(And how to get it right next time) There are the obvious reasons you don’t get an offer: not qualified, not enough experience. But what about when you ace the interview and then … silence? Here are some surprising reasons why that offer never materialised – and what you can do about it
1 YOUR CREDIT RATING WASN’T GOOD ENOUGH
Rumer*, 20, was all smiles after her interview with a top retail company. ‘The interview had gone well, and the interviewer even closed by saying all he was going to do was a background check,’ she says. Then, unexpectedly, she received a ‘No’ e-mail. ‘I was shocked. I really believed I had the job!’ Determined that she’d ticked all the boxes for a job on their sales floor, Rumer pushed for feedback. When she got it, she was horrified. ‘I was turned down because I had a bad credit rating,’ she explains. ‘Apparently, the company’s policy was not to take on anyone who had defaulted on R5 000 or more of debt. I was mortified – that debt was for my tuition fees, and I had defaulted because I couldn’t afford the repayments. That’s why I was looking for a job!’ Rumer’s credit record had blown her chances.
‘Your credit report is a record of your credit payment behaviour,’ says Alison Magrath, executive manager of the Credit Bureau Association. ‘It includes everything from paying instalments on time to the amount of debt you have and your liabilities (for example, things you owe money on, such as a car or property).’ Your record will also show judgments you may have had against you, such as being placed under administration or debt review by a court.
‘Typically, if a role requires money handling or budget management, a hirer will request a credit check,’ says Tamara Wolpert, a recruitment consultant at Viv Gordon Placements.
‘It’s also common practice for companies to require a check on your education, ID and criminal record before making an offer of employment.’
What you can do
This story is from the November 2017 edition of Cosmopolitan - South Africa.
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This story is from the November 2017 edition of Cosmopolitan - South Africa.
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