Pre employment checks finance

[FreshFancyFrogglette]

Hi all
Posting here for traffic. Please help if you can advise, I'm panicking.

Just been give a great provisional job offer, for my dream job. I have been job hunting hard since covid, when my zero hours contract work dried up, and I faced financial hardship (which I have faced on and off my whole life).

The problem is the pre employment checks. Apparently they run a credit check. Mine will be awful, but that's not the problem. They asked if i had had any CCJS taken out against me in the last 6 years. My instinct thought yes, but I couldn't find any paper work, and the check appears to cost £10 which I really can't spare at the moment. I rang citizens advice and they said Lowell orders were civil matters, so I thought I was OK, and put "No" then submitted the form.

Now the panic part, I rang a water company today about an outstanding bill, whilst on the phone I asked if they had ever issued me with a CCJ!! And they said that yes they had, 3 years ago, but there was no reference number, and it looked as though it has been settled out of the court. She couldn't give me any of the details needed for the form, like the date of the case, repayment agreement etc. She said they just weren't there, on her screen (which was odd). So even if I had put "yes" on the pre employment check then I wouldn't have been able to answer all the necessary questions that followed.

My instinct is to ring/email the company who offered me the job first thing tomorrow to explain the situation. Although other people have advised me to leave it, as they probably won't check, and without providing the other info that they need il be potentially jeopardising the job for no reason. However, I feel so guilty and sick, maybe they could get past the fact I had a CCJ, but not the fact I lied!! (all be it non intentionally).

Trying to keep it together, but I feel sick with worry. I'm so close to the job of my dreams, and finally turning life around for me and my daughter, getting out of debt, and having a bright future. But because of this I could miss out on everything!! How do I put it right please?? Please help me if you have advice I really want this job so much, and I have had to go through so many tough stages to get this far!!!

*CCJ stands for County Court Judgement, and relates to outstanding bills.

Hi , funny enough this came up at work this week, I work in FS Compliance . We credit check at recruitment and annually.

We ask that current employees let us know if any adverse credit events occur.

Where we find them or someone volunteers the information, we will take each case at face value taking into account any mitigating circumstances. Where an attempt has been made to repay at least some of the money back or the amounts are low value we would consider that too.

Our concerns are two fold, if we have employees with access to divert payments , that they may do so due to hardship but also there is a huge market for data and someone in hardship may be coerced into obtaining and passing on data for nefarious purposes.

If I were you I would contact HR tomorrow and just be completely honest about what you know so far. They shouldn’t judge you , most of us might have been there at some point in our lives. Best of luck !

Thank you so much!! The funny thing is is that it isn't a finance role! It's a civil service role. I have a completely clear dbs, and never stolen money in my life. Yes I was guilty of pushing bills "under the matt" so to spk, and putting off dealing with them. My finances are a complete mess, but if I was warning a normal wage then I could begin to tackle it all and get back on my feet.

Thank you so much for replying. I will ring them. I might be ruining my chance of a job and happiness, but if they do find out I've mislead them, then that's probably the job out of the window anyway :'(. :' (.

I wish I'd always been good with money, but I haven't. I've been to food banks, had to pawn everything I own at some points. I. Just want a chance. (not going to tell them any of this, obviously!!)

Thank u so much for replying. I appreciate it.

I'm not sure a water bill CCJ would show up on your credit report. Go through Martin Lewis and get a free Experian report - you can get one every month free. Also check equifax too you may get a 30 day free trial. That should show almost all of your credit history

Oh love, there’s no shame in debt, and sometimes it just gets overwhelming.

With it being CS, they may well be more accommodating , just be honest , you are of good character and fingers crossed they’ll take your honesty into account.

Clear score and credit karma are free credit checks. I have them both as apps on my phone and check them regularly.
Have a look at them. Any credit issues will be noted on there.

Thank you everyone.

I will look at that credit check now. That might put my mind at rest. They did say that they could check ccjs, but I don't know if that's the same check as the credit check.

Thank you Tempnamelady, that's a nice response. I wish everyone shared that attitude. I know I for one wouldn't judge anyone for it, but know that the whole world isn't so understanding. Instinct says honesty is the best policy too though, so fingers crossed!!

Is it a role where developed vetting applies?

My clearscore credit report (free service) shows my CCJ's. Have you checked your credit report?

I used to have ccj from a water board ( they are ruthless) always showed on my free credit report and showed when settled etc
I use karma and clearscore so ways to check without paying
Not sure why credit checks are needed for non finance jobs though? Seems firms can be quite intrusive

@Aalvarino I'm not entirely sure, what is developed vetting please?

Without giving away too much, it's a from home role (due to covid), working for the civil service. It doesn't involve dealing with finances as such. Think along the lines of a work coach.

Ok sounds unlikely to require developed vetting. That is for roles with access to very sensitive info. But I think they can still require a credit check for standard security clearance.

It is a tricky one. Is there a number you can call about the security clearance? I think it is always best to disclose in these cases. If you think you may have a CCJ I would definitely check your credit files and if it comes back showing, tell them.

Given the nature of the role, they might be using the credit check as a way to confirm your identity rather than actually caring too much about what's on there.

Hi
I work in HR for a credit reference agency and would echo what Tempnamelady has said.
If we discover adverse financial info when carrying out pre employment vetting checks, we speak to the individual and a decision is made on a case by case basis depending on various factors. I,e amount, is there a payment plan in place, circumstances that led to the debt etc.

I would definitely advise checking your data through one of the free channels available. Then you will be able to see what the company will see when they carry out the check. (Be sure to include your full address history for the last 6 years).
Good luck, I'm sure it will be fine.