Expert: Mark J. Markus- California Bankruptcy Attorney - 10/8/2009

Question
Eight months ago my ch. 7 was accepted by the court and trustee ( I forgot the right word for it). Now I am looking for work. when I email my resume to employers can they tell I have ch. 7 in my background by seeing my name and address which is on the resume? Do you think most employers check this out when recieving resumes and before an interview? If so, do you think I should be completely open about this and mention it in my cover letter?

Answer
bankruptcy is a matter of public record so anyone can look it up if they want to.  I can't tell you whether a specific employer is or isn't interested in whether you filed a bankruptcy, or whether they would actually check to see if you did.   Some do, some don't.  It really depends on the type of job it is and whether your financial background is relevant.  I wouldn't mention it in your cover letter.  There's nothing to be gained by it, and 99% of the time it's utterly irrelevant to the job.

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