Just how important is it to order an educational background check on your candidates? A 2015 survey of employers found that a whopping 86 percent of them reported that screening had uncovered a candidate who lied on a resume. The same survey indicated 
that many of these employers believed that the screenings were helping them to improve the quality of their hires.
Academic and education verification services, which are done before hiring, can confirm that the educational, training, and certification claims of a candidate are valid. These services typically include communicating with universities, colleges, and vocational schools to verify the following:
- Dates of attendance
- Graduation date
- Degrees or certifications earned
- Majors studied
- Honors received
- Official educational accrediting body
The educational background check is an essential part of a pre-employment background check for several reasons.
Why should you verify a candidate’s educational claims?
Well, if those survey results weren’t enough to convince you that many candidates are embellishing their credentials, here’s something else to consider: Educational background checks might protect you against negligent hiring claims.
An employer could be deemed negligent for hiring an employee without doing an educational verification if the employee harms a co-worker or customer because he or she lacked the education or training to do the job safely.
Even if the employee doesn’t cause harm to others, it will soon become evident that an applicant has lied about education or certification when it is revealed (some weeks down the road) that they can’t perform as expected. Hiring is a major expense for any business. Doing it twice for the same position is doubly expensive–and inexcusable–since an educational background check could have prevented it!
Watch out for the diploma mills
Some candidates could have a “degree” that they purchased from non-accredited institutions that are aptly named diploma mills. These diploma mills typically advertise that people can obtain degrees because of their “life experience” instead of earning credits. A desperate candidate may turn to a diploma mill as a way of meeting an employer’s job requirements.
Diploma mills pose as legitimate colleges and universities, often having names that are similar to real schools, which can be misleading to the hiring company. However, these fake degrees require little or no work (except for payment) and are utterly worthless. Any reputable background screening company should be able to ferret out these imposters and save you considerable time and money.
May we help you with an educational background check in Buffalo NY?
Checking qualifications are critical in making well-informed hiring decisions. Metrodata Services Inc. is one of the leading pre-employment screening firms in Buffalo. We can take the stress out of hiring by confirming a match between your candidates’ stated education and your company’s requirements.
We are here to ensure that your company is making the best possible hiring decision. Let us help you find that perfect candidate.