What Credit Report Information Can An Employer See?

A lot of folks use the term “Credit Report” and “Credit Score” interchangeably, but there are a few key differences between the two. For one, the Credit Score is actually created based on the contents of your Credit Report. The score is used as an indicator of how worthy you are of receiving a loan from financial institutions. However, the Credit Score is of little use to an organization in regards to hiring. As such, prospective employers and the consumer reporting agencies they may use are actually unable to see your three-digit credit score.

Fact: What employers CAN pull is a Credit Report. But the report they see differs from the one lenders see. When an employer checks your credit it registers as an employment screening. Credit bureaus actually have a separate report they generate for this purpose. How does this report differ?

1) An employment credit report does not affect your credit score.

2) An employment credit report does not show your date of birth.

3) Financial institutions and other employers are unable to see that this report was requested, only you can view the instance.

4) An employer must have explicit written permission to check your credit, unlike a mortgage application or car loan.

5) In many cases the interviewer will not see the contents of the report. Many companies outsource this process to an organization like InfoQuest!