Jacqueline McClure, Genesis Background Screening Services
In light of the news that came out in April about the recently hired high school principal in Kansas whose education credentials had some discrepancies, we are reminded that resumes are frequently not honest, especially when it comes to education. According to Careerbuilder, 58% of resumes have less-than-truthful or omitted information. In this instance, the student journalists on the high school’s newspaper discovered the discrepancies. This is a pretty good indication that due diligence was not performed during the hiring process. Maybe now is a good time for you to look at your company’s policy in regard to checking your candidates’ resumes for education accuracy.
In case you aren’t already aware, there are a plethora of online companies that sell fake diplomas and transcripts. These “diploma mills” are easy to find online – just type in fake college diplomas in your browser’s search box and there they are. If you have not checked your current employee’s education credentials during the hiring process, you may be surprised to find out that you have some unqualified (and dishonest) people on your staff.
In addition to candidates that knowingly purchase a fake diploma, there are also those that thought they were pursuing education credits based on life experiences and could get a diploma from an online school with a minimum of course work – course work which never materialized. Due to their financial investment and embarrassment at being duped, they may continue the ruse by using this fake degree on their resume.
How can you protect your company from this dishonest practice and be fair to candidates who legitimately earned their real degree? Performing an education, certificate and license verification during your hiring process will confirm that your candidate has a real degree that is from an accredited college and has the necessary certifications and licenses required for your position. This can help you protect your business, your clients and be sure that you are in compliance with regulations in your industry.
Partnering with a CRA (Consumer Reporting Agency) that has the services you need to fill in your HR gaps can be a very economical solution. The right partner can help you recruit, integrate your system, perform background screening, provide education and license verification, drug testing at convenient locations, and support throughout the process. Not only can you feel confident that you are bringing the best hire into your company, but you will know that you have done due diligence both legally and ethically for your employees and customers. In addition to accomplishing this at a price that fits your budget, a professional CRA partner pays for it self by avoiding costly hiring mistakes. For more information, contact Genesis Background Screening Services at 866 944-0041 ext 101, email getstarted@gbsspro.com or visit www.gbsspro.com
Genesis Background Screening is not a law firm and provides our blogs for informational purposes only. These blogs should not be considered as a substitute for experienced legal advice. Any laws or regulations mentioned in our blogs need to be researched by your company and any questions you have need to be answered by your legal counsel to be sure your organization is within the law and compliant with regulations.
To see the news article https://www.nytimes.com/2017/04/05/us/high-school-journalists-principal-quits.html
