Creditors can find out a lot about you from your financial history when they run your credit. Think of your credit profile as the financial resume of your life. Have you gone through a divorce? Compiled a bevy of student loans? Undergone surgery for a medical condition? These are all things that can be deduced through reading your credit history and finding the trail of accounts associated with these events. Public records are fair game for lenders, so any events that would cross into this realm are there for the showing.

Every credit account you have ever opened or closed, or any accounts you may have defaulted on, as well as any financial hardships that have occurred in your life, are each a kind of marker on this resume of your financial life. It’s essential that you look at your credit this way in order to ensure you regulating these marks as much as you can.

WHAT MAKES UP YOUR CREDIT PROFILE

For example, your FICO score is an important marker of your credit use, scoring you on things like your ability to maintain a positive payment history, the types of credit you have, and the overall amount of debt you owe. But it is not the only determination for credit approval, and it is not the only method a lender has to peak into your history. Your personal information, specific details about your accounts, and the different kinds of inquiries and disputes on your accounts is just some of the information that is readily available to many creditors during their search of your record. Being aware of these kinds of details, and doing your best to understand and maintain this financial resume, will be most beneficial to you during a time of credit evaluation.

Be informed and strategic in how you represent yourself in the financial world. Your financial resume is the only way you have to show lenders you are worthy of the things you may want most, like a mortgage for a new home or a loan for a new car. By doing things to increase your credit score, and being mindful of the situations that will appear during this kind of detailed search, you will surely improve your chances at gaining access to future credit.