Bad Credit

[rleslie65]

I have a question, i am learning about the hiring process more and more each day, and i have heard that they look into you credit. well the problem is when i was in college i went kind of crazy with credit card and some what, but i am currently serving my 5th and hopefully last year in the military as a firefighter, and havent had any problems since, i am still working on fixing my credit, what i was wondering if my screw ups in college will affect my chances of getting hired?

Thank you

[BCLepore]

Yes, you will be held responsible for your credit in college. Serving in the military as a firefighter makes yo an attractive candidate. The best thing I read in your profile is that you are working on fixing your credit. We all make mistakes. It's how you handle them that defines you.

Paul Lepore
Battalion Chief
www.aspiringfirefighters.com

[rleslie65]

Thank you chief

[Firestorm1]

Many departments are looking into the credit history of applicants. As the Chief stated earlier, the fact that you are working to correct the situation says a great deal about you. Above all, if questions regarding your poor credit history come up in an interview, take responsibility.

If you own up to problems in your past, take responsibility, explain what you learned from the situation, and point out that such a problem has not occured since, the damage will be much less. The worst thing you could do is blame others for anything negative in your background, including poor credit.

Good luck,
David Arthur, FF/EMT
wwww.firedepartmentcareer.com

[rleslie65]

Thank you Mr. Arthur

[MoparFyrMan1]

I just do not agree with a dept checking credit history. If they do it for hiring, then they should continue to monitor it and fire anyone who falls on hard times while on the job. Just because someone has bad credit doesn't mean they will be a bad firefighter. There are plenty of people with prefect credit who get hired and have no business on a fire truck.

[bobbymurphy]

I can see where you're coming from. However poor credit generally shows a lack of responsibility. You're right, just because someone has bad credit doesn't mean they will be a bad firefighter but I would venture to say that someone who has bad credit is more likely to be a bad firefighter than someone who has good credit. A credit check is just one of many tools used to shrink the large pool of applicants most departments recieve.