Pre-employment drug screening, background check and credit check?

[Crazy Dave]

You guys have to understand that I really haven't had to compete in the job market for over 22 years with the exception of trying to hire enough qualified people myself 10 years ago.

Already one employer (a local hunting/camping store) has asked me about a felony drug arrest in 1984 that has never showed up previously on anybody's background searches and now another wants to run a credit check on me to determine if they should hire me to install home satellite systems???

[Rabrrrrrr]

1. I've known big firms who have done the credit checks, because it makes sense,

but sadly, even smaller businesses (and also churches!) are doing it now.

Good way to keep the poor, poor.

Drug screening I can understand, and I'm fine with that. And background check makes some sense for a lot of jobs.

But credit checks? That's just fucking annoying. Except, of course, at big firms where big money is at stake.

But what they really need is a future credit check, for the CEOs before they're hired, to see if they're gonna turn into criminal jagoffs. That's what we really need.

[rcrush]

2. I have a problem with drug screening

That includes marijuana.

[Crazy Dave]

5. Me too

I'd rather work next to someone who smoked a joint the night before and got a good night's sleep versus someone who was drinking heavily for most of the night.

[Crazy Dave]

3. I could see a credit check too for a financial manager or similar

But for a purely manual labor job I don't get it. Maybe it's a convenient filter to wipe out 200 - 300 of the 500 applicants as soon as the job is advertised. A friend of mine at a chiropractor's office said as of today they've had 300 applicants for an office assistant position that pays $8 an hour.

[Rabrrrrrr]

16. Agreed - for manula labor, or low-level stuff, it makes no sense.

But it is, as I mentioned, a good way to keep the poor, poor, because chances are good they're gonna have a bad credit report because, duh, they're poor.

[Danger Mouse]

4. Credit checks are bullshit. It's like branding you with a scarlet letter.

[Crazy Dave]

7. Yeah and thanks to both mine and my wife's ex's

Our credit scores are constantly getting fucked. Her ex recently passed away so we're getting some relief on her side. Me...I've been divorced for over 14 years but yet the ex can still get credit cards and use my social security number for stuff and the authorities never do anything to her.

[LeftyMom]

6. They figure if you owe money you're more likely to steal.

I'd think if you owe you're more motivated to work, but hey, I'm broke and honest so nobody asked my opinion.

[Crazy Dave]

8. They did that for my homeowner's insurance 8 years ago

They claim that people with bad credit are higher risks because they're more likely torch their house.

They just used it to jack up my rates

[LeftyMom]

10. Car insurance does the same.

Somehow I doubt poor people get in more wrecks.

[Crazy Dave]

13. No but they're worried we might cause more damage to someone's new Lexus

With our older cars

[Crazy Dave]

14. Deleted double post

[madinmaryland]

15. Hey Dave! Love the "wave" gif...

[demnan]

9. If the hunting store sells guns

I can see why they would have tight qualifications for their employees. There may be a state law that requires it. It does depend on what a person is doing. For instance, airport employees. You would want them screened, right?

On the other hand, I turned down interviews because they asked me to take a drug test. But I only build software, so I decided that those companies were not the type of places I wanted to work.

[Crazy Dave]

11. Sure

If it were violent crime or domestic abuse charge but for a marijuana arrest with the judgment deferred and the charges dropped I don't get it.

I can buy a firearm and walk out of a store today as I have a concealed weapons permit.

[rcrush]

12. A few years ago I got hired as a manager for a movie theatre chain.

They did a criminal and background check and a credit check on me. Just to be a theatre manager. No drug test tho.