Verify skills and credentials

- Time and time again, we've seen the importance of verifying credentials. Most recently, when we were approached to represent a Harvard grad who had appeared to have a solid track record. He came to us as an executive who had been downsized. He looked great on paper and interviewed well. But, when we tried to verify his education and work history, we realized his resume was 100% fiction, and we were reminded again of the importance of verifying credentials. The purpose of verifying is so that you know the individuals hired have the experience and credentials you need. You have three options for how to verify a candidate's information. You can require the staffing firm conduct the certifications, contract with a vendor, or do it in-house. Let's start with the legalities. State and federal laws govern preemployment background screening, and any testing as it relates to employment decisions must be reliable, valid, equitable, and legal. Any related legal requirements in performing and using these checks is ultimately the employer's responsibility. So if you hire temps or contractors through a staffing firm, the firm is the employer of record, and must adhere to the legal requirements. Otherwise, it's your responsibility. If you decide to do the verification in-house, a good place to start is with preemployment testing, which helps predict how well a candidate will perform. But be cost effective. Test only for the skills that are required for the job. When conducting criminal background checks, be sure to use the framework provided by the EEOC. Courts are challenging employer's use of criminal background checks more often, so be sure to follow the guidelines. For credit checks, refer to your state laws for compliance guidelines. If you use a credit report in your screening process, consider the risks versus the benefit and only use them when necessary. If there is no clear and direct correlation existing between the job being offered and the potential for fraudulent activity, you could be at risk for a discrimination lawsuit. Next, let's talk about verification of education credentials. Not all candidates are honest on their resumes and applications, and some may embellish or lie about education. Studies continue to show that this is the one area where most discrepancies are found on resumes and applications. You can get this information directly from the college or university or by using the National Student Clearinghouse. You can also ask the candidate to have the schools send a certified college transcript directly to the staffing firm. Finally, verification of employment. Contact the talent acquisition or human resource departments of past employers to verify dates of employment. If it was a small company, talk to the owner. So decide what verification you need, determine who will be responsible to get the information, and make sure the person you hire is the qualified person they claim to be.