Do Employers Check Education On Resumes

What Is Included In An Education Background Check

An education background check shows whether the educational claims that a candidate has made on their application or resume can be verified, and identifies potential discrepancies before you hire. This will encompass verifying the school attended, dates attended, degree or certificate earned, and in some cases may include honors achieved, areas of study, and GPA.

When To Use Professional License Verifications

Since some positions require both specific training as well as an active professional license, a Professional License Verification ensures your candidate is licensed to work in a specific vocation and reports the credential title, current status, and issue and expiration dates.

• Counselor & teacher license verification
• Accountant, CPA & attorney license verification
• Plumbing, electrician & land survey license verification
• Cosmetologist & massage therapist license verification
• Health care license verification

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Background Check Transcripts And Grades

According to the Penn State University Registrar, the federal Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act prohibits educational institutions from disclosing education records without students consent. The law covers grades, student course schedules, class rosters, disciplinary records, student financial records and student worker records. If you omit education information during a background check, the employer must notify you, explain the omission and request written or electronic consent. Without it, they cannot call the school you attended to ask about your academic performance, attendance record or disciplinary record.

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Do Education Background Checks Go Far

Typical education background screenings cover everything from a candidates high school or GED completion, college certificates and degrees, and professional training.

Education verification is checking against official records and there is usually no time limit associated with this sort of investigation.

In case an applicant reports that s/he has graduated while actually the school wasnt completed yet, the education verification check will still confirm the applicants major and when s/he was enrolled in the school.

What Could Happen If Employers Found Out You Lied On Your Resume

Different things could happen if applicants or employees lied on their resumes and employers found out about it. Job offers might be rescinded and employment statuses might be terminated. The consequences might take place during the application process or a few or many years after being hired.

An employer may conduct an educational background check before deciding to hire an applicant.

In some instances, he or she may carry it out sometime after the employee has been signed up. This usually happens when the employee is being considered or applying for a promotion. It can happen, too, if the company decides to have its employees undergo a performance improvement plan.

There are also times in which verification of an employees educational background is conducted with other prerequisites, such as a drug test or proof of eligibility to work in the US.

In any case, lying about ones education on the resume could lead to disastrous results sooner or later.

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Is Your Resume Too Long

Ideally, your resume should be limited to one page. If you find that your resume content is spilling onto a second page, and you have trimmed all the information you can, consider removing the education section.

Education is almost always addressed in the official job application, and this is where hiring managers look for the base requirements during the background check.

Value Of Degrees Encourages Dishonesty

As the job market has become increasingly competitive, even lower-level positions can require at least an associates or bachelors degree. Even for individuals who have earned degrees, advancing within a company may require having a certain degree or level of education. As a result, educational credentials listed on a resume matter now more than ever.

It should come as no surprise, then, that such a significant percentage of job applicants would consider exaggerating their academic accomplishments or even flat-out lying about them. For many candidates, embellishing the truth on a resume is an acceptable risk, since the offense typically is not illegal. In many cases, the harshest possible penalty is losing a job.

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Resume Verification: The Importance Of Verifying A Resume

Resume verification is an essential part of the hiring process. The hiring process begins with shortlisting of resumes. Hence, it is necessary to create a good resume that can land up a good job.

The fact that a resume forms the base of any individuals candidature is known to both the employees and the job applicant. Therefore, the applicant tries his level best to showcase all the best things that he has got on a single page.

However, this might push the candidate to include some fancy pieces of information that are not true. This will lead to a false representation of facts, and will turn out to be misleading for HR and the organization.

Misrepresentation of facts is quite common among people. They make their profiles likable and more employable by adding points or experiences that never existed in the first place. This brings in the need for resume verification.

• Conduct an Efficient Resume Verification

How To List Completed Education

Recent Graduate If youve recently graduated, place your education section before or in line with your work experience. Your schooling is likely the most prominent piece of your resume, so it is acceptable to make this one of the first sections for employers to see. You can also include your attendance dates, any honors received and GPA if above 3.4. If you attended multiple schools, include the most prominent one where you were most involved. Heres an example:

University of Hawaii, 20112016Bachelor of Arts in PsychologyBusiness Essentials CertificateTerry Scholar

Experienced Professional If youve been in the workforce for several years, move your education section below your professional experience. Your interviewers will be more interested in what youve achieved in recent years rather than in your academic career. You can also remove more specific details of your education section like attendance dates and GPA if youd like. The more you can create interest around your work experience, the better. If you have advanced degrees like your masters or PhD, include those in rank order of level . In this example, the candidate included two diplomas:

Atlanta Graduate School of Management | Atlanta, GAMasters of Business Administration Masters of Science in Information Systems

University of Georgia | Athens, GABachelors of Accountancy

If appropriate, consider adding these pieces of optional information:

Read more:

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Include A Skills Or Strengths Section

Including a skills, key strengths, or competencies section on a resume is a great way to let employers know what hard skills and soft skills you bring to the table. Indeed defines hardskills as abilities specific to the job and softskills as abilities that can be applied in any job .

So how do you know which of your many talents to list on your resume? According to The Balance Careers, Some skills are in high demand for employers hiring college graduates, and there are other skills that specifically relate to the job for which you’re applying. Try reviewing several job descriptions specific to the industry or role youre applying. Be sure to focus on the key desires and requirements employers emphasize for candidates. Jot down a list of the ones that stand out, then review how their desired skills match your core competencies. From there, you can decide which key strengths to include on your resume.

Listing Dates Of Attendance: Graduate Vs Current Student

When listing your educational background on a resume, its customary to include dates regarding your time in college. Here are some tips on the best way to format this information.

First, listing the range of years you were enrolled in college is unnecessary. Instead, provide only the month and year of your graduation. If you havent graduated yet, list the month and year of your anticipated graduation.

Heres an example:

West Seneca State College | West Seneca, NY | May 2019 Bachelor of Science, Accounting

If you didnt graduate from college and arent anticipating returning to finish your degree, list the years of your attendance along with the department you were a student in, like the following resume education example:

West Seneca State College | West Seneca, NY | 2015-2017Accounting

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Is It Bad To Finish College In 6 Years

If You Take 6 Years To Graduate From College, The Value Of Your Degree Will Be Cut Nearly In Half. The rate of return for students who finish their degree in six years is 40% less than the return for students who only took four years, the New York Fed says.

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How To List Education On A Resume

Senior Content Manager at Indeed passionate about making career advice enjoyable and accessible, so people feel confident about getting and succeeding in the right jobs.

Education is one of a few key sections employers look for on resumes. This information will inform interviewers of your background, which can be a helpful way to understand more about your fit for the role. If your education is particularly relevant to the position or includes any credentials that are required for the job, this section may quickly set you apart from other candidates.

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You have several options when it comes to choosing where and how you list education on your resume. You can identify the best place to put your education on your resume by carefully reading job descriptions. This will often help you understand whether certain levels of education are essential, nice-to-have or unnecessary for each role.

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What Do I Need To Verify A Candidates Education

To verify a candidates education, you would need to provide their date of birth, name at the time they were registered and, in some cases, their Social Security number. In addition, if youre using a CRA to conduct a background check, the federal Fair Credit Reporting Act requires that you receive job applicants written consent.

Do I Have To List All Of My Degrees On My Resume

You dont need to include high school education on your resume. If you have any education beyond high school, the degree is implied and including it would be redundant. Only listing a high school diploma will make you look both young and underqualified for a job. Instead, you can list in-progress or incomplete degrees.

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Benefits Of Earning A Degree

Gaining Skills That Are Important for All Professions.

• Earning a degree involves building important skills, such as communication, time management, self-discipline, efficiency, networking, and so on. Also skills like reading, writing, and organizing prove to be important in all jobs. These are all essential tools to have when becoming a professional.

Earning More Money.

• The U.S. Census Bureau reported that the annual incomes of people with bachelors degrees are about twice the amount of those with just a high school diploma.

Being More Qualified.

• College graduates are more likely to be offered a position by an employer than those without a degree. They are also more qualified for a wider range of positions that involve more skills.

Being Happier and Healthier.

• College graduates are more satisfied and live happier and healthier lives. A study done at the University of Maine showed that college grads are a lot more likely to report having good or very good health, being happier, exercising more, maintaining a healthy weight and are even four times less likely to smoke. Nice!

How Do You List A Masters Degree On Resume

Write your educational attainments in reverse chronological order. List the degrees that you have earned, beginning with the most recent. Include the institution, location and date of receipt of the degree. For example, you might write: Harvard University . Cambridge , Massachusetts. Master of Science in Elementary Education, 2006.

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Goodhires Suite Of Education Verification Checks

GoodHire offers a full suite of background checks and employment screening services. The following table shows Education Verification checks offered, what each verifies, and types of degrees or licenses covered.

Education Verification

The high school, college, or university specified US institutions only.

Why A Ged Diploma Is Important

The GED® program was introduced in 1942 to support individuals who could not complete their high school education.

Upon graduation, GED holders have demonstrated that they command academic skills and knowledge at the same level as students who did complete their high school education.

The GED test is used by the majority of states for the purpose of high school equivalency testing and is governed by the GED Testing Service, a joint venture of the American Council on Education and publisher Pearson VUE, but the exam is administered under the states jurisdiction.

The GED exam includes four independent modules that cover the academic subject fields of Math , Social Studies, Science, and Literacy . Test-takers must pass all of these subject tests.

This page contains information both for GED holders looking to secure a rewarding and well-paying position and for employers looking to hire reliable, qualified new workers. This is key as more and more GED holders choose to start their own businesses.

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How Do You Avoid Using Your Resume

IAvoid using personal pronouns like I, me, my, we, or our, Gelbard said. A person reviewing your résumé knows that youre talking about your skills, experience, and expertise or something related to the company for which you worked, so you dont need to include pronouns, she told Business Insider.

Keep Your Experience Section Relevant

Employers dont need to know about the summer job you had at a pizza shop or about that one time you sold perfume at the mall. Your experience section shouldnt be limited to just paid jobs nor does it need to include every job youve ever had. Hiring managers will be looking to see whether you have job experience thats relevant to the position they are hiring.

In Jonathans resume above, notice how he only includes his work as a Freelance Web Developer. This is his only experience thats relevant to the positions for which hes applying. Jonathan doesn’t need to include his part-time job stocking shelves at Costco or his sales associate position at Champs during his first year in college. Not only can that distract from his qualifications, but it can clutter up his resume and make it seem like he doesnt understand the employers wants or needs.

If you have very limited or no work history at all, you can change the name of this section from Work Experience to Relevant Experience. Then add in internships, volunteer work, leadership experience, extracurricular activities or any other related involvement or training you can think of to compensate for your lack of workplace experience.

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Do Jobs Really Ask For High School Diploma

Employers do not routinely require job applicants to prove that they have earned their high school diploma or GED. … Though it is rare for an employer to ask for proof, it is wise to keep your diploma and other important documents, like your birth certificate, in a safe place that is easy to access when needed.

How Can Companies Check Your Educational Background

Sometimes, a hiring manager may ask you to present your diploma, so they can keep a copy of it in your file. Other applications can require you to submit or order a sealed transcript. Another way a hiring manager may authenticate your education is by contacting the schools or universities that you attended.

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Education Verification How Employers Can Avoid A Catastrophy

Lets face it one of the most common aspects of falsification on a candidates resume is their education.

Since many employers require job-related degrees or majors, many candidates may stretch their educational history in the hopes that potential employers wont check for discrepancies.

For example, a candidate with a Bachelor of Arts in English might instead list a Master of Science in Biology on a job application for a healthcare position.

An overwhelming 86 percent of the employers surveyed in the 2015 HireRight Employment Screening Benchmark Report said that screening had exposed a candidate who lied on their resume.

Many of these employers also stated that the top benefit they received from background screening candidates was improving the quality of their hires.

A background screening provider can help you get to know your candidate by verifying the school, professional program and degree achieved that they listed on their application.

If the candidate has not yet graduated and has stated so, a background screening company should still be able to verify the major and dates of attendance.

Some educational institutions may need consent from the candidate before releasing any information.

Potential employers can validate the following items with an education verification:

• Candidates degree/diploma/credential
• Official educational accrediting body

Diploma Mills

These companies require little to no work to receive a document purporting to be a degree or diploma.

Get A Friend To Proofread

After staring at the same resume and cover letter for hours, it can be easy to gloss over your own writing and mistakes that a fresh pair of eyes can detect. After completing these documents, try a few proofreading tricks like reading them slowly and out loud. Then, ask for help! Youd be surprised at what someone else may pick up on. TopResume states, Have a friend preferably one who writes for a living or studied English in college review your resume for contextual spelling mistakes, missing punctuation, and inconsistencies in your resume format. Once all final details are confirmed, then youre ready to apply. Good luck!

Want to check out more college resume and cover letter examples? Zety has some excellent templates and guides. And check out this blog if you need help obtaining reference letters. At Pearson Accelerated Pathways, we love helping students on the journey to their brightest future and best career. Wed love to help you create your own college experience that develops the background qualifications and skills needed to land your dream job!

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