Sep 3, 2009

Background Checks – does your firm conduct them?

Posted by Wendy Weber

I saw a piece on CBS News last night about faking your resume. Well, that’s hardly news. Many job seekers seem to view a resume as an exercise in creative writing. Some are downright lying, while others are attempting to smooth the rough edges of their career.

The news piece featured a woman who had lied about having a college degree. She only had a high school degree, but over the years she rose up the ranks, enjoying a high level position and a 6-figure income. (I am a believer in higher education. After college, I slogged through 4 years of night school to earn my Master’s degree while working full time. I did it for my own reasons. I enjoyed the intellectual challenge, and the opportunity to broaden my perspective.) But I have to say, if someone can reach the top of their field without a college degree, how important is that degree? In terms of lying about a college degree, the deception is what bothers me most.

I digress.

The reason I mention this CBS News piece is due to a statistic that they cited:

Nationwide, 96% of companies do background checks, up from 66% a decade ago, according to the Society for Human Resource Management.

I was shocked. And I don’t believe that for a minute. I don’t believe it was 66% a decade ago, and I certainly don’t believe it is 96% today. In the case of our clients, only about 15% conduct background checks. Generally only companies where there is the potential to handle funds, such as a financial services firm.

Does your firm conduct background checks for new hires?

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