Prospective Employers Checking Education History!?!?

[jbar]

I had job interview yesterday with a major national corporation, for an accounting role. They asked me to sign a form that would authorize them (or I should say a background checking company - Kroll) to verify my references, criminal record, credit record, and education record.

None of those items are a problem for me, but that was the first time somebody asked for permission to check my education records. Is this par for the course (no pun intended)? Are there that many more people falsifying their educational credentials, since I last looked for a different company to work for? Is this just an accounting/finance-role thing, or this regular practice for jobs in any sector? I'm just curious.

I'm hoping to get a accounting-porn hybrid job....would they also ask for proof regarding the size of my willy?

 

[alexmst]

If you say you graduated from an Ivy League university, sometimes employers contact the university to check that they did in fact grant you a degree. I don't think they care if you got a C+ or B- on a second year course.

 

[lurkerjoe]

Want to be freaked out a bit more? Some employers are using this website to check up on staff and potential new hires.

http://www.spokeo.com/email

type in your email and see what it finds out about you.

 

[The Options Menu]

If you say you graduated from an Ivy League university, sometimes employers contact the university to check that they did in fact grant you a degree. I don't think they care if you got a C+ or B- on a second year course.

The credit thing has been on the rise for some time, but the more strict checking on education is a side effect of diploma mills and people going a little too far in 'padding' their resumes. At the end of the day actual experience with in demand skills and solid verifiable references will do you more good than anything else... Unless you can't get a job without a certification because of law or a governing body, and that shiny education is a good way to get your first serious hire.

 

[The Options Menu]

Want to be freaked out a bit more? Some employers are using this website to check up on staff and potential new hires.

http://www.spokeo.com/email

type in your email and see what it finds out about you.

You should have 3 mail accounts:
1. Personal
2. Professional
3. Junk

If you do social networking / blogging / online communities cover your ass and be a permissions Nazi.

 

[hungry]

Want to be freaked out a bit more? Some employers are using this website to check up on staff and potential new hires.

http://www.spokeo.com/email

type in your email and see what it finds out about you.

This is scary, I do not belong to any social groups. I put in a few email address I use and they all came up saying I am or use some sites. I even opened a brand new account, entered it on this site and it immedately said I was a member of something. Any employer, or anybody that uses this site, I think is getting misinformation and that they can get any info must be violating a lot of privacy laws.

 

[alexmst]

This is scary, I do not belong to any social groups. I put in a few email address I use and they all came up saying I am or use some sites. I even opened a brand new account, entered it on this site and it immedately said I was a member of something. Any employer, or anybody that uses this site, I think isgetting misinformation and that they can get any info must be violating a lot of privacy laws.

Yes, I also just tried it out. I put in 3 SPs addresses (who I already know personal info on and am friends with) and one came back correctly with photos of her, and the other two came back with totally inaccurate info saying one lived in California and had pics of some latino woman with her family who is not the SP in question. The third search also returned incorrect info saying the holder was in my town and was asian, when she isn't from my town and isn't asian.

 

[Cobra Enorme]

fake, it shows you the instances that google cached your email. next!

 

[tboy]

To the OP: when you apply for a job via a resume you are basically saying to them: here's my info, feel free to verify it.

I think the company you encountered were probably just CTY by asking you directly.

I feel it is about time they actually started checking. I always found in ludicrous how many companies accept a resume at face value. I dated a woman who worked in HR at a major corp and she said they rarely verified info.....

 

[catchin_zzz]

I'm not surprised. I know someone who got busted for faking his University degree and professional credentials. This is after he practiced with the company for at least five or six years.

A lot of companies are going even further especially if you are working the in the public sector. I've had to fill out back ground check forms, authorizations for police records, verifications of my last bunch of years of employers and something explaining why there was a six month gap in my employment.

 

[jbar]

Want to be freaked out a bit more? Some employers are using this website to check up on staff and potential new hires.

http://www.spokeo.com/email

type in your email and see what it finds out about you.

Interesting, but when I type in "fuck.head@bmo.com", it came back with a positive confirmation (e.g. basic profile and business information) and stated that he or she can be found on 40+ social networks.

The same thing happened with chicken.fucker@bmo.com. I call bullshit since, by my experience, all of the chicken-fuckers are found at CIBC.

 

[alexmst]

I call bullshit since, by my experience, all of the chicken-fuckers are found at CIBC.

Can't argue with you there lol

 

[Cycleguy007]

Interesting, but when I type in "fuck.head@bmo.com", it came back with a positive confirmation (e.g. basic profile and business information) and stated that he or she can be found on 40+ social networks.

The same thing happened with chicken.fucker@bmo.com. I call bullshit since, by my experience, all of the chicken-fuckers are found at CIBC.

And here I thought all the chicken-fuckers were in this building:

http://media-cdn.tripadvisor.com/media/photo-s/01/09/3c/de/parliament-hill-ottowa.jpg

And this one:

http://www.boldts.net/p2/TorA.1.jpeg

 

[torontojohn]

I think the rule for most educational institutions are required to keep records for about 7 years.

I recently had to produce proof of my education for a promotion because the HR department had lost their copy - and I don't exactly keep mine on the wall, it was filed away somewhere.
I found out I was over the retention limit, but luckily my records hadn't been purged yet; I'm not sure how reliable an education check can be.

I'd also hope that a prospective employer would allow someone the chance to challenge a credit rating, for instance. Credit rating agencies aren't known for 100% accuracy, after all.

 

[shakenbake]

Want to be freaked out a bit more? Some employers are using this website to check up on staff and potential new hires.

http://www.spokeo.com/email

type in your email and see what it finds out about you.

Welcome to "Big Brother" and "1984".

 

[shakenbake]

I think the rule for most educational institutions are required to keep records for about 7 years.

I recently had to produce proof of my education for a promotion because the HR department had lost their copy - and I don't exactly keep mine on the wall, it was filed away somewhere.
I found out I was over the retention limit, but luckily my records hadn't been purged yet; I'm not sure how reliable an education check can be.

I'd also hope that a prospective employer would allow someone the chance to challenge a credit rating, for instance. Credit rating agencies aren't known for 100% accuracy, after all.

Sorry, but they must have been puling your leg. Most of the reputable ones keep the records indefinitely. Just ask for your transcripts and see how far back they go. I know that mine wer far older than seven years when I requested them. Something impoprtant like a doctoral dissertation is kept forever and in various libraries around the continent and/or world. Also, I think that the the TDSB maintains student archives that can only be released about 50 years after the student has left their system.

 

[Keebler Elf]

... but that was the first time somebody asked for permission to check my education records. Is this par for the course (no pun intended)? Are there that many more people falsifying their educational credentials, since I last looked for a different company to work for? Is this just an accounting/finance-role thing, or this regular practice for jobs in any sector? I'm just curious.

For any employer worth its salt, this is absolutely par for the course. It's recruiting 101 taught in any HR course. My company has terminated numerous people after hiring them and later finding out their educational credentials weren't accurate so it's standard practice to check at the time of hire (we outsource the verification).

There are many, many people who either exaggerate or outright lie on their resume and education is no different. As an employer, I consider it a test. If I find out early on that you've lied to me, I'm kicking your ass to the curb and letting all my colleagues in other companies know as well so they can weed your resume out. You'd be surprised how quickly word can travel.

As for educational purges, I would doubt they are destroyed any sooner than 25 years after you graduate. More likely 25 or 50 years. If your university is purging after 7 years, I'm questioning the credibility of that institution.

 

[calloway]

Too many people lie (the polite word is "embellish") on their resumes about their qualifications and education. Depending on the job responsibilities and requirements... I see nothing wrong with a company checking every aspect of a resume.

 

[Moraff]

I think the rule for most educational institutions are required to keep records for about 7 years.

I recently had to produce proof of my education for a promotion because the HR department had lost their copy - and I don't exactly keep mine on the wall, it was filed away somewhere.
I found out I was over the retention limit, but luckily my records hadn't been purged yet; I'm not sure how reliable an education check can be.

I'd also hope that a prospective employer would allow someone the chance to challenge a credit rating, for instance. Credit rating agencies aren't known for 100% accuracy, after all.

I'm guessing that what they meant was that they keep the paper files handy for about 7 years, then they go to longterm storage as it has been my experience that schools keep that stuff forever.

 

[landscaper]

lying on your resume is grounds for dismissal at any point in your career. Up until a few years ago most companies did not bother to back check but took resumes at face value, now things have changed, cashiers at Lowes are back checked for instance .