Applicants put in a lot of effort to get a job. In a competitive job market with specific educational requirements for jobs, applicants are tempted to make false claims. This has necessitated that Employers Verify Education to be sure they hire the right persons.
With that in mind, according to HireRight, nearly 80% of applicants lied or could lie on their resumes, while 30% of applicants contained false educational information. This is very sad yet not surprising.
This falsification includes making up your educational background. For this reason, incorporating an educational verification process is a great way to validate educational claims. Recruiters should always conduct educational background checks.
This process ensures that we hire honest and qualified people. Background checks also protect against legal liability.
In this post, you will learn everything you need to know about Employers Verify Education and how to make it as quick and easy as possible.
Table of contents
What is Education Background Check?
An education background check is a way to check the educational background required by a job seeker. This type of verification is typically used to verify attendance records and verify that you have earned the degree listed on your resume.
Most degrees can be verified by the applicant’s school’s admissions office, but verification may also be done by a third-party company, usually for a fee.
Also, check out 10 Best Associate Degrees in 6 Months Online | 2023
What does the educational background check show?
Education checks indicate whether the applicant attended the school they claim to have attended. It also includes proof of degree and attendance record.
In general, educational background checks can be traced back as far as is necessary to search official records. Employers can certify an applicant’s diplomas and degrees regardless of when the applicant obtained them.
In some cases, an education check will reveal the GPA and awards won. Employers request this information when it relates to a position they are hiring (such as a university lecturer).
Education checks generally do not verify licenses. Suppose an employer needs to ensure that an applicant is qualified to work in a particular field.
What do employers look for in education verification?
Education verification can reveal a lot of important information about prospective employees. Here are some:
- degree earned
- Date of attendance or date of award
- educational institutions they attended;
- GPA or award
The primary purpose of educational verification is to verify that the educational information provided by the candidate is correct. In most cases, employers look to applicants for the degree listed on their resume. However, we often also check if the candidate was truthful in their application.
How does an employer conduct educational verification?
Too many employers don’t provide proof of education. There are many reasons for this, but one of the most common is that employers find the process too complicated.
Actually, the process is very simple. They start by collecting basic information from applicants. This data includes:
- Candidate’s full name (Note: Make sure you get the full name that the person graduated from. For example, a candidate may apply with their married name and graduate with their maiden name. )
- the name and address of the degree-granting institution;
- Date attended (Note: Months and years are enough. August 2005 – May 2009)
- Degree title and field
- Applicant’s signed release form
Candidates are likely familiar with the hiring process and will be happy to provide this information.
In some cases, we may ask you to show your diploma so that the recruiter can keep a copy of your diploma on file. For other applications, you may be required to submit or order a sealed copy.
Another way for recruiters to verify your education is by contacting the schools and colleges you attended.
Companies may use third-party verification services to screen potential job applicants. Third-party services request transcripts from schools or colleges in a manner similar to independent requests from businesses.
See also What are the Different Types of Higher Education Degrees in 2023?
Why Employers Need Educational Background Checks?
Given the wealth of information they find in standard background checks, you may be wondering why recruiters and companies need your background checks. A background check is required.
The first and most obvious is to make sure you have the education and skills for the job. Additionally, continuing education shows that you have the stamina to set goals and achieve them.
Goal setting is a valuable employee trait and the ability to get things done is essential to teamwork and achieving organizational goals and objectives.
There are several other reasons why employers are rethinking education.
Dishonesty/Misrepresentation
In today’s competitive job market, many candidates find that even entry-level positions often require a post-secondary degree. It is not surprising that some applicants exaggerate their qualifications to increase their chances of being hired.
Some candidates are willing to risk being discovered while lying about their resume. However, there are also downsides, such as poor job performance due to inexperience and dismissal if lying is discovered.
Diploma mills
Diploma Mill is a company where you can buy a degree, diploma or certificate without any academic effort. Of course, these degrees are not legal because the company is not an accredited educational institution. Diploma Mills is purely transactional.
Employers are increasingly realizing that a degree can appear legitimate until a thorough background check reveals the truth.
Determine compensation
For the most part, education level, and benefits are factors that determine how much an employer is willing to pay a new employee. Employers may make more generous offers to candidates who have graduated from prestigious schools because they believe they are more qualified or better prepared for the position.
Many employers are willing to pay higher salaries if the candidate selected has an advanced degree. When negotiating compensation with candidates based on their education, it makes sense to make sure they actually have that education.
Some functions, such as government and educational personnel, also have specific pay scales and formulas that reflect years of training and experience. Employers in these fields are usually required to verify all information related to education, such as years of attendance and degrees awarded, that will be used to qualify for higher levels.
How to check a candidate’s educational background
Regardless of how we verify a candidate’s educational background, it is important to collect the candidate’s full legal name, educational institution attended, and written consent to the educational background check.
Do it yourself
Employers can do it themselves to verify education by contacting the institution itself and requesting confirmation of transcripts or degrees from candidates.
This can be a lengthy process and candidates may be required to complete a form for the institution to release their records. This is also cumbersome when a candidate attends multiple schools.
Make sure you are not violating any data protection regulations. B. Home education rights and privacy laws limit who can see student files.
Independent verification by a third-party service
After getting the information from the previous step, the next step is verification. The best way to do this is to hire a third-party educational verification provider. They specialize in validating applicant credentials.
Also, they contact the agency directly. Hiring a third party for the process saves time and effort. Your background check is professionally done and the results are always reliable. Requests for testimony from candidates
Some employers require candidates to submit transcripts showing their degrees, grades, and courses taken. This approach is a good option when the actual price is important.
Most employers pay less attention to specific classes, especially at the undergraduate level where education is fairly common. However, if you are looking for specific skills, or if the candidate is choosing a non-traditional major (such as a liberal arts major that allows students to design their own major), we recommend checking your eligibility.
Requesting transcripts
This option is cheap and efficient as candidates can usually download unofficial transcripts relatively easily and quickly.
Contact your reference
Hiring managers can also verify your educational background by contacting the school or university you studied at. A background check may be required by the university attended to ensure that what is stated in the resume is true.
Use of employment history verification service
Various background check services can be used to conduct pre-employment background checks, such as verifying your educational background. However, not all services offer education verification, so check this when choosing an identity verification service.
This is usually the best way to verify a candidate’s educational background. These services are more efficient, accurate, and legal than do-it-yourself. There may be legal issues and delays when conducting your own educational verification.
The background check service is likely to collect all the information required from the candidate in his one approval form, as the educational background check is likely just one aspect of the background check he does with the candidate. It’s also a convenient option to get them in one place.
Also, see 17 Best Economics Classes Online for Beginners & Advanced |2023
How long does the education verification process take?
Some organizations omit the verification process entirely, believing it to be cumbersome and time-consuming. It’s not. Some people skip the verification step because they need to fill vacancies urgently and don’t want to wait for their education verification report.
It’s definitely not a good idea to skip the crucial step of validating your education. Regardless of the urgency of hiring, it’s worth completing the screening process more than finding out later that the candidate lied to you to get that important job.
This saves you and your recruiting department the pain and hassle of going through the long and costly hiring process again.
It should be noted that conducting the educational background survey does not take much time. Verification results can be expected within a few days unless steps are in place to lengthen the process.
How to Recognize a Fake Degree on an Applicant’s Resume
Finding fake degrees from a Diploma mill isn’t always easy. It may not be possible to tell from your resume whether the listed educational institution is accredited.
However, there are red flags that the degree listed may be fake. Pay attention to the metrics described below.
Wrong order of degrees
People are generally educated in a certain order, such as:
- High school diploma/GED
- Associate’s or Bachelor’s degree
- Master’s or Ph.D.
If a candidate claims to have an advanced degree without a bachelor’s degree, or if he or she claims to have a bachelor’s degree but does not have a high school diploma or GED, this is not a case of the claimed qualifications and may indicate that it came from the Diploma mill.
Degree earned too early
Another indication that a claimed degree may be fake is if the applicant obtained it in a short period of time.
It usually takes three to four years to complete a bachelor’s degree and 1-2 years to get a master’s degree and 4 or more years to get a PhD.
If the applicant claims to have completed their degree in a much shorter period of time, or lists multiple degrees in the same year, further investigation is required.
Graduated from a geographically distant school
There are many accredited online degree programs, but if an applicant claims to have obtained their degree from an institution far from where they work or live, further investigation is required.
You can check if your institution is accredited. If not, the qualification may have come from a Diploma Mill.
Schools with similar names
If the applicant claims to have received a degree from an institution with a similar name to a prestigious university in another state, further investigation is required. There are several legitimate accreditation bodies with names similar to reputable bodies.
For example, Columbia College in Columbia, Missouri is sometimes confused with Columbia University in New York, although it is not as well known. However, it is regionally accredited. Some diploma mills issue fake documents with names similar to known institutions, but none exist and are not accredited.
Also, if the applicant claims to have a degree from an overseas institution, further investigation should be done. This can be difficult, but if the applicant claims to have received their degree from an institution in a country they do not live in, further investigation is required.
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FAQs
If you went to an academic institution (or two or more) prior to the one from which you earned your degree, listing them all out on your resume isn’t necessary. Most employers, after all, care more about the degree you earned rather than the college or university you attended.
Typically, a resume should be only one page in length. However, there are instances where a two-page resume is acceptable as long as all the information on it is important. As a general rule of thumb, include only details that are relevant to the potential employer or prospective job position.
Only 53% of employers always check job candidates’ education credentials. Slightly more than half of the employers surveyed, 53%, always verify the education credentials listed on a job applicant’s resume.
Another common reason that employers forgo education background checks is that they think they take too long. Employers might be too impatient to wait around. Or, they might be desperate and need to hire someone right away.
Conclusion
It is true that many candidates are not completely honest when disclosing information about their educational background. If you don’t verify their degrees, you may end up hiring dishonest people. By subjecting their claims to a verification process, you can be confident that you hired an honest person.
Academic background checks not only ensure that the candidate is of good moral standing, but that the candidate has the right qualifications for the job. A candidate with the necessary qualifications for this position justifies your choice.
This is a great way to quickly screen potential employees. This ensures that you can find the right person for the job and reduces the chances of someone being fraudulently hired. These screens ensure a complete and fair system for screening candidates for employment.
Regardless of how you approach educational verification, it’s important to dedicate time to this step of the hiring process. As a rule of thumb, we recommend that you allow at least 3 business days for the education verification process to complete. If you’re not using a third party, it may take longer.
References
- https://www.scoutlogicscreening.com/blog/how-do-employers-verify-education/
- https://www.indeed.com/career-advice/finding-a-job/how-employers-verify-college-degrees
- https://www.paycor.com/resource-center/articles/how-employers-verify-education/
- https://collegerealitycheck.com/employers-check-education/
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