Unfortunately, a lot of the time you can never really tell what cost you an employment opportunity. If you get a rejection, it tends to come with something of a canned response. While on the job hunt, you need to constantly indulge in introspection. Instead of wondering what went wrong, ask yourself what you did wrong and look at the different elements that can impact getting a job. Surprisingly to some, your financial situation and past can have big roles to play.
Appearance matters
When it comes to a job interview, having a professional appearance matters. It comes down in part to grooming as opposed to finances. But one thing that a job hunter should always have handy is some business wear. For guys, that means a suit. Women have a few more options but it’s best to have something a little classier and, yes, a little pricier than what you usually wear. We’re not going to assume that everyone can naturally afford some good professional clothing. There are plenty of those to whom that would count as a major expense. But there are things like grants for people who want to buy a suit for their first interview.
You need some wheels
In a much more practical sense, your ability to buy and keep a car are going to play a big role in how broad your opportunities for employment are. The further you can reliably travel afield, the more job options you have, for one. Using public transport is an option, but it can still be limiting. But there are a lot more employers who also expect their employees to be able to drive, too. Some of them may offer a company car but there are many more who don’t. In fact, in some places, as many as one-in-six will require that an applicant has at least a driving license. If you currently can’t afford to own a car, it pays to at least be able to drive.
Employers can see more than you would expect
Even if your financial situation is currently good and you have no problem investing in yourself to make your job prospects better, your finances can still haunt you. In particular, the ghost of finances past can come back and leave some dark marks in your application process. We’re talking about your credit history. If you haven’t already, see what shape your credit is in and work on it with help from sites like https://creditrepaircompanies.com/creditrepair-com/. Employers can check an applicant’s credit record. From that, they can see any problems you’ve had in the past, which some of them might use as an indication as to how reliable you might be on the job.
The dreaded student loan
Even how you handle your student loan comes into it in the past. They don’t care that you have a student loan, of course. Many people do. But if you’ve taken the option to defer on it, it can have some wide-ranging impacts you weren’t expecting. For one, you will take a hit to the health of your credit which, as we have said, they are going to be able to see. But deferring on a student loan can immediately cost you the opportunity to start on several kinds of careers. As https://studentloanhero.com/featured/student-loan-default-cost-job/ states, it immediately makes you ineligible for applications to enlisting in the military, working as a government contractor or taking any job that requires federal level security.
It’s not all bad
Indeed, if you’re good with your finances and you have an organized approach to how you use them, then it can actually score you some brownie points when it comes to a job application. For one, any signs that you’ve handled finances well in a voluntary or past employment position are experiences that you should be more than willing to feature on your resume. But if you go even further and you have an investment portfolio of your own, then give that some pride of place under your competencies. Not only does that show that you have some idea on how to use your money. Investing is a complicated enough process and can be an impressive indicator of your own mental competence.
You might think it’s unfair that aspects of your life that seem entirely unrelated to your career can play a big role in shaping it. Unfortunately, that’s the truth of the matter and employers have good reason to consider it. Take a good look over your finances and see if they’re not making it harder to get a job.
