From Workforce Management: Illinois Bars Job Discrimination Based on Credit History

Illinois Bars Job Discrimination Based on Credit History, though some workers, such as those in the financial services and law enforcement, or for "bondable" positions, will still be subject to credit checks and they may miss out on a job due to poor credit.

The first step is to get your credit report--you can get a free one each year--and be aware that there may be discrepancies between reports. For example, on my report, a store credit card I had closed out with 0 on the balance was still showing 3 years later on a credit report with one agency and the other agency was still showing an outstanding balance on a separate student loan that I had also paid off and closed out. And the two credit reports had two different home addresses. The two agencies didn't have the same mistakes in common.

Cleaning up errors and looking for discrepancies is the first thing a person can do if they are worried that an employer may hold a bad credit history against them. You may also want to go through the process for yourself, since you will need to have it updated if you plan to buy a house and some apartment management companies will also ask to view your credit report before approving you as a renter.

Get your credit report:

• Equifax
• TransUnion
• Experian (no longer has consumer credit services in Canada)