Published July 29, 2015 By Anna T. This post may contain affiliate links. Regardless, I only recommend sites I've researched and/or used and trust.
As you probably know if you've ever applied for any work at home phone jobs, many companies want to run a credit check before they will hire you. We've talked about this before and most of you felt it's a bit unfair and that a credit score shouldn't determine whether or not someone would make a good, trustworthy employee. But that doesn't change the fact that they do, and it's best to be prepared and know what your score is before you apply.
Note – I have only ever seen the credit check requirement with companies offering phone jobs, particularly those where you're handling sensitive information for customers, like credit card numbers, etc.
I realize that anyone can get their credit score for free once a year, but I like to keep tabs on my own score fairly often. I've been burned quite a few times by “free” credit score companies where you give them your credit card number to get your score. You have to agree to a trial and if you don't call and cancel before it's up, they bill you. I'm so forgetful that I usually end up not canceling and getting billed!
About three years ago I came across a site called Credit Sesame that promised to give me my score without ever asking for my card number, or making me agree to a free trial. That sounded like exactly what I needed, so I signed up.
It was as promised — I got my score for free and I have never had to pay them. They update the score every month so I can log in around the first of each month and see if it's gone up or down. My husband also made his own account so he can watch his score, too.
#1 – Obviously, the fact it's free.
#2 – They send me email alerts if anything positive or negative has been reported on my credit, and I can log in and see where it came from.
#3 – They give tips on things you can do to increase your score.
#4 – It's very easy to navigate the site, very professional and clean-looking.
#1 – I believe they only pull your score from one credit bureau — Experian. There are three bureaus and many employers will check all three. Still, you get a general idea of what your score is.
With so many companies now wanting to check credit scores before they hire, it's not a bad idea to keep tabs on your score every month so you have an idea where you stand. Even if your credit has always been good, it's nice to know you can get alerted if anything changes for better or worse.
I've been a member at Credit Sesame for three years and it's certainly saved me money since I'm no longer signing up for “trials” that are hard to cancel just to find out what my score is.
You can go here if you want to check out Credit Sesame and find out what your credit score is before you apply for a job.
Thanks for posting this Anna! After years and years of “avoiding” the black hole that was my CR, I signed up for Credit Karma, Credit Sesame, and Credit.com. After finding out it wasn’t nearly as bad as my own mind had imagined, they are all very helpful with tips and action plans to bump up your score. While none of these is an actual true CS, I have taken an average of all three and it’s pretty close. These sites all receive compensation from cc and lending co’s so as long as you know that going in, you’re armed with info. That being said, I’ve taken some of the advice offered to me, did the necessary research, and am now rebuilding my credit file and my score has jumped nearly 100 points in a very short amount of time. Since the CS is now used from everything for an apartment rental to job applications and insurance, in addition to cc’s and mortgages, one needs to be on top of this because it affects nearly every aspect of your life.
I agree! Even if you don’t want to know what it is because you fear it’s bad, it’s better to just bite the bullet and find out so you can begin taking steps to improve it.
Yes exactly! That was so me! I’ve found myself having NO credit, No open tradelines for 8 years. It’s like starting over but it IS doable and so very important. Getting over the fear is the hardest part. After that, at least you KNOW and knowledge is POWER!
Thank you for the post Anna. I have been looking for one like this for a long time. I like you tried a few others and ended up getting burned a few times myself. It’s too bad they only take from Experian but at least is give you some idea where you are at.
I think I saw an email from them a few weeks ago saying they will now let you get the score from all three bureaus, but if you choose that option, I’m pretty sure it’s not free. 🙁 But just the one score works for me.
I don’t think it would be free either. I did sign up and I know what my credit score is for all three on one of those trial ones. With Credit Sesame it seems a bit lower but that’s okay, I’m good with that. I am trying to rebuild my credit so this gives me some idea where I’m at with it all and if it appears on the lower end then that’s actually a good thing.