 TITLE: Do Employers Look at Credit Reports? CONTENT: Your Rights When Employers Check Your Credit\n--------------------------------------------\nEmployers must comply with regulations in the Fair Credit Reporting Act when conducting an employment background screening, which can include checking your credit. They must do the following:\n*   Explain to you in writing that the information they gather may be used to make hiring decisions. This explanation should be in a separate document than an employment application so that the process is as clear as possible.\n*   Receive written permission from you to conduct the screening. This may be in the same document as the one notifying you of the screening. Check if you're being asked to authorize a one-time credit check or if the company could repeat checks in the future.\n*   Notify you before you've been rejected for a job on the basis of your credit. The company must include a copy of the credit report they used to make the call and a summary of your rights under the Fair Credit Reporting Act.\n*   Give you time to respond to the employer's decision and to dispute any errors you find in the report.\n*   Provide an oral or written explanation of the employer's final decision to reject you for a job, known as an adverse action notice. The notice should include:\n    *   Information about the consumer reporting company that provided the employer with your credit report.\n    *   Confirmation that you have the right to dispute information in the report and get your own free copy within 60 days.\n*   Securely get rid of your credit report and any information collected from it. END