Federal Job and Credit Report

[sweets2323]

Come on family i have people looking but no response

Went to my 3rd interview and i was offered the job pending my credit report and back ground.

My background is clean

But i told him that i have a gew things on my credit report

A charge off that i am paying off right now... I  put 1500 down with (Pentagroup) and agreed to pay 625 for four months so i have 2 months to go before i am finish

he told me to request a letter from them that i am on a payment plan

I have 112 that i owed unique for some  library books I jusr paid off a few days ago. I asked them to remove if ipaid in full by a letter, they said NO. So I paid over the phone (Unique)

I have a 80 garbage bill that i owed when i was in Georgia i also wrote them a letter.. (Coast to Coast Financial) They was not having it. So i will pay that this week.

He told me to handle those 2 collection its small and pay it off

I am in collection with Best buy but i am paying them as well. I owe them 1400 now. (Coporate Receivables)

I owe Capital one but i am paying them monthly with our a problem

My soon to be boss told me to get a letter redy explainin why i was late etc and explain to them that i am a good personand went through hardship etc.

I hope this does not hinder me.. Anyone went throught something like this.. He told me that they will ask me and to get my letter ready.

[MarineVietVet]

I think your soon to be boss gave you some good advice. In your letter be honest and direct and as simply as possible explain your situation and don't leave anything out even if the details might be painful or embarrassing. Few of us are immune from financial trouble and interviewers know that. I believe they will be looking for someone who is upfront with them about past problems. Honesty will go a long way with getting this job.

Good luck to you.

From a BK years ago to:
9/09 EX pulled by lender 802
3/10 EQ- 800
4/10 TU -772

You can do the same thing with hard work

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[guiness56]

It also can depend on the type of Federal job and if an investigator was involved or not.  I just went through my TS reinvestigation.  The investigator was not a nice person at all.  They already had a copy of my CR and most of the things had already been paid or I was in a payment agreement with them.  When I offered to show the receipts for payments etc, he refused to look at them.  He told me it was now in the hands of the Adjuticator.  He said it was up to them.  If he left it like that, it looked as if I had not done anything.  It is a good thing I kept all those receipts and if they do deny my clearance, I can appeal it. 

[marty56]

I been around security investigations since 1983.  I have known people with BK or other major credit problems who have kept their security clearence.  I know the process is a PITA  but just give them what they want and be honest.  As long as they see that you are woring on past credit mistakes, you should be fine.

Also if it helps, they won't deny you a security clearence without bringing the isssue up first and giving you a chance to explain. 

[sweets2323]

he told me to let them know that i have virtue and i come from a strong backgrond and i went thru hardship and i am a responsible person an i am clearing my credit up now

[RobertEG]

Having also been a federal manager for decades, with almost all my employees also requiring a security clearances after employment, the biggest issue I saw, by far, in both employment checks and aecurity investigations is truthfullness. 

For many federal jobs, they might even hire before completion of your full background check, but if erroneous or misleading information not included in your application is found, that is grounds for your immediate dismissal.

Concealment is a big red flag.  If you are hiding it from them, that raises issues not only of yuour integrity, but also your susceptibility of coercion, and thus compromise of your job performance.  That is the risk.  If you are honest, the issue of concealment.coercion goes away. 

Of course, you stlll have to deal with the debt issues, but you dont want additional issues of concealment.   Each position deccription in the federal government has a position sensitivity level assigned to it.  The higher the sensitivity level, the more scrutiny you will receive.  So a lot depends upon the job itself.

Your prospective boss ultimately makes the hiring recommendation (not the final offer).  If he extends a request back to his human relations/personell branch, and is willing to stand by it, then you will almost always get the job offer, unless personnel can show a statutory or regulatory basis for not extending the offer.

You are doing everthing right.  Being honest to the person that really matters... your new boss.

[Anonymous]

To jump on the bandwagon, be truthful.

I know people who have had fairly big issues and have been approved up to TS, at least.  I believe if you have unpaid issues, that might be a problem.

On the other hand, I know of an individual who forgot to disclose a 1996 misdemeanor conviction for urinating on the side of the Interstate who was walked off the job because of it.  Not because of the issue, but because he didn't disclose it.

Besides, I figure with the government owing 15 trillion, what's a overdue bill here or there?

Good luck.

[RobertEG]

There is one primary factor in both being hired by the federal government, and then in ultimately getting higher security designations once hired.

That is the support of your boss/prospective boss.

This is the way it works.

Your prospective boss or current boss reviews your appllcation, and also hopefully interviews you, and then makes a recommendation to hire.  Then it goes back to this mysterious clan of clerks called the Personnel Branch/Human Relations, or whatever your agency calls it.  They feel, and maybe rightfully so, that it is their obligation to oppose a recommendation made by a manager if they see grounds for doing so.

So it then comes back to the proposing manager. 

IF your maanger supports you, and if his/her GS/GM level is high enough, the boss will win over Personnnel almost 100% of the time, unless it is a felony matter.

I wont get into the many situations I have been involved in, but my recommendation was never overuled by Personnel if I decided to stick by my guns.

That is the real world of how it works.  If the manager wants you, maybe it will also require the support of the manager's supervisor, but if you convince the managers, that is what matters.  As a Senior Exec manager upon my retirement, no Personell oppostion ever overided my recommendation.

Dont worry about the negatives, if your prospective boss understands them, and still wants you.  Just dont lie to him.  He is putting his neck out for you.

[RobertEG]

Sweets, looking back at your original post, I truly hope you get the job!

But if you dont, let me offer some advice in further job interviews.

If they make you an offer that is contingent upon any type of credit or background check, that is NOT the time to raise your potential dirty laundry.

Employment inverviews with a potential supersisor have restrictions upon how much they can delve into your personal life as a condition for offer of empoyment.

That is why the Gvt has Personnel Offices.  To check background.

Just tell the one making the intial offer  that you will be truthful in any check or investigation that they want to make. Let it go at that.  If questons come back, deal with them truthfully.

Get the job offer, then deal with the issues they raise only after they first raise them.  They may only do a NACI, and hire on that, without a credit check.