The Link Between Credit Reports and Hiring Decisions
A background check can ultimately determine whether a job offer moves forward, yet the guidelines defining what employers are allowed to examine are changing quickly. Throughout the United States, credit history is losing traction as a hiring criterion, signaling a wider reassessment of fairness, relevance and personal privacy in employment practices.For decades, employers have relied on background checks to evaluate candidates beyond their résumés and interviews. These checks can include criminal records, verification of education and employment, reference checks and, in some cases, a review of an applicant’s credit history. The underlying assumption has often been that past financial behavior…
