Job Interview

[JennX]

I have heard that some employers do credit reports but how common is that?  I have terrible credit.  My ex got us into all kind of debt when we were married and we had to file for bankruptcy. So bad credit can keep me from a job?  Seems unfair since it has nothing to do with how well I can work.

I agree. It should be an non-issue. The company I work for does run a credit check and criminal background check on all serious prospective applicants. The thing with the credit check is, some employers see it as a predictor/indicator of how well you manage things (ie money), and if you are in say "deep debt", you may be more likely to do bad things to help yourself get out of it. It doesn't take in to account all the things that can happen in life, and different people's living situations. I personally put no weight in it, and have hired many people with horrible credit ratings and bankruptcies that have been great workers. So, it depends on the person making the decision. I really wouldn't worry much about it. 

[Zumbagirl]

many people with horrible credit ratings and bankruptcies that have been great workers. So, it depends on the person making the decision. I really wouldn't worry much about it. 

Sadly that's not always the case. A lot of companies will use a FICO score as a minimum hiring criteria, example no one below a 600 can work there. It will never be written down anywhere, so don't ask anyone to produce a document. Those are the unwritten rules of company executives and management.  I worked for a company where I had one small minor ding on my credit report and they called me on the carpet to explain it. Luckily it was a mistake and I had the paperwork to prove it and back up my claim, in this case a cancelled check that proved a payment was made, so they overlooked it.

On the plus side you do have a divorce to tie in with the bankruptcy so that might work in your favor.

If you are really really worried, then here is another suggestion. Work as a consultant or contact person, a temp. Pick some place you would like to work and worh there like you own the place. Hiring criteria for contractors is generally lower and it's easier to get into one of these kinds of jobs. Benefits will suck, the money will be good and at least you will be working. If the company extended you an offer and you have done an outstanding job for them, they ae going to place far less significance on the background check. A lot of companies do this "try before you buy" philosophy. They hire a consultant for 6 months and if they like the work, they hire them.

[Sadie]

Oh I am definitely open to contract to hire positions.  Criminal background check is no problem either as I had to get a State and Federal criminal background check to change my name in NC.

I have no idea what my credit score is, when I go on sites and check my credit for my current name it states I have a thin file and no score can be produced.  I figured that since my SSN is the same the old information would carry over but that does not seem to be the case. I have no credit cards (just a debit through my bank) since my bankruptcy.  I have tried to get a secured card but being unemployed leaves me with no reportable income so...not sure. I may be able to submit my W-2 from last year before I was laid off but it has the wrong name on it, I need to get my old employer to change my name.

This certainly was not my plan.  I had planned to transition on the job but got laid off a month before I went full-time as I was waiting on my name change to be complete.

[Zumbagirl]

If it's any consolation, the day after I told my employer that i was transitioning I was fired and walked right out the door. I had dreams of transitioning on the job, getting surgery and living happily ever after, but that all turned out to be a pipe dream.

I had no choice, I had to start over. I was left with no other possibilities. I hadn't worked there very long for severance pay so I was pretty much in the cold for a while. Looking back, I have to think I had some pretty big kahunas because the day after I was fired I did my name change and said this is it.

You know going back to old employers turned out to be quite a blessing in disguise. I really really didn't want to do it, I was scared to death, but I did it. I had a really good reputation at other employers including the one who fired me, and I got a lot of tips, places that were hiring, etc. In the end, I had an old boss who surprised me utterly by helping to find me a job. If you would have asked me in a million years that he would have been helpful I would have said no. He was what women call a "sexist horn dog pig" but he was really nice to me and even greased the new employer with a solid endorsement. It was all I needed to get back in the front door and start a new job. At the end of the interview, they made me a job offer on the spot. I was so happy, I said yes. It was far less than I was worth, but that's the least wonderful part of the world of women, being underpaid.

[Sadie]

Oh I had one more thought.  The majority of the opinions seem to say don't tell because your just hurting yourself but what happens if they offer me a position and then look at my drivers license?  In the state of North Carolina you are not allowed to change your gender marker on your DL until you've had your SRS surgery.

[Brooke777]

Oh I had one more thought.  The majority of the opinions seem to say don't tell because your just hurting yourself but what happens if they offer me a position and then look at my drivers license?  In the state of North Carolina you are not allowed to change your gender marker on your DL until you've had your SRS surgery.

Let them look. Once they got that far, if they want to not hire you because of it then it is not a company you would want to work for anyway. IMHO

[crazy at the coast]

Oh I had one more thought.  The majority of the opinions seem to say don't tell because your just hurting yourself but what happens if they offer me a position and then look at my drivers license?  In the state of North Carolina you are not allowed to change your gender marker on your DL until you've had your SRS surgery.

If they ask, then explain it. But it seems when I have to show mine, I don't think anyone even notices, they are usually more interested in matching the picture to the name. Where I work, they knew I was trans before I ever even applied, so it was never an issue.

[Emily Aster]

Oh I had one more thought.  The majority of the opinions seem to say don't tell because your just hurting yourself but what happens if they offer me a position and then look at my drivers license?  In the state of North Carolina you are not allowed to change your gender marker on your DL until you've had your SRS surgery.

How many companies actually take the time to scrutinize your driver's license? I'd bet if they were going as far as looking at your gender marker on your driver's license, that they would have already made up their mind to let you go and just needed a valid reason.

I did research into my own field last night after seeing this thread because I have a clearance. Anyway, turns out someone won a federal court case in DC over not being offered a job because of going through a transition, so I wouldn't spend too much time worrying about this: http://www.cnn.com/2008/US/09/19/transsexual.discrimination/index.html

[tgchar21]

Most applications do ask though if you have ever changed you legal name, so you want to be ready for that question as well.

What they're usually interested in is if they need to know if any records they want to check (e.g. work, school, criminal) are under another name. If everything relevant is under your new name then it probably won't be an issue (if you want to be safe you can put down that no pertinent records are under any other name). On the other hand, you CAN get in trouble by concealing work history if you're hoping they won't inquire about that (so if any employers they ask about only know you by your old name you'll have to bring that up), and you can get in serious trouble if you have any criminal history under your old name and the employer doesn't know about it due to the name change.

Also to the OP: In many places it's illegal (or highly discouraged) for an employer to ask you in that manner (asking if you've legally changed your name). If you were known by another name that is relevant to the application process even if you never legally changed it you'll need to disclose it (e.g. if a reference only knows you by your nickname, or if you committed a crime under an alias and the record is under that name), and as I mentioned employers do not need to know about legal name changes beyond what they need to know to properly do a background check (a non-TS example is the birth name of someone adopted as a child). Differences in phrasing may seem superficial to most people but can strongly impact legality when on a job application (another example is asking if someone was ever arrested vs. ever convicted of a crime - someone innocent could be arrested but then acquitted, or asking if they're a citizen vs. authorized to work in the country).

[tgchar21]

To the OP: How did the interview go? Did they ask anything that would out you, or did you mention anything on your own along those lines?

[Zumbagirl]

To the OP: How did the interview go? Did they ask anything that would out you, or did you mention anything on your own along those lines?

Good question! Inquiring minds want to know!!

[Sadie]

They didn't mention anything about me being trans and I didn't offer any information on that subject. I don't know if they would have made an offer, as I took myself out of the running when I found out what the pay was way too low. I can do better.