Answered: How Can I Get a Job with My Garnish Wage Order?
Background
The legal system permits a portion of workers’ salaries to be seized (garnished) if they have defaulted on a debt. In the case of most
private debts, a court action is required before the wages of a worker can be garnished, but in the case of public debt such as unpaid taxes or a defaulted student loan, no court action is required.
Most people who have wage garnishment orders against them probably would rather keep their financial condition private. What once was a personal and private matter, however, becomes known to their employer who could interpret the news as an indication of instability or a lack of integrity. Although most employers will likely not give a wage garnishment order as the official reason for dismissing an employee (the Department of Labor has rules about that), the garnishment is likely one reason why at least some people are left without a job. After attempting to find work, many people in this predicament are left asking the question, “How can I get a job with my garnish wage order?”
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How Can I Get a Job with My Garnish Wage Order?
As employers increasingly use credit and background checks for employee candidate screening, workers may discover that finding a job after having a garnish wage order placed against them is difficult. There does not seem to be any easy way to solve this predicament, but the following are a few options.
1. Pay off the obligation. This, of course, is the easiest way to deal with a garnishment situation, but the chances are that a person being garnished does not have the means to pay off the debt.
2. Don’t mention it. There is always a chance that an employer will not discover a previous wage garnishment order during the screening process. This is more likely if the garnish wage order is relatively recent. People in this situation should keep in mind that it’s only a matter of time before the garnishing party sends a new garnishment order to the new employer. The employer in these cases may feel as though the employee deliberately hid relevant information during the application process, and may terminate that employee for that reason, although the employee may be given a different reason for being dismissed.
3. Be upfront about it. Perhaps the best way to answer the “How can I get a job with my garnish wage order?” question is through honesty. To avoid potential complications in the future, and to avoid wasting prospective employers’ time and their own, people who have wage garnishment issues should consider being candid about their situation. Although this may seem like a sure way to kill employment opportunities, it only takes one employer to appreciate the honesty of a candidate and be understanding that good people (and good workers) have problems. When the matter is handled outright, there will be no surprise when the new garnish wage order comes in.
4. Become an entrepreneur. Society is full of people who could not find a job (for one of any number of reasons) and took it upon themselves to make their own job and reap the benefits of entrepreneurship. Those who make their own job will still be faced with garnishment options, but at least they will probably not fire themselves because of it.
6. Don’t work. Starting a small business is no easy task, and neither is persisting through an unending string of employer rejections. The last way to deal with the matter is to stop working altogether. This solution has its downsides (e.g. homelessness) and probably doesn’t appeal to too many as a viable solution, but it is nevertheless a solution to the entire problem of a never ending wage garnishment and other instances where financial and socioeconomic discrimination prevent people from working.
Conclusion
Some people may be asking the question, “How can I get a job with my garnish wage order?” right now. Although people may find the situation uncomfortable, embarrassing, and inconvenient right now; with enough persistence and determination, the entire issue can be solved, the debt can be paid, and life can be great again.
