Education Verification

What is it and why does it matter?

Verifying Education History

A CV or resume can tell a business a lot about a potential candidate, but how does a responsible company know that the person it is potentially hiring has the educational background wanted or required for the position they are applying for?

This is where education verification or history checks come into play. Accurate can help HR managers find out if a person they are considering for the job does really have the training and qualifications needed to fulfill a role.

Here are some frequently asked questions about education verification checks:

What is an education background check?

It is a pre-employment check that goes through a candidate’s CV and examines whether their education, training and qualifications are genuine. The checks can verify everything from the certifications a person claims to have, to the grade of undergraduate degree they state they have obtained.

Why would a company need to carry out education verification checks?

If a candidate’s successful job application is dependent on them having certain qualifications or reaching a certain level of training or certification, then it’s imperative for a responsible employer to carry out the relevant checks to ensure that they are qualified for the job.

Also, the trustworthiness of a candidate will also be cast into doubt if a company finds out that they have lied or exaggerated on their applications or CV.

What does an education background check show?

There are several things that the checks will examine:

  • Dates and places of education, including higher education
  • Levels of training and qualifications
  • Degree lever or certification of higher education
  • Subjects studied

These checks can go as far back into a candidate’s educational career as is necessary for the purposes of the job application.

Why are education history checks important?

Now, more than ever, education and certification fraud is very prevalent. There are many websites on the internet where people can obtain or doctor educational certificates or diplomas. There have been stories of businesses that haven’t invested in educational background checks, and have taken on candidates with fake qualifications and training – therefore putting the reputation of their business at risk, as well as possibly the company’s clients by having an unqualified person carrying out a specialised job.

Many people also tend to exaggerate on job applications and CVs and so that’s why it’s imperative that businesses looking to employ people that require certain qualifications carry out employment history checks to ensure the person they are hiring is the right person for the job.

Accurate’s background screening staff are trained, skilled and experienced in recognising red flags – such as potential ‘degree mills’ – when checking the candidate’s academic record for both required qualifications and attendance dates. Wherever possible, we obtain verification at the source or via trusted third party reference source partners. If that isn’t possible, we ask the candidate to provide certificates.

To chat about Accurate’s employment background checks, contact us.