Take a Look Around Your Workplace

Over the years, we have done enough employment and education verifications that few things surprise us. We have seen some interesting trends develop over time though. Applicants often fudge, obfuscate, or outright lie about the details of their employment history. Dates of employment, salary, title, their reason for leaving. Something does not quite match up. But applicants really don’t invent employment history. We don’t see applicants who claimed to work for IBM for 3 years, when in reality they never set foot in the door.

However, education verifications are a different story. We commonly see applicants who claim education credentials they did not earn. Master’s degrees. Bachelor’s. High School diplomas. Think of the notable stories you have seen in news over the years. Football coaches, CEO’s, College Deans. How many were about their employment history, and how many were about the educational background?

Approximately 2% of the time, we find candidates who did not earn the degree or diploma they claimed to. It’s across the board too. Companies who think their applicants are different? We actually see a higher percentage of fraudulent claims for clients where a particular education level is a requirement of the position. 2% sounds like a small figure. Is it? Look around your organization. How many people work for your company?