Will a BK hurt my chances at getting a job?
June 16, 2010 10:52 AM Subscribe
I have a job interview coming up that I'm a little nervous about, and needless to say I want some advice. It's a long read, so bring a cup of coffee for this one. If you can offer any insight or advice, I'd greatly appreciate it.
(Long story short, I've got a previous "BK" filing that I'm worried about)
Coming up soon is my first real job interview in about four years. There's that general concern that I'll be a little rusty with the hiring manager as to how I phrase answers to specific questions, but the less I force myself to think about it the better I have felt. I know deep down that if I just allow myself to be me rather than try to oversell myself I should come out alright. I'm not worried about my skills, qualifications or experience. Rather, I just want to make sure that I put as much effort as necessary to get this job not simply because I want it but because my family needs it. (more on that later)
What has me all excited (in a bad way) is that I've got a fun little skeleton in my closet waiting to say hello. Two years ago I filed for Chapter 7 Bankruptcy Protection. The case was discharged in December 2008, and I'm happy to report that my wife and I are still debt free. The nature of the bankruptcy was due primarily to mounting medical debt that she nor I couldn't negotiate payments on or simply afford to make monthly payments against considering our financial situation at the time. It isn't like we worked hard to rack up copious amounts of debt and then drank champagne while we burned up the bills and late notices we got in the mail. Life hit us pretty hard, not as hard as some, but hard enough.
I've never walked into an interview before where I've felt like I've got a strike against me going in. Years ago when I had my lowest credit score, which was about 8 months before my filing, I applied at Radioshack for seasonal work to draw a secondary income to try to make good on past due bills. After interviewing well and being told basically when I was going to start, I was denied employment after they ran credit on me. Yes, I understand the plight of a business - should they hire the well qualified applicant with credit problems or the otherwise suitable candidate without any credit problems - and would like many I understand the rationale behind an employer's decision regardless of how they sway.
My Question:
Do I, at any point, make reference of or allude to the fact I had ever filed for bankruptcy protection? Should I share my personal account of what transpired, remaining breif and factual? Or, should I not mention it at all and let them uncover the information when they do a criminal background and credit check? (And then try to sheepishly explain it?)
For the record, the position I will be interviewing for and the one I currently hold is in procurement. I make many financial decisions throughout the day totalling in the tens of thousands of dollars on an order by order basis. I have held my current position for nearly a decade and believe I'm more than competent when it comes to spending my employer's money wisely, and for what it is worth I believe the same could be said of my ability with any other organization.
As to why I need this job so much:
My wife has several chronic conditions that she will undoubtedly have for the rest of her life. At my current salary it will be almost impossible to continue our current standard of living without obtaining a secondary source of employment as the cost of medical treatment continues to rise and health benefits become less beneficial. It has already been said that next year's benefits will likely decrease while our salaries will once again be frozen. This will be the third year in a row I have not received a raise.
I'm sure there are others that have found themselves in situations far worse than what I've fallen into. This isn't a "poor me" post, and bottom line I want to express that this isn't about me, but rather my wife and children. I want to be a better provider for them both. I need to know how much of an obstacle a previous bankruptcy filing would be for me going into another procurement position.
Thank you for your time.
Coming up soon is my first real job interview in about four years. There's that general concern that I'll be a little rusty with the hiring manager as to how I phrase answers to specific questions, but the less I force myself to think about it the better I have felt. I know deep down that if I just allow myself to be me rather than try to oversell myself I should come out alright. I'm not worried about my skills, qualifications or experience. Rather, I just want to make sure that I put as much effort as necessary to get this job not simply because I want it but because my family needs it. (more on that later)
What has me all excited (in a bad way) is that I've got a fun little skeleton in my closet waiting to say hello. Two years ago I filed for Chapter 7 Bankruptcy Protection. The case was discharged in December 2008, and I'm happy to report that my wife and I are still debt free. The nature of the bankruptcy was due primarily to mounting medical debt that she nor I couldn't negotiate payments on or simply afford to make monthly payments against considering our financial situation at the time. It isn't like we worked hard to rack up copious amounts of debt and then drank champagne while we burned up the bills and late notices we got in the mail. Life hit us pretty hard, not as hard as some, but hard enough.
I've never walked into an interview before where I've felt like I've got a strike against me going in. Years ago when I had my lowest credit score, which was about 8 months before my filing, I applied at Radioshack for seasonal work to draw a secondary income to try to make good on past due bills. After interviewing well and being told basically when I was going to start, I was denied employment after they ran credit on me. Yes, I understand the plight of a business - should they hire the well qualified applicant with credit problems or the otherwise suitable candidate without any credit problems - and would like many I understand the rationale behind an employer's decision regardless of how they sway.
My Question:
Do I, at any point, make reference of or allude to the fact I had ever filed for bankruptcy protection? Should I share my personal account of what transpired, remaining breif and factual? Or, should I not mention it at all and let them uncover the information when they do a criminal background and credit check? (And then try to sheepishly explain it?)
For the record, the position I will be interviewing for and the one I currently hold is in procurement. I make many financial decisions throughout the day totalling in the tens of thousands of dollars on an order by order basis. I have held my current position for nearly a decade and believe I'm more than competent when it comes to spending my employer's money wisely, and for what it is worth I believe the same could be said of my ability with any other organization.
As to why I need this job so much:
My wife has several chronic conditions that she will undoubtedly have for the rest of her life. At my current salary it will be almost impossible to continue our current standard of living without obtaining a secondary source of employment as the cost of medical treatment continues to rise and health benefits become less beneficial. It has already been said that next year's benefits will likely decrease while our salaries will once again be frozen. This will be the third year in a row I have not received a raise.
I'm sure there are others that have found themselves in situations far worse than what I've fallen into. This isn't a "poor me" post, and bottom line I want to express that this isn't about me, but rather my wife and children. I want to be a better provider for them both. I need to know how much of an obstacle a previous bankruptcy filing would be for me going into another procurement position.
Thank you for your time.
If the job involves you being issued a corporate credit card to do procurement I think you'll have to mention it, as your BK may mean you won't get one.
posted by IanMorr at 12:10 PM on June 16, 2010
posted by IanMorr at 12:10 PM on June 16, 2010
Best answer: Definitely absolutely 100% go "don't ask don't tell" on this one. There are two possibilities:
1. This is the sort of company that runs credit checks on prospective employees, in which case they'll find out on their own.
2. They don't run credit checks, in which case they'll only find out if you tell them.
Regarding #1, if you haven't brought it to their attention - i.e. if they have deniability - they may choose to overlook it, if they like you enough. No one likes having to hire people by their credit score, and a motivated manager can easily find a way to scuttle the paperwork quietly if they want to.
If they bring it up, then just explain the facts in as dry and boring a fashion as possible. Resist the temptation to portray yourself as the helpless victim of circumstance, or be the least bit dramatic. "We had a situation with some bad medical debt" should be explanation enough.
In a broader sense, a bankruptcy is no longer as prejudicial as it used to be. Bankruptcies are a dime a dozen these days. Any employer who wants to rule out employees with bankruptcies is going to have a hard time with that.
Of all the ways to harm your credit, a bankruptcy is definitely the most responsible.
posted by ErikaB at 12:15 PM on June 16, 2010 [4 favorites]
1. This is the sort of company that runs credit checks on prospective employees, in which case they'll find out on their own.
2. They don't run credit checks, in which case they'll only find out if you tell them.
Regarding #1, if you haven't brought it to their attention - i.e. if they have deniability - they may choose to overlook it, if they like you enough. No one likes having to hire people by their credit score, and a motivated manager can easily find a way to scuttle the paperwork quietly if they want to.
If they bring it up, then just explain the facts in as dry and boring a fashion as possible. Resist the temptation to portray yourself as the helpless victim of circumstance, or be the least bit dramatic. "We had a situation with some bad medical debt" should be explanation enough.
In a broader sense, a bankruptcy is no longer as prejudicial as it used to be. Bankruptcies are a dime a dozen these days. Any employer who wants to rule out employees with bankruptcies is going to have a hard time with that.
Of all the ways to harm your credit, a bankruptcy is definitely the most responsible.
posted by ErikaB at 12:15 PM on June 16, 2010 [4 favorites]
Also, if you've got a few days to prepare, find the "100 trickiest/hardest interview questions" (there are plenty of sites on the web with these - most are very similar), and come up with *good* answers and write them down. The best answers tell a (short, very short) story about you or your capabilities.
This exercise should take some time - it took me a couple of days, but was well worth it.
Then, just before the interview (that morning), review your q/a - it will help you feel prepared for those 'off the wall' questions. I'm assuming you've done your research on the hiring company.
Most interviews will hit you with one to a few of these - I had an interview several months ago that was nothing *but* those questions! Because I had reviewed my answers, I was calmly prepared to answer each one. It worked.
Good Luck!
posted by dbmcd at 12:37 PM on June 16, 2010 [1 favorite]
This exercise should take some time - it took me a couple of days, but was well worth it.
Then, just before the interview (that morning), review your q/a - it will help you feel prepared for those 'off the wall' questions. I'm assuming you've done your research on the hiring company.
Most interviews will hit you with one to a few of these - I had an interview several months ago that was nothing *but* those questions! Because I had reviewed my answers, I was calmly prepared to answer each one. It worked.
Good Luck!
posted by dbmcd at 12:37 PM on June 16, 2010 [1 favorite]
Medical debt is the #1 cause of bankruptcies in this country. There's a perception in the media, brought on by the personal debt gurus, that medical debt is "honorable" debt. It's not debt that you chose to get into, it's debt you were forced into. Most people understand that. People that don't, you don't want to work for anyway.
Radioshack and other retailers are different in that they have to put employees through a binary process. Additionally, the risk of putting someone with financial problems near electronic equipment is the type of risk that a large national chain isn't going to take on, whether or not that's a fair judgment isn't the point here.
I agree with don't ask, don't tell. The company either checks or doesn't, and if they check, they either have a firm policy or they don't. If they don't, and it's left up to the hiring manager's discretion, and they like you, they will ask you. ErikaB's suggestion of a dry recitation of the facts should be sufficient.
What also may be important here is your ability to offer a reference from your current employer. If they can vouch for you, that will likely assuage any concerns the employer has, if it's left to their discretion.
posted by micawber at 1:39 PM on June 16, 2010
Radioshack and other retailers are different in that they have to put employees through a binary process. Additionally, the risk of putting someone with financial problems near electronic equipment is the type of risk that a large national chain isn't going to take on, whether or not that's a fair judgment isn't the point here.
I agree with don't ask, don't tell. The company either checks or doesn't, and if they check, they either have a firm policy or they don't. If they don't, and it's left up to the hiring manager's discretion, and they like you, they will ask you. ErikaB's suggestion of a dry recitation of the facts should be sufficient.
What also may be important here is your ability to offer a reference from your current employer. If they can vouch for you, that will likely assuage any concerns the employer has, if it's left to their discretion.
posted by micawber at 1:39 PM on June 16, 2010
Nthing don't ask, don't tell. If the hiring manager asks something along the lines of, "Is there anything in your background check that we should know about?", tell them then, but no sooner. A question like "Is there anything else we need to know about you?" is NOT asking about the skeletons in your closet; they're giving you an opportunity to tell them about other strengths you may not have discussed in the interview. You probably understand this distinction, but I wanted to bring it up just in case.
If the company does screen employees for bad credit and your bankruptcy was due to medical debt, there's a chance it won't even matter. Like micawber says, there is this idea that medical debts are "good" debts, and so they often aren't held against you.
Good luck...and congratulations on being debt-free!
posted by pecanpies at 4:00 PM on June 16, 2010
If the company does screen employees for bad credit and your bankruptcy was due to medical debt, there's a chance it won't even matter. Like micawber says, there is this idea that medical debts are "good" debts, and so they often aren't held against you.
Good luck...and congratulations on being debt-free!
posted by pecanpies at 4:00 PM on June 16, 2010
Response by poster: Thanks for your insight everyone. I had the interview and it seemed to go over really well. I didn't bring up the BK. I was told I would hear something soon. It sounded like I'd be a great fit for the company.
posted by wamsille at 10:29 AM on June 18, 2010
posted by wamsille at 10:29 AM on June 18, 2010
This thread is closed to new comments.
posted by royalsong at 11:06 AM on June 16, 2010 [1 favorite]