Applying for a Job After Bankruptcy

The top 3 search queries bringing people to this site over the past month have been directly related to employment after bankruptcy. This is not a recent concern and I have addressed reader questions about it before.

Not surprisingly, it continues to be at the top of many people's minds.

The St. Cloud Times had an article on Sunday (not available on-line) urging people to "Prepare for a Lay Off Now" with a link to their feature, Managing the Meltdown: Age Matters in Retirement Planning. The article is encouraging people to prepare by taking actions to stop frivolous spending, bulk up savings, pay off debt, update their resume and network.

Planning is essential but a perfect storm of sorts is brewing and the best laid plans may go awry. In some cases, people will find themselves applying for employment after a bankruptcy. Bankruptcy is not a bad thing. Bad things happen to good people and bankruptcies are not the end of the world or a career for the average person. Most employers check credit history. Credit history can go directly to financial accountability or be deemed an indicator of responsibility and accountability. An employer can not check a person's credit history without consent. However, without consent, application may not be considered. Nice catch-22!

How does a person address bankruptcy when applying for employment?

I advocate for full disclosure. An unfortunate event disclosed can be of little significance but the same event "discovered" goes to integrity and honesty. Be prepared for a question asking about the details. When asked, answer and do so honestly.  Bankruptcy should only be an issue in cases where there is a nexus between the bankruptcy and the position. Here is a summary of rights under the Fair Credit Reporting Act. 

Don't let the bankruptcy define you or the be the focus of the interview. Be prepared to articulate lessons learned from the experience and then get right back to the business at hand - selling YOU for the job.

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Employee Assistance Programs - Revisited

This is a repost from my 2007 archives. Employee Assistance Programs (EAP) are a valuable resource for employees with renewed stresses in their lives.

Do you remember the Dunkin Donuts man who wakes up and, in a zombie like state, shuffles through his apartment chanting the classic line,"Time to make the donuts, time to make the donuts."

Is he that much different than you, or me, when I wake up, hit the snooze, and finally get up, get ready for the day, pack the backpacks, load the guitar, wake up the kid, dress her, kiss the husband good bye, back out of the driveway, turn left on the road and right to day care, drop her off, and wave the school bus goodbye, turn left at the Texaco, right into the coffee shop."

Is he that much different from what we always do when, as HR professionals, it appears factors outside of work may be negatively influencing an employee's performance. What do we do? We refer them to the Employee Assistance Program (EAP). We do this a matter of practice, a matter or routine, a matter of necessity. In fact, I do it so often, I do not even think about it. I read a post by the Career Encourager that made me stop and think about employee referrals to EAP. A seemingly simple, very routine statement we repeat often and, at times without thought, can sound very frustrating to an employee.

Why do we refer employees to EAP and how can EAP benefit them? Check out this post. I guarantee it will give you pause and make you stop and consider your communications around EAP referrals, or at least better prepare you to address an employee's spoken or unspoken concerns.

Time to get my coffee, time to get my coffee. . .

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