Administrative job paying $17 an hour requires applicants to have a minimum 700 credit score to be hired: 'What does my credit score have to do with checking emails and updating spreadsheets?'

Author image for Emmy Pratt
Emmy Pratt • Writer and Editor
Nov 24, 2025 11:00 AM EST

That's a pretty high standard for a job paying that little.

We're judged by numbers our whole life. We're judged by how old we are, how much money we make, the number on the scale, and the number of zeros at the end of our bank account. But one number can determine whether we can get a house, an apartment, or whether we can borrow money, and that's a credit score. 

It wasn't too long ago that credit scores didn't exist, and the question of whether a bank would give you a loan was much more subjective. If you walked in there with a firm handshake, looking like the "right kind of person" to loan money to, you could get a line of credit or a mortgage. Credit scores as we know them today were invented after it became illegal to deny someone credit based on their race, nationality, religion, age, or receipt of public assistance. While the credit score system is still not fair and can be incredibly confusing to game, on some level, it is a little fairer than the old way of doing things.

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  • Businesswoman using the phone in office beautiful young woman working on computer at her workplace
    via Getty Images (Unsplash+)

    Image is representative only and does not depict the actual subjects of the story.

  • The job applicant in this story is being weeded out of a job because of their credit score. It's standard for someone not to be able to apply to an apartment because their credit score is too low, but your job having access to your personal finances like this is just plain unusual.

  • My job wants a 700+ credit score for a $17 an hour position… I wish I was kidding

    So I applied for this admin job because I needed something stable while I finish school. Nothing crazy, basic office work, answering emails, scheduling stuff. The listing said $17/hr, "entry level," and honestly I just needed something to pay rent and groceries.
    via u/CommercialDot708
  • I go through the phone screen, then a short interview, everything seems normal. Then HR sends me the next steps and I swear I had to read the email like three times because I thought it was a scam.
    via u/CommercialDot708
  • They want: - full background check - employment verification - THREE references ― and a minimum 700 credit score - For seventeen. Dollars. An hour.
    via u/CommercialDot708
  • I literally laughed out loud. I've seen wild job requirements before, but this is next-level delusion. I don't even think the hiring manager makes enough to have a 700 right now with the way everything's going. And what does my credit score have to do with checking emails and updating spreadsheets?
    via u/CommercialDot708
  • My score is... fine. Not dead, not amazing. Just normal. I'm in my 20s, I've got student loans, and life has been expensive. I've been working on improving it this year. I even switched to using a Fizz debit card that reports to the
    via u/CommercialDot708
  • A person holding a credit card next to a machine
    via SumUp

    Image is representative only and does not depict the actual subjects of the story.

  • credit bureaus so I can actually build credit without adding another credit card into the mix. But a 700 requirement for a job that barely covers rent? Be serious.
    via u/CommercialDot708
  • It honestly made me realize how messed up the job market is right now. They want perfect credit, perfect background, perfect experience, for pay that doesn't even cover a basic one-bedroom anywhere in this city. I didn't even bother finishing the application. If
    via u/CommercialDot708
  • Person using MacBook pro
    via Glenn Carstens-Peters

    Image is representative only and does not depict the actual subjects of the story.

  • they want someone with "excellent financial standing," they can also pay a wage that makes excellent financial standing even possible.
    via u/CommercialDot708
  • Dependent Expert900 i never even considered an employer could ask for a credit score? and to request a 700 credit score at $17/hr is absurd
    via u/Dependent_Expert900
  • TopStockJock Some banks do this but it's for people handling money and it's not so much the score as it is the "dings" on your report.
    via u/TopStockJock
  • Illustrious-Book-238 It's about how likely you are to be tempted by fraud. People with a lot of debt that is poorly managed are more susceptible to fraud and embezzlement, etc. I worked in a bank for a couple years before grad school. I've also had credit checks for government jobs when I had financial accountability, particularly as an executive when I could sign contracts for $1M+. Same reasons.
    via u/Illustrious-Book-238
  • mbsisktb This is it I've worked in mortgage sub servicing for 13 or so years now and I've had to pass credit checks to get access to certain systems for some clients at my old job. I didn't even have access to most parts of the system just one info screen, a note screen, and the letter ordering system.
    via u/mbsisktb
  • But requiring a 700 is a tough ask especially when you're talking about an entry level job. I could see it if you have access to some other system and security level (wire transfers) but not for entry level basic work.
    via u/mbsisktb
  • Andurilmage I was turned down as a manager at RadioShack because I was 2 years out of bankruptcy and my score was bad. Glad I dodged that bullet they went bankrupt about 3 years after I did Lol
    via u/Andurilmage
  • UnitedLab6476 Usually when they ask for a credit score it is actually an identity theft scam. They are often trying to harvest info on people with good credit scores.
    via u/UnitedLab6476
  • anewbys83 They actually don't want to hire someone for this job. This posting is just for show.
    via u/anewbys83
  • taurean_jackal This credit score shit is getting out of hand. My cousin was denied a GAS STATION job bc of his credit score. How are people supposed to help themselves if they can't help themselves?
    via u/taurean_jackal
  • Aggressive_Staff_982 Hey man that's crazy. This is crazy behavior. If you didn't need the job I'd send them an email telling them how crazy it is to ask for three references and your credit score.
    via u/Aggressive_Staff_982
  • Kingston023 Mine recently went up to 650 and I'm SO proud of myself→
    via u/Kingston023
  • oldmamallama I've worked in financial services for 20 years now and this is flat out insane. Yes, a lot of banks and such require credit checks - which I don't like but I sort of get - because as another commenter said having dings on your credit report supposedly makes you more susceptible to committing or overlooking fraud (which, I dunno, but whatever).
    via u/oldmamallama
  • But I have never seen an actual score called out...there are so many different models used to calculate scores for one thing (my score varies by about 15-20 points depending on which model is used), and there are factors that can affect your score that are determined by the length of your credit history which mean you might be inadvertently discriminating against younger candidates or those with shorter credit histories. Probably other things I'm forgetting because it's Sunday and my brain is fo
    via u/oldmamallama
  • PupLondon I make 21 an hour as a groundskeeper and my credit was 540 when I got this job.. its up to 640 now!
    via u/PupLondon

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admin salary credit cards antiwork credit jobs credit score credit card job work finance score job applications financial workplace money job application
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