CollegeRecruiter.com Insights by Employers Blog

According to research conducted by employeescreenIQ's quality service division, the group found that approximately 10 percent of education verifications completed by the global employment screening company during the second quarter of 2008 uncovered discrepancies between the information it obtains through its investigations and facts provided by job candidates. The item most frequently falsified by applicants was the completion of their high school education.

"False information about ones' educational history is the third most common discrepancy we uncover while conducting verifications for our clients," said employeescreenIQ's Vice President of Quality Service, Kevin Bachman. "As we released in our 2009 background screening trends, due to the tightening of the job market, we are predicting a rise in the number of individuals that "fluff" their resume, including their educational history. Our facts show that if it wasn't for proper screening, for every 10 people a company hired, one would have obtained employment while lying about their education, a very important aspect in most jobs," said Bachman.

employeescreenIQ's research also revealed these interesting facts:

• High school diplomas were falsified more often than a college degree.
• Post-graduate and doctoral degrees were the most infrequently falsified types of degrees.
• Applicants' false diploma/degree claims rarely involved an institution they never attended.

"EmployeescreenIQ's findings are in line with insight we receive from our employer clients," said Steven Rothberg, president of CollegeRecruiter.com, the premiere information source for college students and recent graduates that are seeking employment, continuing education and business opportunities.

"When it pertains to education, job candidates are more likely to inflate their academic experience than to outright lie. Few will claim they graduated from a school they didn't attend, or state they have a business degree when they actually graduated with a major in communications. Given the reluctance of many, and perhaps most schools, to delve into details about the academic qualifications of their alumni, these exaggerations can be very, very difficult for most employers to identify," said Rothberg.

Due to the difficult nature of completing successful education verifications, it is important employers work with an employment screening company that utilizes best practices methods. In addition to education verifications, hiring professionals should check with their screening company to make sure they have the ability to conduct professional reference interviews and license verifications. These three elements play key roles in exposing applicants attempting to falsify their education credentials.

Article by, Nick Fishman and courtesy of EmployeescreenIQ