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The Financial Woes of Mr. and Mrs. Poor Credit
Mr. and Mrs. Poor Credit are no different from the many Americans with serious financial woes. Outstanding loans, credit card debt and a job loss combined to put them in an undesirable financial situation. Follow the journey of Mr. and Mrs. Poor Credit in their diary.
Sept. 7, 10:00 am: Credit is more important than you might think. It determines the house you can buy and the car you drive. It can even affect the job you may or may not get.
I’m waiting patiently to hear back from a job I recently applied for. The recruiter called a few minutes ago and said they were going to run a criminal and credit check. “Do you have anything I should know about?” he asked with a laugh.
“Hmmm…. No criminal record that I can think of,” I answered teasingly. But a little voice said, “Oh great, I know that my credit is horrible!” A couple of years of credit card debt, student loans and a divorce can really mess up your credit. Not to mention all those library books I forgot to take back. Yes, the public library will take you to collections!
Checking my credit was discrimination! What did a low credit score and late payments have to do with my ability to do my job? Did paying a bill late make me a horrible writer? I had been out of work for several months already, and as my money was running out, I was using credit to pay for groceries. I was getting desperate and needed this job. This credit check was unfair!
I recently pulled my credit score, and it was dismal. I was in the yellow. Not Great. . .not even Good, I was Poor. How right they were. As the weeks passed, my bank account and credit were both testimonials to how poor I actually was.
The company I was applying to was an upcoming software company, and I was hoping to become their next technical editor. So again, how did my credit–or lack thereof–affect my job?
Well, I thought grumbling, it did. As much as I didn’t like to admit it, my poor credit reflected my poor judgment and financial irresponsibility.
I opened my big book of credit card bills and looked through the purchases:
- $200 red leather pumps
- Trip to Mexico in spring
- $4.00 Starbucks–and that’s daily
These were all purchases when I was readily employed and making good money. But did I really need to spend my money like this? And shouldn’t I have used cash instead of credit? That $4.00 latte, with finance charges, late fees and 26% interest rates, probably cost me more like $20.
If I was the hiring manager, wouldn’t I want to hire an individual who was mature and responsible enough to make good choices, could balance their checkbook and know right from wrong? Although, in my defense, those red shoes were so right!
A s a technical editor, I would be managing a small department with a budget, I would have expenses and I would have to make the right decisions for me, my group and my company. As much as I hated it, my credit score, it did say a lot about me. Maybe some of my financial woes were the economy, and bad stuff out of my control. But there was a lot that I had control over. I hoped that when my credit check came through, they would weigh the good and the bad–and see way past the bad. I guess I would just have to wait it out.
Sept. 11, 1:00 pm: I just got a call back from my recruiter with a message to call him. He said it was important. I hope it’s good news. I need it!
