Can employers ask about pending charges at an interview?

[Jessica1985]

Oh and another thing, I didn't ask you guys what your opinion of me was or if you thought what I did was right. I don't care what you think about that.

I was asking if anyone had any knowledge of employment laws that apply to pending charges and all I got was a bunch of rude remarks. It's so typical of people in general to look for any way to compare themselves to another person, judge them and act as if they are better than that. Wow. Don't tell me you guys have never gotten drunk before and don't tell me that you guys have never told a lie. I don't think there are too many people who haven't done one or the other.

That's just it actually! Employers are trying to use ways to label people the same way you guys just tried to label me as a liar and a drunk, when there is more to a person than that. It's so narrow-minded. Any way to try to disqualify a person from getting a job.

I mean, now, they are running people's credit reports and using that in their hiring decision to disqualify people from employment which in a lot of way is discriminatory of poor people. People of "higher class" or status will not be affected the same way by this as a person born into poverty. It is not right.

During another interview, I was told they were going to run a credit report on me and when I asked what the purpose for that is... they told me because a person with bad credit is probably more likely to steal from the company. Are you kidding me? Just because someone may have a difficult time getting by does not make them a thief. They even told me that they had fired someone because they had bad credit. Even the people interviewing me said they didn't agree with it, but it was a new "policy."

[ecmst12]

Blah, blah, blah. You received the legally correct information. Quit complaining.

[Jessica1985]

Geez, you guys are just trying to attack me and that's not what I came here to talk about! You guys must really not like yourselves too much that you just want to put someone else down. What I do in my life is my business and I handle that. Handle your own lives and stay on topic. You guys don't know me. I'm actually a really nice person and your judgments have very little basis.

I am interested in what you KNOW, not what you think.

[Country Living]

The one thing about drunk drivers is they never seem to kill themselves. They kill the father going home from work, the teenager who just started college, the mother of young children who was just going to the store, the three-year old in the car seat who took the impact when the cars hit, the young woman pregnant with her first child, the priest on his way to the hospital to administer last rites, the doctor driving to the emergency room so he could save a life, the five year old getting ready for her first day of school, the elderly neighbor who was just checking his mail, the policeman directing traffic.. the list is endless.

You said you "don't drink every day" is a sure sign of alcohol dependency.

You're young and you think you know everything. You're going to have a tough time in this life until you get some maturity. The decisions you make are a reflection of who you are. You've got a problem and not just with the drinking.

[cyjeff]

I have hired people with a DWI.

I have never hired anyone that lied to me on the criminal part of the application.

Know, too, that they can come back at any time and say, "We finally got the results back.... get your stuff".

[Jessica1985]

oh yeah? where do u work and what do u do?

[Jessica1985]

i surely agree that drinking and driving is wrong and affects innocent people. I do not condone it in anyway, but I do not want to be labeled my entire life for one mistake.

[Jessica1985]

country living, i am very sorry that happened. it is very unfortunate

[Jessica1985]

well, cyjeff, the position is only for three months. i doubt they are going to let me begin work until they get the results and if they do, (it may or may not show up), i am concerned they might not hire me because of it. But because I know that they urgently need over 100 people for the holiday season, they might know and let me work anyway since it doesn't affect the job itself. i don't know... i should of just told the truth.

[cbg]

Damn right you should have told the truth. Telling a lie makes you a liar. It doesn't matter if you only told one lie - that's still a liar. Even if they hire you, if they find out after the fact that you lied, that's called falsification of your application and is grounds for immediate termination, without UI, and then you get to tell all your prospective employers going forward why you got fired.

And they may have 100 positions open, but I guarantee that they got about 400 applications if not more, so they won't have any trouble at all replacing you.

[Country Living]

There's really no such thing as one lie. I guarantee there have been many before (probably under the guise of "white lies"). One lie begets another lie and then lying becomes second nature. It's all about character and morals and values.

Jessica - you need to really think about the consequences of your actions BEFORE you do them. You're caught in the here-and-now. You need to be thinking about the person you want to become, the life you want to eventually live, and how to get there. Boozing and lying and hanging out with the wrong people will put you on a path you may not be able to leave.

We're older and wiser and we've seen young people such as yourself ruin their lives because of "one stupid mistake". You have a thin moment in time in which you get to pick your future. That time is now.

[ajkroy]

Originally Posted by Country Living

There's really no such thing as one lie. I guarantee there have been many before (probably under the guise of "white lies"). One lie begets another lie and then lying becomes second nature. It's all about character and morals and values.

Jessica - you need to really think about the consequences of your actions BEFORE you do them. You're caught in the here-and-now. You need to be thinking about the person you want to become, the life you want to eventually live, and how to get there. Boozing and lying and hanging out with the wrong people will put you on a path you may not be able to leave.

We're older and wiser and we've seen young people such as yourself ruin their lives because of "one stupid mistake". You have a thin moment in time in which you get to pick your future. That time is now.

Love this! Great advice. Mind if I use part it in my signature?

[Country Living]

My sage advice can live in posterity - well, until you find something else. I am honored.

[cyjeff]

Originally Posted by Jessica1985

oh yeah? where do u work and what do u do?

I spent the largest portion of my life hiring seasonal workers in a retail environment.

At any given time, I had over 100 employees on the floor and 50-60 resumes in the hopper.

I went on to consult to retailers where I have helped to draft dozens of internal policies, including this one.

Now, what do YOU do? Well, other than drink, drive, lie and wish that people would die horribly?

[Jessica1985]

well, i am 24. Live in NY. Got an associate degree in Crimnal Justice and 97 credits towards a bachelor's. I want a career, but haven't found one yet. Not sure what I want to do yet, my interest has recently changed to health care and am thinking of becoming a nurse. I have recently learned medical transcription, billing and coding and all that stuff to be a medical secretary.
I live with my boyfriend of 3 years and am currently looking for work and have quit drinking totally since my DWI last month. I am going to accept this seasonal position in the meantime and hope it goes well for me. Might even return to school.