IT Employment

The short answer is, yes. They do have the legal right to request that you submit to a credit check. Moreover, some companies may be justified in making such a request. For example, a defense contractor, or some other company that deals with ?sensitive? information, actually has an obligation to make sure they limit (or eliminate) the chances of hiring someone that is - or may be - a security risk. Someone with severe financial problems may indeed fall into that category. They may pose as a potential target of being approached by someone (a spy) asking for sensitive information in exchange for money. It does ? and has ? happened. Espionage is a real fact of life. It?s usually equated with government contractor companies, such as Lockheed, Raytheon, etc. But even corporate espionage could be a real threat to the company?s security. Some companies may be stretching the ?security? limits a bit, and unnecessarily invade that part of one?s privacy, but they do have that right. However, youhave the right to re

My answer continued...

However, you have the right to refuse to submit, but you probably won?t be considered for the job. Since you didn't mention the company, you have to decide the merits of that request.

If you have a decent (or average) credit standing, it?s really no big deal. And if you do make a big deal out of it, you?ll appear to be less of a ?company guy?. If you have less than perfect credit, it doesn?t necessarily mean that you won?t get the job, but it could be brought up as an area of concern. How you handle it will speak volumes on how you?ll be dedicated to the overall company mission.