Educational qualifications play a crucial role in hiring decisions today, especially for professions that require specific expertise. Many organizations clearly state the required educational background, sometimes even specifying a minimum grade point average. However, this has led some candidates to falsify their qualifications in order to secure desired positions. Therefore, verifying educational credentials has become essential to reduce the risk of hiring underqualified employees.
What are the key reasons companies should verify educational qualifications before hiring? In this article, we will explore them in detail.
Case Study: Hiring an Employee with Forged Educational Qualifications
In 1997, a factory hired a secretary who performed satisfactorily for over 10 years. However, the HR department received a tip that the secretary had falsified her academic records, inflating her GPA to meet the company’s minimum requirement of 2.70 for vocational diplomas. Upon rechecking, her documents initially appeared legitimate, but when the HR department contacted the educational institution, they found that the document numbers did not match, confirming that the employee’s academic credentials were forged.
4 Reasons Why HR Should Verify Educational Credentials Before Hiring
Verifying educational qualifications is crucial for both direct and indirect reasons, especially for roles requiring specific credentials. Here’s why HR should perform this check:
1. Enhancing Trust and Transparency
Verifying educational qualifications helps foster transparency in the hiring process, similar to criminal background checks. It ensures employers can trust that candidates are honest, creating a fair, transparent hiring culture where all applicants are treated equally. This also contributes to a safer workplace environment.
2. Reducing the Risk of Hiring Unqualified Employees
Verifying educational qualifications helps minimize the risk of hiring unqualified employees. Certain industries require employees with specialized education or specific degrees, and hiring individuals with fake credentials can lead to inefficiencies, wasted resources on training, and potentially harm the company’s reputation. Therefore, conducting thorough checks ensures that the company hires individuals with the appropriate skills and knowledge for the job, especially in roles requiring specific professional expertise.
3. Preventing Fraud and Forgery
Falsifying educational qualifications is a form of forging official documents. If someone can fake such credentials to secure a job, they may also manipulate other documents for personal gain, potentially leading to fraudulent activities. Detecting falsified documents is not always easy for HR personnel, as visual inspection alone may not be enough. Verifying educational qualifications with the relevant academic institutions helps reduce this risk, ensuring the authenticity of documents and safeguarding the organization from fraud.
4. Enhancing Recruitment and Selection Efficiency
As known, conducting background checks is essential for all organizations when hiring new employees. However, verifying educational qualifications alongside this process significantly boosts the efficiency of recruitment. This ensures that the company builds a high-quality team filled with talented and skilled individuals.
Additionally, educational verification can serve as a foundation for future employee development. Organizations can use this data to plan relevant training and skill development programs, helping employees grow in their roles and continuously improve their performance.
Summary:
Verifying educational qualifications is an essential step that organizations should include when conducting background checks, especially for roles requiring specialized knowledge and skills. This process helps ensure that the company hires capable individuals, boosting recruitment efficiency and minimizing the risk of poor-quality performance.For organizations seeking comprehensive employee background checks, including education verification, Appman Background Checker offers a 100% online service. It delivers fast results, relies on credible references, and adheres to PDPA regulations.
