Bringing on new hires can be both time-consuming and stressful. It is tempting to rush the process and quickly fill a vacant spot on your team. However, when the hiring process is rushed it can sometimes mean that important details are overlooked. Ensuring that your potential new employees are qualified is essential to long-term success. Verifying basic qualifications like education may seem like a hassle right now, but if you rush over these important details it could cost you lots of precious time in the future.
Why Are Education Requirements Important?
When a job qualification contains a minimum level of education requirement it is there for a reason. In most cases, this education minimum is there to ensure that the employee will be able to succeed and excel in the position and to ensure that the employer does not need to use important time or resources training an unqualified person.
Making sure that an applicant does indeed have the required education will help improve the overall quality and productivity of your employees and your company as a whole.
In most cases an employer wants to verify the following items on an applicant’s resume:
- Degrees
- Schools attended
- Years of attendance
- Certifications
- Special training
Why Is Education Verification Important?
The sad truth is that some applicants will lie on their resumes concerning their education. Because companies rely heavily on the educational system rather than on the job training, it is imperative that education can be honestly verified.
Diploma mills or degree mills are companies that will claim to be an educational institution but is unaccredited and do not provide quality education or training. These institutions basically provide people with a diploma for a fee with a minimum of education or courses. Education verification is one-way employers can screen out applicants who have substandard education from one of these institutions. Although some applicants may not be aware that they have obtained a degree through this type of institution, the truth remains that they will not be qualified to hold certain types of occupations.
It is important for employers to be aware of diploma mills. In most cases, a simple search of a school name through a diploma mill database will reveal if the institution is legitimate or not.
Problems You Can Avoid With Education Verification
Negligent Hiring Claims
If you hire an employee who behaves dangerously or fraudulently, you could be held liable for a negligent hiring claim. This means that if you were not diligent in checking this person’s background and qualifications, you have put your other employees at risk, and you could face consequences for that. You have a responsibility to always hire employees who will be an asset rather than a liability to the company.
If an unqualified employee puts customers at risk somehow, you could also be held liable for their damages as well.
Unsafe Work Environment
Hiring an individual who is not properly qualified for a certain job could make your entire work environment unsafe. This is especially true for certain job certifications which have involved safety training protocols.
Best Ways to Verify Education
If you have concerns that a degree or certification was obtained from a non-accredited institution you can use education verification services to get more information.
If an educational institution seems legitimate, you can contact the school in order to obtain a copy of proof of the degree or certification an employee claims to have earned.
It is important during the interview process to ask probing questions concerning an employee’s education. If answers seem conflicting it could be in your best interest to further verify the applicant’s education.