How Your Credit Score Can Affect Getting a Job

Written by Lauren Lind 

Many people aren’t aware that your credit score can affect you in your job search. Depending on the State Law, an employer can in fact check your credit score.  As of July 2013, according to the Colorado Department of Labor & Employment, Colorado is one of the states that strictly limit the circumstances in which employers may use credit reports in making employment decisions. An employer may require applicants and employees to authorize the employer to view their credit reports if the employer is a bank or financial institution, or is required by state or federal law to use credit history for employment purposes. The limited circumstances include a situation where the job involves a contract with the federal departments of defense, intelligence, national security, or space.

Employers may also use credit information if the job is an executive, managerial, or officer position (or professional administrative staff to such positions), and involves at least one of these duties:
• Setting the direction or control of a unit, agency, division, or the entire business
fiduciary responsibility to the employer
• Access to the financial information of customers, employees, or the employer (beyond the information routinely provided in retail transactions), or
• The authority to enter into contracts, collect debts, or issue payments

If you fall under these exceptions or live in a state where employers may use your credit score freely in the hiring process, then you need to be aware of the following:

• Employers might consider you a liability. It is very possible that the employer will correlate your struggles with your credit and home situations with projected ability to be present at work.

• This could be the deal-breaker between you and your competition. If your competitor’s credit score is good and your score is in the dumps then you automatically knock yourself out of the running.

• Bad credit sends you on a downward spiral. It gets exhausting trying to keep up with previous bills after being unemployed. It becomes harder to gain employment, even though you may be qualified in every other area.

• You can say goodbye to a job in finance until your credit is in the clear.  The reasoning for this is fairly simple, if you cannot handle your own finances, what would make the employer believe you could handle anyone else’s finances?

Luckily, since we live in Colorado, your credit score cannot legally be used against you unless you fall under the specifications listed above. Employers want to be able to trust you and believe that if you have a long-term good credit standing, it will relate to your reliability.

Hat tip: Colorado Department of Labor & Employment

Are you Difficult to Work With?

-->

Written by Lauren Lind

Everyone has that one co-worker that just irks him or her. Whether it’s their constant nagging or over-sharing, you try to dodge their presence at all costs. You, on the other hand of course, are the perfect co-worker. You are always pleasant, always meeting deadlines, easy to get along with, and are never annoying...right? Unfortunately, we all tend to think that the issue could not possibly be ourselves, myself included. Have you ever considered that YOU may be the co-worker that is snickered about or is draining energy from your office?

I found myself the other day going on and on about how much I hated the Bachelor Juan Pablo and didn’t realize I was using my co-worker as my sounding board. I never considered that I could be draining my poor co-worker. After some self-reflection, I have realized that I have things that can be worked on as a co-worker so that I am a more enjoyable person to work with. We all have little things that can be improved upon. Simply put, we are all human. I want to be the co-worker that I expect my fellow colleagues to be.

Valued qualities in a co-worker and employee are:

1.    Empathy
Being empathetic is important because it shows that you care about more than yourself. Have you ever had a co-worker that could never empathize? It is not enjoyable to work with him or her because they show little concern for anyone but themselves.

2.    Autonomy

Have you ever had a colleague that needed hand holding through every project? Being able to work on your own and taking the initiative makes working together easier for those involved.

3.    Interpersonal Skills

There are some boundaries that should not be crossed in the office. Showing interpersonal skills and being able to “play well with others in the corporate sandbox” can get you far. Learning how to manage conflict and not talk negatively about your less favorable co-workers can get make you a person that people want to work with.

4.    Flexibility & adaptability

Being the co-worker that has to have their way no matter what gets old. Really listening to other’s ideas and trying to compromise can go a long way. Also showing the ability to rearrange meetings and making time for the people you work with to talk face-to-face can help combat aggressive emails that can lead to conflicts.

5.    Positivity

Debbie Downer and Negative Nancy are just plain energy suckers. Remaining upbeat and positive about the on-goings within your organization or company will help the overall morale.

6. Self-awareness

It all boils down to being self-aware. As I mentioned before, we all tend to think that we are never the ‘problem co-worker,’ but are you being honest with yourself? Doing a self-evaluation can help the office be a better place in general. Be the co-worker that you want everyone else to be.

You may or may not suck to work with. Either way, it is always good to look internally and see how you can make your workplace better. The less ‘suckiness’ in the world, the better right?

Hat tip: Arnie Fertig

How to be a Star Employee and Still have a Life Outside of Work

 

Let’s face it, trying to be the outstanding employee you know that you can be and maintaining work/life balance can often be difficult. The struggle between dedicating all your time to your work responsibilities and wanting to be yourself without the suit and tie does not have to be an issue. You can be a star employee while being a great friend, volleyball player, chef, mother, or whatever it is that makes you who you are. According to an article written by entrepreneur Naomi Simson, happy people are 31 percent more productive at work, 40 percent more likely to receive a promotion (people like happy people), less absent, with 23 percent fewer fatigue symptoms, up to 10 percent more engaged at work and are able to sell more – happy sales people produce 37 percent greater sales.

Here are some tips for having an optimal work/life balance:

Written by Lauren Lind

• Set work goals. Make a short-term goal list (goals you want to accomplish in the next 6 months) then make a long-term goal checklist for work (this can be anywhere between 1 year and 5 years). 

• Make a bucket list with things you want to do in your personal life. Brainstorm and write down everything you can think of, then go back and organize your list into short-term and long-term items. Start to incorporate some of the big things on your list with your work goals. Reward yourself for

• Set boundaries and establish honest communication. Be honest with your supervisor and if you are feeling overwhelmed don’t pretend like you can take on more than you have agreed to. Ultimately this honesty will be appreciated and you can focus on the tasks at hand while leveraging your colleagues and assets, which will help everyone overall.

• Aim for quality over quantity. Meaningful accomplishments take some time. An example of this could be rather than aiming to close 50 accounts, work towards closing 25 accounts and getting those accounts to sign on at a higher price.

• Set your priorities straight. Have some things that you are not willing to budge on when it comes to work. For example if you are asked to stay late for the third time in row and are missing out on being with your family, have already established rules for yourself and be strong about taking time for your personal affairs.

• Treat yourself with respect. This begins with scheduling your day so that you can do the things that are important to your well being.

• Be mindful.  Understand that your personal life can have an impact on your professional life and vice versa. This means that you should be mindful of w