How Bad Credit Can Affect Job Prospects

We all know that our personal credit history affects our ability to secure a home loan or open an account at a department store. But most Americans are unaware that bad credit could cost them a job. Employers can refuse to hire applicants because of their credit history.

Many employers use credit history as a tool in their pre-employment screening as just one measure of judgment and character. If you can't manage your financial obligations, they wonder if it's a sign of irresponsibility. If your monthly debt payment is higher than your salary, some employers worry that it may distract from your performance.

Schools Fail to Check Record of Bus Drivers, Montee Says

School districts are not always meeting requirements for bus driver drug testing and criminal record checks.

And even if they did, state Auditor Susan Montee said it would not be enough to protect child passengers.

A state audit released yesterday finds that about 3 percent of bus drivers and aides never had a fingerprint criminal record check.

Victorians on Both Sides of Issue

Some local gun shop owners support the Supreme Court’s ruling on the Second Amendment, while other residents think more, not less, gun control should be enacted locally.

The shop owners emphasized that safety should be stressed in gun ownership.

Safety is the key issue, said Darrell Hester, owner Victoria All Sport, of Mission Valley. He takes the time to explain the step-by-step procedures in handgun use and connects novices with safety instructors. In addition, “every gun goes out with a lock, that’s the law,” he said.

Background Checks: What You Need to Know

Most jobs nowadays, from cashier to a senior executive, require a background check. And more employers are vetting longtime employees, too. These investigations are done increasingly by outside screening companies. Here's some things applicants and employers need to know:

Check prior background reports. Under federal law, you are entitled to a copy of any background report that had been done on you, for a minimal fee of $10 or less. In three states, California, Minnesota, and Oklahoma, they're free. You need to know which screening firm out of the nearly 2,000 nationwide did the report.

State Lags on School Background Checks

People with criminal histories have been able to work in area schools for several months because of delays in state-managed background checks of new hires.

Total backlog in Albany right now: Close to 800 cases.

The issue hit home for the Utica City School District, where it was discovered May 19 that an unidentified part-time lunch monitor at Proctor High School failed to clear the fingerprinting check.

Foreign Care Workers Escape Background Check

Tens of thousands of immigrants are working with vulnerable elderly people and children without undergoing full criminal record checks, it has emerged.

Senior police officers have warned the Home Secretary Jacqui Smith of the scale of the problem in a report examining the affect on the UK of immigration from Eastern Europe.

It warns of the huge costs to police forces of having to carry out checks on behalf of a new watchdog to vet care workers, and says the authority will not redress the problem.

Many of Britain's care homes, which are currently home to 400,000 elderly people, rely on foreign staff because British workers are reluctant to take the jobs.

Waiting Part of Hiring Process

The hiring process can grind to a halt for many reasons, including vacations, shifting priorities, slow approval processes, changing business conditions, or a million other things.

To an anxious applicant, the waiting seems interminable. But on the hiring end, time is passing much faster.

The only real reason to worry is if something unpleasant may have been unearthed by the background check. Otherwise, just be patient. Frequent calls and e-mails will only annoy your prospective employer.