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Do ‘consistent’ background checks reduce fakery in resumes?

With the outgrowing speed of technology boom in India, efficient hiring is the biggest trigger for ‘instant’ background verification today! Every industry sector is experiencing shortage of talent and trust in the way hiring is being done. With the overall discrepancy level significantly rising from 10.29% to 15.21%, a great deal to build trust with instant verifications is the need of the hour.[ Source: AuthBridge Annual Trend Report 2017]

Some Key Highlights:-

  • 15.21% Candidates misrepresented information to employers in FY2017; major jump from 10.29% in FY 2016
  • Employment verification witnessed the maximum discrepancy followed by address verification, reference check and education verification respectively
  • Financial Services industry had the maximum discrepant cases with a rate of 24.99 %, followed by Telecom

Over 80% of the large organizations and an increasing number of start- ups are opting for background screening of their new hires says a report published by the Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM). Since this practice has somewhat been slightly fragmented; an amalgamation of manual and automated verification procedures, HR generalists need to brainstorm hiring solutions that are efficient, thorough and effective. Resume Lies Rising with ‘no holds barred’– What HR needs to Do?

Consistency is the key when it comes to background verification of new hires. Companies need to be homogenous with their background screening procedures and policies; such as, criminal history check, police verification, address check, employment verification etc. and know how they conduct them and apply the necessary processes. Reviewing all the applicants in an identical fashion and documenting the process when needed is a desirable thing to do. Developing a matrix for each type of position and evaluating the background screening proceedings for the particular type of job can help in drastically reducing discrepancy levels. These are some signs of a structured background screening program.

Since, the Human Resource Function in an organization is the sole leading voice in conducting background screening, it is advisable that they consider applying a set of standard practices without bias to all offices and designations in conducting background screening to implement a successful verification program.

A sneak peek into our 4th Annual Trend Report- Background Screening 2017 helps you to understand how AuthBridge supported the transformational recruitment across different sectors and came up with the concept of TrustonDemand to help organizations create powerful HR plans and policies.

By admin, ago
Leadership Due Diligence is a Long-Term Investment

Challenges of C-suite Hiring and measures involving Leadership Due Diligence

Leadership in the recent times has become more complex than ever. The role of senior management is increasingly becoming more critical. Hence, it is vital for board members and CEOs to hire the right candidates for the upper management. The image and progress of the brand or company is directly dependent on the working practices of C-suite executives. The recent times have shown multiple frauds and scandals involving upper management and board members, which have made headlines in newspapers. A recent survey conducted in India shows that 37% of middle and senior level management to be involved in unethical practices.

This is a clear indication of the gaps in the leadership due diligence methods used in this country. The survey took into account various factors like cyber security, physical theft, bribery and corruption. C-level executives of leading PSUs in India are now under constant surveillance after a financial scam worth 11,300 crores was unearthed recently. This is where leadership due diligence comes into the picture. C suite executive screening ensures eligible candidates for upper management. Senior executives of any organization are responsible for setting the work culture of the company.

They not only act as role models for the rest of the team, but also responsible for setting goals and motivating their employees. Hence hiring the right team of leaders is critical for any business. This calls for Leadership due diligence, which ensures proper hiring of the correct upper management. Even though most businesses today realize the gravity of leadership due diligence, HR teams and CEOs still face hurdles in hiring the right candidates of the C-suite positions.

 

Challenges faced in C-suite hiring

1) Misalignment of objective and candidate- McKinsey studies have indicated that over one-third of top level executives were not able to properly align candidates with their objectives. Without leadership due diligence, a company can end up hiring senior management who do not understand the culture and processes of the company. This would primarily happen because of mismatches in the candidate profile and job goals. Inaccuracies in the hiring processes are one of the major challenges faced by HR teams and CEOs.

The HR must successfully implement latest technologies, innovative marketing and customized messages and mails to hire the right candidate. The recruitment process needs to gather the attention of the top talent, through leveraging modern technologies and innovative hiring practices.

2) Lack of interview structure- Many companies conduct interviews for top level management without a proper format or structure. Such interviews are not only ineffective at gauging the candidate correctly, but also have the possibility of biased results. In order to preserve the efficacy and objectivity of the hiring process, a proper format must be implemented that takes into account preset parameters like skills, relevant work experience and education among others. It is vital to check the parameters that were identified during leadership due diligence endeavors.

3) Delay in On-Boarding- Hiring processes can sometimes be lengthy and labor-intensive. This often causes delays in confirming a candidate either due to delay in approvals or indecisiveness. A highly talented candidate in the market often has multiple job offers and are aggressively sought after by companies.

 Moreover, verifying the c-level management takes a lot of effort than usual background verification process. Hiring a 3rd party professional agency that conducts leadership due diligence can be a blessing in speeding up the hiring process.

Also Read: Leadership Due Diligence is a Long-Term Investment

 

Lack of proper policies and job descriptions

A thorough leadership due diligence is not possible without proper guidelines and policies. Lack of appropriate recruitment guidelines, screening processes and policies can lead to hiring of employees that are either not qualified for the job or are not culturally fit for the company. Also, an ineffective leadership due diligence practice can lead to hiring of C-level management with a criminal record or history of drug abuse.

This will not only tarnish the image of the company but also will have serious consequences on business operations. HR must properly define job roles and have proper hiring policies to pair the right candidate with the right job. Candidate analysis and leadership due diligence should be carried out using the latest technologies on an integrated platform that has all the necessary requisites couple with HR policies and hiring guidelines.

By admin, ago
Address Check - You Could Be Hiring a Fugitive

Address Check – You Could Be Hiring a Fugitive

The importance of address details and their role in identity theft

Today, due to the increased digitization of personal information, identity thefts and frauds are on the rise. Increased counts of identity thefts are causing concerns while hiring suitable candidates. Address detail is an important personal information of any individual which can be attest to the identity of an individual. Unfortunately, they are easy to fake. A recent study of job applicants found that more than 15% of the candidates had lied about their current and permanent address details. Having robust background checks under such situations becomes extremely crucial. Also, the company needs to know the address of all its employees, as that is the most secure and sure-shot way of contacting any employee in case of emergencies. Hence, companies need to maintain accurate records of the addresses of individuals working for them. Address checks become important in such cases as the address is a vital part of identity verification and shows stability in the life of the candidate.

 

Overview of address checks

One of the most important factors of address checks is physical address verification There are two types of verifications:

1) Temporary address verification: Job candidates often need to move to different cities and locations for their work. In such cases, they choose temporary accommodations such as guest houses or PGs, or rented apartments as their temporary residence. Temporary address checks take into account the current lodgings of the candidate. This not only ensures better identity confirmation but also ensures that the candidate has been able to settle in the new location.

2) Permanent address check: Apart from confirming the applicant’s current or temporary address, it is important to verify his or her permanent address as a way of confirming identity. Permanent address proofs are a more robust form of checks as they can be traced back to the original residence of the employee. Tracing a permanent address also ensures a proper identity check.

 

Address verification services and the importance of address checks

Performing thorough and rigorous address checks can be a tedious and expensive process. Hence, it is often advised to use professional address verification services. They not only possess software and automated tools for accurate address checks but also come with a repository of knowledge about common fraudulent practices and their safeguards. It is also more economical, especially for small and medium companies, to hire a third-party address verification company instead of spending resources and manpower on developing their own team.

Professional address verification services often use advanced technologies like GPS tracking and digital logs of addresses, APIs that return multiple known addresses upon entering the street name among others. By using effective AVS (address verification service) APIs, companies can reduce delays and errors in their address verification process.

Address checks are incredibly important because the address of the employee is an important platform for correspondence both for pre-employment and post-employment proceedings and documentation. Also, if the employee is found to be on the run after stealing company property or unethical practices, having a record of the address can simplify locating the fugitive. Company executives can also locate a former employee of the company using address records for various purposes. In cases of suspicious or disturbing employee behavior such as constant absenteeism or issues with conduct, the address is a secure way of contacting the employee, thus ensuring proper measures.

By admin, ago
Employee Screening - Reasons for Background Check Failure

Employee Screening – Reasons for Background Check Failure

Nearly seven out of ten businesses have been affected by bad hires, according to a CareerBuilder report. Identity thefts claimed more than fifteen million victims in the past two years. Injuries at the workplace, theft, data, and security breach are just some of the concerns that prompt companies across the world to take up employee screening or employee background verification.

 

Why is employee screening critical?

In the U.S., one out of five employees face a threatening or hostile environment at the workplace, and on average, close to sixty billion dollars are spent annually on serious injuries at the workplace.

Employee screening is conducted by 96 percent of U.S. organizations while 89 percent of companies conduct employee verification to make the workplace safer for customers and other employees.

There has been a 500 percent increase in Employee background verification on social media in the past decade.

Employee background verification helps employers make the right hiring decisions which can go a long way towards mitigating workplace thefts, violence resulting in injuries, data or material theft, and sexual harassment incidents.

Competitive employment market compounding the problem

In India, initiatives such as Digital India and Make in India are raising the demand for a talented workforce but the competitive market is also giving rise to resume frauds. The emergence of new technologies and low investment from the private sector has compounded the problem. In the Railways sector, two crore people sent applications for one lakh posted job vacancies in 2018 while at least fourteen thousand applied for a peon’s post in Haryana. Given the stiff competition, many candidates resort to glorifying their resumes to increase their chances of being hired. Many candidates inflate their salary slips in the hopes of bagging a lucrative offer, while others claim false designations to jump up the corporate ladder.

The recent spate of fraud in some reputed financial institutions and the safety concerns in shared economy models have highlighted the need for employment verification and a thorough background check. Organizations are increasingly investing in background screening to protect their corporate reputation and to ensure financial security.

Main reasons why background checks fail or have discrepancies

According to the report released by AuthBridge, India’s leading employee background verification company, the overall background verification failer or discrepancy levels significantly increased to 15.21% in 2017 from 10.29% in FY 2015. The report highlights that in 2017, 15 out of 100 cases had an element of mismatch between the information supplied on the resume versus what was verified. The resume discrepancy levels have considerably risen to the tune of 48% as compared to 2016. Among all categories of personal information, employment-related information was the most misrepresented at 12 percent in 2017. This is followed by a misrepresentation of address which stands at 6.67 percent, while reference check frauds were at 3.35%. Many people produced fake addresses that could not be traced while others listed an address where they were not residing.

Employee background verification and reference checks conducted by AuthBridge revealed that most people lied about their previous employment tenure and provided referees who did not respond. As compared to 2015 when 2.25 percent of referees did not respond, in 2017, the figure increased to 2.99%. The other major discrepancies in reference checks relate to the incorrect tenure mentioned and the non-availability of documents. Forged or fake education documents were also common as revealed during the employment checks or education checks. Significantly, the financial services industry encountered maximum levels of discrepancy and this is the industry that is most prone to data and material thefts as has been witnessed in recent times.

Also Read: Top 5 Checks to Consider for Conducting Background Verification

Due diligence with employee background verification can weed out potential wrong hires while helping companies make evidence-based information when it comes to promotions or partnerships.

By admin, ago
Employee Background Verification for the Startup Ecosystem

Employee Background Verification for the Startup Ecosystem

The emergence of new business models New business models in India are emerging that are changing the way we live or do business.  The entrepreneurial mindset has caught up in a big way and India is recognised as a fast-growing destination for startups. Boosted by angel investors, groups and crowdfunding initiatives, the ecosystem is currently seeing a “flooding” of entrepreneurship backed by innovative ideas.

In 2017, more than a thousand startups were launched, which brought India to the third position in the world as far as startup ecosystem is concerned, after the U.K and the U.S.  Intense competition from other countries notwithstanding, India is all set to emerge as the leading startup destination in the world in the coming years. As per a NASSCOM report on startups, 5,200 technology startups were seen in the IT sector in 2017 alone. Tier II cities are also joining in the startup bandwagon even as major metros including Bengaluru, Mumbai and Delhi retained their top positions.

Bengaluru having earned the reputation of being a startup capital is expected to generate more than two lakh jobs from 11,500 startups by 2020. Most of the startup growth is centred around technology, IT, big data, e-commerce and fin-tech. The rising popularity of e-commerce and shared economy models are changing the business landscapes. Instant delivery of goods and services is now possible and convenient. With the click of a mouse, service providers including beauticians, bankers, plumbers or food delivery can be summoned any time.

Why investors insist on background checks for startups

While the booming startup landscape is exciting news for the economy, there are risks inherent in the shared economy blue collared jobs. The rise in contract work, temporary hires and shared models also highlight the security concerns. The recent spate of crimes and frauds, whether it is the drivers or technology support scams, underscore the importance of conducting a thorough employee background verification and employee screening.  Where earlier only employees were subject to background checks prior to hiring, the need of the hour is now employee screening and due diligence for startups.

Instant verification that can generate trust and speed up the business alliances or startup investments call for professional technology-enabled solutions. Wrong hires cost much more than money, with the damage to reputation, at times, being irreparable.  Particularly when it comes to startups that are cash-strapped, there is no room for bad hires or wrong investment decisions.

As per an Economic Times Tech article, investors are increasingly hiring professional employee screening or employee background verification firms to do background checks on startups. One of the recent reports showed that a minimum of one fraud in 2017 was encountered by 82 percent of executives. With the sexual harassment scandal rocking the reputation of a leading cab service provider a couple of years back, the company faced major investor scrutiny and backlash.

Common areas where background verifications fail

When investors commit their money to a startup, they are obviously looking to recover their investment while protecting their reputation. In this scenario, hiring professional employee background verification firms to check on the credibility, personal integrity, credit history, criminal records, experience and financial history is of utmost value to the investor.

AuthBridge conducted a comprehensive survey in 2017 and found that most failures in background verification are related to employment information, address and education and reference checks. Many provide false employment details while faking documents related to educational qualifications. Fake addresses and references are the other common pitfalls encountered in background checks.

Also Read:Weed out Fraudsters: Instant Employee Screening Solutions

AuthBridge, as the leading employee background verification provider, offers the best technology-driven solutions for investors and employers. A wide range of employee verification services, including employment check, education check, address check and reference check are provided.

By admin, ago
Top 5 Aspects to Verify Before Hiring Your Senior Level Hire

Why is Background Verification Service Vital for Small Businesses?

Due to the limited size of the workforce, small businesses operate on an intimate level. They do not hire as many employees as your typically large corporations and therefore are much more dependent on each individual employee. Employees often need to take on multiple responsibilities and interact with each other in a close-knit fashion. Due to the increased importance of an individual employee, small businesses are heavily dependent on background verifications.

Along with work safety issues, hiring managers need to vet the applicants rigorously on the basis of their skills, educational background, criminal records and other similar details. They also need to assess the personality of the applicants to check if they will be a proper fit for their close-knit teams. Despite the criticality of strict background verification, a lot of companies often skip this step. The reason- lack of proper budget and screening tools. This is where professional background screening services come into picture.

By outsourcing the process of background screening, small businesses can save capital (which would otherwise be invested in infrastructure for in-house screening) and can ensure high efficiency in the screening process. Choosing the correct background verification service can be a difficult task. With the constant shift in laws and regulations and applicants misjudging themselves, choosing the right service provider is of critical importance.

There are various factors that must be taken into consideration while selecting a background screening service. The first and foremost is their level of compliance with regulations of not just the region but also of the company. Added to this are factors like turnaround time, technological considerations and cost.

Also read: Top 5 Checks to Consider for Conducting Background Verification

By admin, ago

How to Choose Your Background Verification Partner?

In the face of technology disruption and initiatives such as “Make in India” and StartUpIndia, there is a focus on job creation. With multiple avenues opening up, recruiting managers are pressurised to make the right hiring decisions in quick time while ensuring the organisational goals for hiring and retaining are met.

 

The importance of background verification – Risk mitigation and building trust

Given the time and resource crunch in HR teams, many resort to shortcuts in the hiring process. Bad hires have been proven to cost up to five times the annual salary of an employee besides denting the image and reputation of the company. Resume frauds are also common with a 15.21% discrepancy rates in 2017.

One in six candidates lie on their resume with a majority of them misrepresenting their employment tenure during background verification. HR companies rely on a background verification partner to conduct due diligence on behalf of the company. Since critical hiring decisions are made based on the information provided by the background verification partner, it is important to select the right background screening company.

 

Things to consider while selecting a background verification partner

1. Licensed provider

In the U.S., background verification companies need to obtain accreditation from the National Association of Professional Background Screeners. Independent audits are conducted to ensure the background verification partner is following the best practices. However, in India, while there is no regulatory body, the background verification partner has to be registered and have the required licenses to conduct background verification. This ensures employers of quality results from approved, genuine provider.  Employers can refer to the list of ‘empanelled background screening agencies’ with National Skills Registry (NSR).

2. Up-to-date with legislation

While you enlist a background verification partner, check if they are aware of the prevailing laws and regulations with respect to employee background verification in the geography under consideration. This is particularly true if your business operates overseas and hires people from across the globe. Different regional and Federal laws govern background verification across countries and a professional background verification partner needs to be aware of such relevant laws. For instance, it is illegal to conduct criminal records check in the U.S. without the consent of the employee. In India, the consent of employee for drug screening and criminal records check is required.

 

Background verification partners have to be compliant with:

  • The Indian Penal Code
  • The Indian Contract Act
  • Information technology Acts of 2000 and 2005 which prohibits unauthorized usage of employee data
  • The Right to Privacy
  • ISO standards for information security

3. Time taken for conducting verification

Ensure the background verification partner have a proven track record of completing the verification processes in defined and efficient turnaround time.

4. Technology-savvy

Check if the background verification partner is using sophisticated technology to ensure reliability and accuracy of data. Smart platforms such as WorkAttest™, API integrated technologies, Aadhaar-based eKYC and access to national and international databases are some of the factors that work in favour of a background verification partner. These technologies not only cut down the time required to conduct background screening but provide accurate data as well.

 5. Protocols in place

A professional background verification partner has to follow best practices while having clear protocols in place.

6. Experience and reputation

As is the norm in selecting any vendor or partner, checking the industry experience and reputation of the background verification partner is critical. A reliable background verification partner has to be open to feedback while being approachable.

Also Read: Top 7 Tips to Get Your Employment Background Verification Right

Look for online reviews or if not available, request the background verification company to provide some references. Also, check if the company has been top-rated in surveys or opinion polls in independent surveys.  Review also if the company has published whitepapers, case studies and surveys on relevant issues that add to the credibility.

By admin, ago

Vendor Due Diligence- Your Aid to Organisational Safety & Compliance

In today’s competitive and fast-paced business scenario, organisations have to streamline their operations to optimise profit and growth. Third-party outsourcing is a popular trend across industries and countries. Outsourcing certain tasks to a third-party vendor saves cost and time. Yet, there are inherent risks of outsourcing. Businesses have to ensure that confidential and sensitive information is protected. They also have to verify if the vendor carries out ethical processes while ensuring a safe and healthy working environment.

 

Vendor due diligence is cost effective

As the third-party contractors are partners to success, vendor due diligence  before hiring them is critical to business objectives, success, the brand, customers and financials. As per studies, intangible aspects such as the reputation and goodwill account for 80% of businesses’ market value.

Vendor due diligence is the ideal way to check if the vendor meets all the criteria including confidentiality, compliance with regulations and ethical practices. Business due diligence is necessary to mitigate risks and to protect reputation.

With globalisation, the retailers deal with suppliers and contractor across the world and this adds another element of risk to the business. As new products emerge, new contractors or suppliers are likely to be added by retailers. With each new supplier, the costs related to auditing and compliance activities increase.

Vendor due diligence reports curated by professional agencies helps retailers and business owners to achieve a cost-effective way of ensuring the compliance of vendors.

 

How commercial vendor due diligence ensures organisational safety?

Vendor due diligence is a component of risk mitigation best practices. Vendor due diligence can ensure the vendor is legally compliant, has the required licenses and permits in the region of operation. Vendor due diligence also ensures the third-party contractor complies with anti-corruption legislations including the UK Bribery Act, US FCPA and the Indian Prevention of money laundering Act.

A professional agency specialising in vendor due diligence can help confirm if the claims made by the vendor are genuine and that there are no unfair trade practices carried out.

Also Read: How to mitigate risks with Vendor Due Diligence?

 

The aspects that are checked under vendor due diligence risk assessment

Vendor due diligence involves verification of

  • Financial profile, including the quality of earning, assets, tax, commercial due diligence and the volume of products handled
  • Supply chain gaps
  • The third party supplier’s compliance with legislation, service agreements
  •  Credit ratings
  •  Directors
  •  Charges
  •  Legal or regulatory compliance
  •  Financial details
  •  Shareholding patterns
  •  Related companies
  •  Trademarks
  •  Documents
  •  Database & media checks
  •  Organisational structure
  •  Organisational capacity, operating procedures
  •  Building or personnel security
  •  Data security systems
  •  Insurance coverages

 

Vendor due diligence from professional providers

The world is expanding with greater emphasis on partnerships and alliances, hence setting the right tone with good vendors is a plus for every business. An automated and a robust 3rd-party solution would help organisations to streamline their end-to-end 3rd-party due diligence program, from vendor onboarding to risk assessment, due diligence reporting, information management and corrective action implementation.

Finding and working with the right vendors is critical to the organisation’s success, reputation and operational efficiency. Given the technological disruptions and data thefts across industries, the importance of conducting a thorough professional vendor due diligence cannot be stressed more.

AuthBridge is equipped with cutting-edge technology tools to carry out business due diligence across industries in a quick, cost-effective and efficient way. This helps businesses develop a better understanding of their vendors, gain insights on strengths, weaknesses and opportunities with the partners and alliances. With vendor due diligence, hiring the right vendor becomes hassle-free.

By admin, ago
Ensure Right Education Verification with background and degree check

How is education verification check done in India

The education verification process is one of the most important aspects of background screening. The workforce of today needs to have some form of educational qualification for their work, be it a blue-collar job or a white-collar one. Understandably, companies might want to trust the applicant’s educational qualification based on the appearance of their documents. However, it is extremely important to legally check any educational claims made by the candidate.

The market conditions are increasingly becoming tougher, forcing individuals to resort to any means to get a job. It has been observed that a significant number of job applicants are indulging in misrepresenting their qualifications to make themselves appear as suitable candidates. Unethical practices like degree forgery, false institutes and fake claims are not quite easy to detect, hence raising the need for background verification. India produces an average of 2 to 2.5 million graduates a year. With such an enormous influx of degree holders, it becomes all the more important to have stringent education check policies.

Reasons For Conducting Education Check

1) Identifying gaps between knowledge and job requirements- The candidates that you hire, must be qualified enough for the position they are applying for. Conducting a thorough screening of the educational background reveals details about the subjects taken up by the candidate and their relevance to the role.

2) Safeguarding against fake degrees and diplomas- Diploma mills, providing fake degrees to candidates, are on the rise. These institutions provide fake certification in exchange for money and thus create gaps in the educational system. These institutions are not affiliated with any recognized body or government agency. Rather they partner with independent agencies whose curriculum and standards are not in compliance with the legally dictated norm.

3) Confirm authenticity and relevance of foreign degrees- Seeking education in foreign countries is a popular trend among students. The curriculum offered in those countries may not match completely with the job description. Moreover, the authenticity of the foreign educational institutions and the value of their degree must be confirmed as a part of the education verification process.

Also Read: Verify the “Master in Deceit” with Education Verification

How Do Companies Verify Education Checks?

Education verification of degrees and diplomas is usually conducted at the in-house offices of the institutions. Companies and institutions also rely on 3rd party education check services, as they have their own proprietary databases for verifying the claims of the individual. Several parameters are to be checked and validated while conducting education verification.

1) Confirming Name and registration number- This is a form of identity check. By tallying the name and roll number of the candidate with official institute records, one can confirm whether the individual has truly attended the university that is being claimed.

2) Verifying course details- This education verification parameter is of critical importance as it forms a direct link between the education the applicant has received and the job role that is offered. This involves making a note of all the subjects that were taken by the candidate and verifying their relevance to the job.

3) Year of passing- Many candidates falsify their dates of graduation as young candidates are increasingly sought after by companies. Education verification of graduation records can be easily accessed by contacting the institution mentioned by the candidate.

4) Status of graduation- This ensures the quality of the candidate. Candidates with lower grades or drop years are usually not preferred by businesses. The nature of the job may require candidates with high skills and knowledge. Candidates may lie about their grades or hide their drop years. Such discrepancies are to be identified during education verification to ensure high-quality hiring.

5) Whether the institution has been declared fake by regulatory bodies- As mentioned above, fake institutions and diploma mills are proliferating. Verifying the authenticity of the educational institute can help safeguard the company against candidates from such dubious institutions. This can be achieved by verifying the institution against details provided by regulatory bodies like UGC.

FAQs around Education Verification

Education verification check is the process of confirming the authenticity of a candidate’s educational qualifications. This involves verifying the degrees, diplomas, and certificates claimed by the candidate from the respective educational institutions.

The process of education verification check in India typically involves:

  • Document submission: The candidate provides copies of their educational certificates and transcripts.
  • Direct verification: Contacting the educational institutions directly to confirm the authenticity of the documents.
  • Database check: Cross-referencing the candidate’s details with databases of accredited institutions and degrees.
  • Third-party agencies: Engaging third-party verification agencies that specialize in conducting thorough education checks.

For an education verification check in India, candidates usually need to submit:

  • Copies of their degree certificates
  • Mark sheets or transcripts
  • Enrollment numbers or registration details
  • Any additional supporting documents requested by the employer or verification agency

Yes, online degrees are verified in a similar manner to traditional degrees in India. The verification process involves confirming the legitimacy of the issuing institution and the authenticity of the degree. Accredited online programs from recognized institutions are treated the same as traditional programs.

Some common challenges in education verification in India include:

  • Difficulty in reaching educational institutions due to outdated contact information
  • Delays from institutions in responding to verification requests
  • The prevalence of forged documents and degrees from unrecognized institutions
  • Lack of a centralized database for educational records

Yes, a candidate can fail an education verification check if discrepancies are found, such as:

  • Mismatched information between the submitted documents and the institution’s records
  • Forged or fake certificates
  • Degrees from unaccredited or non-existent institutions

Employers benefit from conducting education verification checks by:

  • Reducing the risk of hiring unqualified candidates
  • Ensuring compliance with industry standards and regulations
  • Maintaining a high level of trust and credibility within the organization
  • Protecting the company’s reputation and avoiding potential legal issues

Education verification is not mandatory for all jobs in India, but it is a common practice for positions that require specific qualifications. Employers in sectors such as finance, healthcare, IT, and education often conduct education verifications to ensure candidates meet the necessary academic criteria.

By admin, ago
Ensure Right Education Verification with background and degree check

The Importance of Education Verification Check

The education verification process is one of the most important aspects of background screening. The workforce of today needs to have some form of educational qualification for their work, be it a blue-collar job or a white-collar one. Understandably, companies might want to trust the applicant’s educational qualification based on the appearance of their documents. However, it is extremely important to legally check any educational claims made by the candidate.

The market conditions are increasingly becoming tougher, forcing individuals to resort to any means to get a job. It has been observed that a significant number of job applicants are indulging in misrepresenting their qualifications to make themselves appear as suitable candidates. Unethical practices like degree forgery, false institutes and fake claims are not quite easy to detect, hence raising the need for background verification. India produces an average of 2 to 2.5 million graduates a year. With such an enormous influx of degree holders, it becomes all the more important to have stringent education check policies.

 

Reasons for conducting education check

1) Identifying gaps between knowledge and job requirements- The candidates that you hire, must be qualified enough for the position they are applying for. Conducting a thorough screening of the educational background reveals details about the subjects taken up by the candidate and their relevance to the role.

2) Safeguarding against fake degrees and diplomas- Diploma mills, providing fake degrees to candidates, are on the rise. These institutions provide fake certification in exchange for money and thus create gaps in the educational system. These institutions are not affiliated with any recognized body or government agency. Rather they partner with independent agencies whose curriculum and standards are not in compliance with the legally dictated norm.

3) Confirm authenticity and relevance of foreign degrees- Seeking education in foreign countries is a popular trend among students. The curriculum offered in those countries may not match completely with the job description. Moreover, the authenticity of the foreign educational institutions and the value of their degree must be confirmed as a part of the education verification process.

Also Read: Verify the “Master in Deceit” with Education Verification

 

How do companies verify education checks?

Education verification of degrees and diplomas is usually conducted at the in-house offices of the institutions. Companies and institutions also rely on 3rd party education check services, as they have their own proprietary databases for verifying the claims of the individual. There are several parameters that are to be checked and validated while conducting education verification.

1) Confirming Name and registration number- This is basically a form of identity check. By tallying the name and roll number of the candidate with official institute records, one can confirm whether the individual has truly attended the university that is being claimed.

2) Verifying course details- This education verification parameter is of critical importance as it forms a direct link between the education the applicant has received and the job role that is offered. This involves making a note of all the subjects that were taken by the candidate and verifying their relevance to the job.

3) Year of passing- Many candidates falsify their dates of graduation as young candidates are increasingly sought after by companies. Education verification of graduation records can be easily accessed by contacting the institution mentioned by the candidate.

4) Status of graduation- This basically ensures the quality of the candidate. Candidates with lower grades or drop years are usually not preferred by businesses. The nature of the job may require candidates with high skills and knowledge. Candidates may lie about their grades or hide their drop years. Such discrepancies are to be identified during education verification to ensure high-quality hiring.

5) Whether the institution has been declared fake by regulatory bodies- As mentioned above, fake institutions and diploma mills are proliferating. Verifying the authenticity of the educational institute can help safeguard the company against candidates from such dubious institutions. This can be achieved by verifying the institution against details provided by regulatory bodies like UGC.

By admin, ago
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