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Verifying Credentials

June 29, 2017

We may all know that it takes a long climb just to reach a high position in the company. However, there are others who may have slightly took a shorter route. If you have ever heard about Scott Thompson, he is the former CEO of Yahoo who lied about his educational background and it was only found out a few months after being appointed.

From that event, I began thinking on the process it takes before hiring an applicant. Imagine, someone who is on one of the highest positions, passed a rigorous screening process. As a recent graduate, all I thought before was after submitting a resume, the HR will just go through it and see whether or not you are fit for the job and that’s it.

As it turns out, the HR has a whole process in order to verify all the credentials of an applicant. Upon receiving your resume, the HR does not just conduct interview. They also conduct background checks. Part of this process is that they call your school to verify your affiliation with them. This includes your diploma, transcript of records, and other official documents. This process takes time because most schools need 5-10 working days to process and verify your school records. Aside from your academic credentials, they also follow up on the organizations you are connected with. So, they call your reference contact and verify whether you really are a member of that organization and the positions you held and the projects you handled are true.

That is only for recent graduates, what more if you are a licensed professional looking to work abroad? Then the process gets more tedious. They don’t just call up your school anymore, they also call up the organizations that issued your license and certificates. The HR makes sure that every information you placed in your resume are credible and valid. This is because they don’t want to hire anyone who cannot fulfill the job.

However, there are applicants who were employed even if they have unverified credentials. An applicant who was found of claiming false credentials also have to face certain charges. In Singapore, those who were found of submitting false documentation should pay a penalty of about PHP 690,000 and/or a prison sentence of up to two years. On the other hand, in the Philippines, the penalty depends on the case itself. There is a case wherein Foreign Affairs Assistant Secretary Ma. Lourdes Ramiro-Lopez, who faced up to eight years in prison for claiming of false credentials. There are other situations like with Hansel Ubias who faced 6 to 12 years of imprisonment and not less than PHP 50,000 and accessory penalties for claiming false credential.

Come to think of it, aside from facing these charges, you also face humiliation and damage of your own reputation. Having the public found out your dishonesty destroys your credibility as a professional. So, if you’re thinking of altering your resume just to increase your chances of getting hired, don’t do it. This will only create a risk in damaging your own image.

 

Danika Ella Madulid