Who knew that getting hired for a new position could all come down to your credit history? It’s true. In several states, it’s perfectly legal for employers to pull your credit history during the hiring process. In their opinion, it determines your level of trustworthiness for the position they’d possibly be hiring you for.

Although legal, this isn’t something the majority of employers actually do. According to a 2012 survey from the Society of Human Resource Management, only 13% of respondents said they check all employee’s credit history while 53% say they don’t do it at all.

It’s still better to be safe than sorry, which is why there are proactive steps you can take just in case a hiring manager does decide to consider your credit history. You can be proactive by:

• Checking your credit history for inaccuracies
• Cleaning up where you can
• Having an explanation ready for derogatory marks