Got first job offer, temp contract. Questions.

So I have been interviewing a lot, as I took a full week off from my restaurant job.

Only two desirable positions I interviewed for, one for an ISP, and one for a tax preparation corporation. (both helpdesk, remote/phone support)

The ISP interview went well, and seemed promising, but I interviewed the day before they were starting my "class" of trainees and the paperwork didn't make it through HR. No bridges burned, still a possible future opportunity.

And for the second job..

Did some phone screening, assessment testing, and a face-to-face interview that went really well.. Didn't make the job offer on the spot but sounded promising. A week later I got a call from the hiring manager with a job offer.. All that remains is a background check.

I have nothing to worry about on the criminal history, but I havn't kept an eye on my credit in a few years, and I just checked and I have 2 small (less then $100) collections accounts on my report.

This is my first job that required a background check, and I am just curious if two small blemishes on my credit will prevent me from gaining employment.

Find more posts tagged with

Save $250 on 2025 certification boot camps from Infosec!

Book now with code EOY2025

Button

Comments

jdballinger

Depends on the company, but very very doubtful from the sound of it. I've seen people get Top Secret clearances with multiple bankruptcies on their report. Mostly all they want to make sure of is that you are taking care of any outstanding obligations (do you have a payment plan established with the collection agencies?) and they want to make sure that it isn't a pattern. You should be fine.

sieff

Curious about that as well. How much and why does credit effect your background check? The only way I'd see it being an issue is if you worked for a financial institution or handled money. Anyone have any idea how long it takes for the background check to come back? Also, like to know if you get the formal offer letter, does that imply that your background check was successful?

lsud00d

sieff wrote: »

Curious about that as well. How much and why does credit effect your background check?

It's more about responsibility than money...typically a good credit score correlates with someone who manages things in a responsible manner, which translates to mainly confidential/secret data when working in IT.

theanimal

I made lots of mistakes as young'n and had thousands of dollars of credit card debt, that went unpaid for years. I passed multiple background checks and even got a Secret security clearance via the USMC. (which since then has all been paid off)

A buddy in the USMC got his Top Secret with lots of small debt on his credit report.

From my personal experience, either it seems they aren't getting the information correctly or they just don't care.

jibbajabba

Here in the UK these kind of records only weight in when you try to work for a financial company. My contract even states immediate dismissal if I declare bankruptcy. I wouldn't even have gotten a foot in the door if I'd have a $10 miss-step in my records - but these are very special circumstances and what other companies usually say here is that this is only an issue if you owned a company and you drove it into the ground leaving 1000000s of debit

I wouldn't worry tbh.

bgaudy

Like I said, they are relatively small marks, and I plan on taking care of them ASAP.. Its just hard when working at my current job which doesn't pay well at all.

I do understand that your credit can determine, generally, whether you are responsible or not.. But I don't think it should be the deciding factor when hiring for a non-financial, non-sensitive info position. Should hear back early this week.. Possibly today, I'll let you all know how it goes.

bgaudy

sieff wrote: »

Curious about that as well. How much and why does credit effect your background check? The only way I'd see it being an issue is if you worked for a financial institution or handled money. Anyone have any idea how long it takes for the background check to come back? Also, like to know if you get the formal offer letter, does that imply that your background check was successful?

sieff, when looking for answers to my question on this forum, and others.. It seems that generally it is 2 days, to 2 weeks.. Depending on how deep the check is. 3-5 days was the average though. And once you get a formal offer letter, that means they are absolutely ready to employ you whenever they wanted you to start...

they may make a verbal, non-binding offer before they do the check.. to test whether you are serious about the position or not before they use additional resources to perform the check.

bgaudy

Good news, got the official job offer and accepted.

Will be providing over the phone & remote support for desktop/network issues, pay is $14.50/hr!

Thanks everyone for the reassurance, it really helped.. Plan on taking A+ 220-701 & 220-702 in the next couple of weeks (before I start the new gig). And will be certing up regularly, so you'll see me on here more often, I'm sure... with my questions, rants, and contributions

nosoup4u

Congrats on the new gig!