Cleaning up Your Credentials When You Need To

You want to get a home loan. Buy a car. Obtain government benefits. But you’ve got some things in your past that you know will work against you. Many of us have found ourselves in this kind of situation. What can you do? Just resign yourself to the fact that your past will haunt you forever?

You shouldn’t look at it this way. We’ve all made mistakes, and there are ways that you can help yourself get out of potentially bad situations, especially when it comes to things like credentials verification. For each major type of verification that a potential employer, landlord, etc might require, there are ways that you can help yourself.

Documentation replacement

Things that involve fiscal responsibility verification almost always call for documents. A phone bill, a past lease, or other types of documentation are almost always required. But you might have moved between cities (or even countries), or for whatever other reason might not be able to come up with the things that are required. What if you could generate utility bill automatically and not have to worry about scrounging up one from the past?

It is possible, in fact. There are people out there that can help you smooth out those rough patches in your history and move on with your life the way that you need. Something like a utility bill should not be an insurmountable obstacle to your moving forward in life.

Bad credit

A bad credit history is another obvious one that can prevent you from getting the things you need in life. You can get rejected for loans, home purchases, rentals, possibly even jobs. What can you do if you have bad credit and you need to clean it up in a pinch?

Actually, several things:

1. Figure out exactly where you stand. If you’re living with a looming fear that you’re surely in a bad situation but aren’t sure what to do about it, the first thing you should do is take a good hard look at the numbers. You can do this easily through one of the three official credit agencies.

2. Investigate your options. People tend to panic when they know that they are in a potentially bad situation and need a quick loan or credit proof for a rental or purchase. They then quickly reach for the first option that becomes available. This could be a big mistake. There are a lot of agencies out there that are just looking for desperate people to prey upon. You don’t necessarily have to fall victim to some scammer who could potentially make your financial situation even worse than it already is.

3. Look for a better alternative. Not only are there a range of loan options out there for people looking for flexible options, but you can think more broadly than that. For loan situations, you can find a cosigner, or even turn to friends and family to help you get started. If you’re having issues finding an apartment, start with your personal circle and see if someone might be able to help you.

4. Clean up your credit. Once you’ve taken care of your immediate needs, you should work on cleaning up your bad credit. It’s one thing to get help from a friend when you really need it, but you don’t want to find yourself in this kind of situation every time. There are ways that you can pay off debt through debt consolidation or careful planning, and this will make your life infinitely easier in the future.

While this might seem like an insurmountable task, you can take care of it with consistent, sincere effort.

Issues with diplomas

If you don’t have a college degree – or, if you have one but it isn’t of the right level or type for a job you want – there are often ways that you can maneuver the situation and still get the job you want. Consider the following:

1. Rewrite your resume to make it more skills-based. Not all employers require old-style chronological resumes anymore. Create a functional resume with your top skills highlighted, and focus on precisely what your potential employer is looking for. If you have a higher level of relevant skills than the other applicants, you might still stand a good chance of landing the job.

2. Remember transferable skills. It may be that you are applying for a job in a new sphere, but the kinds of things required are very similar to what you’ve done in previous jobs. If a position calls for project management, communication, or other types of skills where you can potentially shine, put this front and center on your resume.

3. Illustrate your passion. Some people are very technically skilled. Others have a great passion for a certain field and can potentially do an even better job. If you really love the idea of a job that you want, show this to the hiring manager in your cover letter. Employers want people who share their enthusiasm.

Be prepared to be flexible

Whenever you are in a situation in life in which the path forward isn’t totally clear, you should be prepared to think outside the box and try new methods of getting around the obstacles. It is easy to look at successful people and assume that they haven’t had these kinds of problems in life, but actually most of them have. And they’ve probably had to find creative ways of dealing with their issues. So keep your mind open and your eye on the ball, and you should be able to accomplish whatever you want in life.