INTERVIEW EDGE • JULY 1998

Degree or Not Degree

Whether a job applicant actually has the claimed degree or not is often overlooked by the eager employer in a hurry to fill the position. According to a survey by Human Resource Management, out of 1,331 human resource professionals, only 61 percent verified educational backgrounds. That leaves 39 percent who did not verify candidate degrees. Either they assumed that the degree was valid or they just didn't have the time to do the check.

Yet approximately one out of every 12 applicants, even those who are seeking executive level positions, will claim to have college degrees they do not have, according to Certified Reference Checking Company, a provider of reference and resume checking for employers since 1987.

What most employers do not realize is how easy a college degree is to verify. To quickly validate a degree, just call the school Registrar's Office. They can tell you the dates the individual attended and whether a degree was attained. The only information needed is the candidate's last name. The year of the degree and social security number are helpful if available. Remember that some female candidates may have received a degree under their maiden name. Validating a degree should take less than 5 minutes. It is well worth the time, especially if it saves you from interviewing an unqualified candidate, or even worse, hiring one.