 30,2024 at 4:19AM UTC

    Only credit reporting agencies can share your report. Go to www. Annual creditreport.com to view your 3 reports for free and no hit to your score. It will show all inquiries and debts, collections, etc. if any discrepancies correct them by disputing online. Maybe there was mistake. Always check before you apply.

35. Muhammad Ahmar AwanJanuary 30,2024 at 8:01PM UTC

    Ok

36. RiaJanuary 30,2024 at 11:28PM UTC

    They are not required to share the report with you. However, based on their decision to not move forward with you, you are entitled to request and receive a free copy of the credit report on which they based their decision.