Reply to: Have to pass Credit Check before Contract Start?

[expat]

What countries is bouncing a cheque illegal?

In France, for example, if you bounce a cheque then you can't have a bank account for 10 years. That kind of firm treatment of wrongdoers is one reason why people in France feel able to accept cheques.

Sounds a bit like hogwash to me mate.

Not a conclusive indicator of anything much. Mate.

[Ivor1]

Ive worked only at banks for the last 6 years and everyone has done a Credit check on me, and I actually got my current contract as the first person they offered it to failed the credit check. Its pretty much standard practice with all banks and has been for years. My gf even had to be credit checked for a job as a PA at a bank.

I agree with people I dont think its fair at all, its no ones business but your if paid bills etc on time, Ive always thought it highly unfair. Currently where I am now, I know at lot of people they wanted to recruit they couldnt due to failing the Credit check, it pisses off the managers nearly as much as the applicants. I'm not 100% sure but I think its a legal requirement with the FSA or something that you have to pass these checks.

Its a real pain in the butt for me personally as my skills are focused on the banking sector, if I start to fail credit checks I'm pretty sure I would have diffculty securing other work, I have to be anal about paying everything on time.

[ratewhore]

By all means credit check the Ltd as it's essentially a B2B relationship and it is good business practice. Personal credit check? Tell em to feck off as it's non of their business...

[Troll]

all new RBS contractors are going through the credit check. Expect all banks to start doing it also. Its all part of them trying to cover their arse with the auditors etc. drop me a PM of your name and the Proj Man you were dealing with - I may be able to help.......

Very cryptic

[Underscore2]

all new RBS contractors are going through the credit check. Expect all banks to start doing it also. Its all part of them trying to cover their arse with the auditors etc. drop me a PM of your name and the Proj Man you were dealing with - I may be able to help.......

[Denny]

Just had confirmation from the agency, because I have failed the credit check the offer of the contract is now withdrawn. Good to see that today experience and qualification means nothing, nor does your ability to do the job, but your financial background for the past 6 years states if you should get a job or not. Disgraceful.... utterly gutted and annoyed. How are people who are in the pooh money wise ever meant to get out of it. Lucky for me this just means I didnt get this contract, and there will hopefully be others, and my financial status at the moment is more than healthy, but I pity those how arent. If more and more employers decide to take this approach it could be very bad for the market.

I'm sorry that this has happened, particularly as you were dropped from a great height after the offer was made instead of told about the vetting procedures before you were put forward.

Most financial institutions, particularly banks, want to ensure that those on site are financially secure enough not to be tempted to take bribes or act fraudulently. Their security rationale is that you would be more tempted to take this path if your finances are or have been in a mess. The same sort of mentality exists in pharmaceutical companies. They assume that every applicant is a potential hooded night watchman bunny snatcher so they insist that all candidates are vetted for their history of past or present association with extremist animal rights groups.

The fact that greed has little to do with finance seems to escape their notice. I used to do store detecting a long time again, and a good number of those I caught out were rich Arab women who stuffed the goods under their Burkahs. Furthermore, so many of their high flyers dabble in insider trading and god knows what else! However, that's the way it is - so live with it and avoid these types of roles in future.

[Torran]

Spring & RBS seem to be doing these personal credit checks... just tell 'em to feck off and go get another contract

Aint just spring. RBS pushing all contractors to go through this. Pain in the arse

[pippo]

All you need to do a basic credit check is name and address. DOB helps. All information that the agent would probably have.

I've removed my address and DOB from my CV as this is sensitive information that I do not wish to share with the agents unless there is a very good and valid reason for it. If there's a contract offer (only at that moment) I will provide address for correspondence, ie. signed contracts, timesheets. I don't see the need for an agent to have my DOB.

And even if an agent has already enough information about us to do a basic credit check, I believe they should still surely ask our authorization before doing so.

I agree with you Troll regarding Spring & RBS. If they want to do a personal credit check, tell 'em that you're not interested in the contract any more.

[Troll]

Spring & RBS seem to be doing these personal credit checks... just tell 'em to feck off and go get another contract

[Hex]

All you need to do a basic credit check is name and address. DOB helps. All information that the agent would probably have.

[Ardesco]

Ardesco, it's actually 6 years from the date of default. Same period for CCJs, IVAs and Bankruptcies.

Equifax, Experian and Call Credit will confirm that. I've got a couple of defaults from 2000 that are still on my record and affecting credit decisions. To this day I can't get a business bank account because of these problems.

What I did find though is that there were a few that have been paid off but have never been shown as such. Therefore the last few weeks has been taken up by me making several calls and sending letters to various collection agents and financial institutions demanding they update my file.

Opps my bad, it is indeed 6 years (I keep thinking 4 for some reason). The thing that pisses me off most is that even if you pay back every penny it is still on your account as a default so you are no better than somebody who went bankrupt. If I had my time again i'd prolly go bankrupt and then save all the moeny I spent paying the ****ers back. I'd be in the same situation now and i'd have had more cash to play with while getting here

[janey]

So i didnt get that job because of a check and i wasnt even asked for permission.

surely it can't be legal for them to do a credit check without your permission?

Isn't there a whole list of information they have to provide to get the check in the first place which they wouldn't have had unless you had provided it?

[pippo]

Credit check

Just had confirmation from the agency, because I have failed the credit check the offer of the contract is now withdrawn. Good to see that today experience and qualification means nothing, nor does your ability to do the job, but your financial background for the past 6 years states if you should get a job or not. Disgraceful.... utterly gutted and annoyed. How are people who are in the pooh money wise ever meant to get out of it. Lucky for me this just means I didnt get this contract, and there will hopefully be others, and my financial status at the moment is more than healthy, but I pity those how arent. If more and more employers decide to take this approach it could be very bad for the market.

I absolutely agree with you bradkb.

In my opinion this amounts to discrimination and is barely legal, if not unethical.

There's also a risk for us to have all our personal details in these banks (HR) systems. They could be hacked and our data stolen.

I've now decided to stop applying for jobs within investment banking for this and other reasons.

Maybe if a sufficient number of contractors stops considering these kind of jobs then these ******* might start treating us fairly?

[dazza12]

Ardesco, it's actually 6 years from the date of default. Same period for CCJs, IVAs and Bankruptcies.

Equifax, Experian and Call Credit will confirm that. I've got a couple of defaults from 2000 that are still on my record and affecting credit decisions. To this day I can't get a business bank account because of these problems.

What I did find though is that there were a few that have been paid off but have never been shown as such. Therefore the last few weeks has been taken up by me making several calls and sending letters to various collection agents and financial institutions demanding they update my file.

[gtullett]

I had a similar experience a few months back i went for a perm job did really well in the first second and third interview, agency represented me and the other candidate and said i had more experience.

Anway i didnt get the job and the agent said there was no technical or personal reason why, thought that was odd but wrote it off to experience.

Anyway about 2 weeks ago i did an equifax check on myself (costs less than a tenner) i know i have a few problems on there nothing huge, missed payments mainly as i was out of work for a while in 2000, anyway right about the time of the interview there was employee credit check by Kroll ltd.

So i didnt get that job because of a check and i wasnt even asked for permission.