While most people are honest when the fill out applications and send out resumes, there are a few who opt to fake college credentials. While it is estimated that about 40 percent of resumes have some fibs, lying about where you went to college and actually graduating rank among the most prevalent false claims. Many people fake college claims to get jobs for which they are unqualified. Some just do it just to make their resume look better. Either way, if the truth comes out, you will probably be fired.
If you are an employer who needs to verify a college degree, there are many ways that can be done. You could ask a potential hire to produce a copy of their official transcript. This should be fairly easy if they really graduated. All the person has to do is either fill out an online application or go the the registration office to request a copy of their official transcript. It usually only costs about $10. Once you file the application, you should receive the copy in the mail in a few days. If you go directly to the office, you can receive on while you wait.
A copy of the college degree itself also satisfies an employer’s requirement. In most cases, your degree is mailed out to your a few weeks after you graduate. If you have it on hand, you can take it to the employer.
Unfortunately, there are some people who go to “diploma mills,” that will create college degrees that look highly-professional. In most cases, no one, not even the hiring official can tell that it’s fake. Companies who hire individuals without doing a complete background check to find out if someone graduated from college, are doing themselves a disservice. Not taking the time to check a person’s credentials can cause you a great deal of problems in the long term.
A person who infiltrates your organization could be put into a position that requires a great deal of responsibility. They could potentially cause a great deal of harm or embarrassment to your company. A fake college degree could give them access to sensitive documents and many other things that could render your company vulnerable.
There are ways that hiring officials can protect themselves. There are some tale-tell signs that they can look for to verify college degree:
- Watch for out of sequence degrees.
- Quickie degrees that look at though the person received it in a relatively short amount of time.
- Check for degrees with sound alike names that are similar to major colleges and universities.
- Look at degrees from academic learning long distance colleges.
Employers should always make an effort to verify academic credentials. Whether contacting the school directly or doing your own research, you will be able to verify whether the school ever existed and if it actually is even accredited.
You may also contact the Department of Education, which has a database link for accredited schools.
