Do Fortune 500 companies check resume info like actual SAT scores and college. Was having a debate with ppl that bum around at college all day who openly tell me they can write whatever they want cause no-one checks anyway. Is that true???
I've never seen anyone put exam scores on a résumé; I think that's highly unusual. You might want to mention your college GPA if it's especially high. But I wouldn't give any exam scores -- least of all the SAT, which is for high-school students and tests mostly junior-high-school-level knowledge. Do companies verify résumés? Some do; some don't. Some do it in-house; others employ verification services. Even companies that don't verify before they hire you will likely keep your résumé on file, and if it's not accurate you'll have a "time bomb".
There's another thread on this forum that I started last year. You may want to do a search to find the information you are seeking. Companies today are screening their employees. H.R. departments are now requesting to see official transcripts, test scores (SAT, GRE and GMAT) as well as references and other credentials. There are still some corporations that don't thoroughly investigate their prospective employees. It's easier to land a job in the federal or state government with fake credentials (though this is changing). Large organizations such as government offices, agencies and public service departments are inundated in red tape and bureaucracy. If you were to provide they with MBA transcripts from a school like Suffield University, your credentials would be accepted without hesitation.
In my recent interviews I have been asked to explain several things on my resume. Some things are clearly beneficial and obvious (high GPA, awards, etc.), but others are things I did not expect. Depending on the position I am applying for, I fine tune my resume to make it relevant. I have been asked some technical questions that if I was "making things up" I would have been busted on the spot . So, be prepared to answer the questions that might come up from what is put on your resume. Another thought, they might not be too quick to check a 3.2 GPA, but a 4.0 GPA might get checked. My wife is an HR rep. and she picks over the really impressive resumes with a fine-tooth comb. The "average" resumes get the standard verification (accreditation check, employment check, etc.). I applied for one position recently and had to give TEN references and the employer checked them ALL starting from the BOTTOM! Others treated it as a formality and never checked anything to my knowledge. BTW, I have never been asked for, nor heard of, an SAT score on a resume. How could this possibly be relevant once an undergrad GPA has been established?
10 references? There is no way I could come up with ten people to say nice things about me, unless pets and children count.
you'd be surprised... check out the website of any half-decent investment bank or consultancy, they ask for SATs. Its nuts!!!
children count? On some days, kids would not count for me. On another note, even state civil service checks degrees at times. A number of years ago, when I was emloyed by a county government in Pennsylvania, I received a request to submit verification of my graduate degree. This was a good 4 years after I took the Civil Service test that qualified me and about 3 years after I had been hired. While government may not be as quick or thorough, they do check sometimes. Peace, FJB
Re: children count? Some government departments undergo an audit every two or three years. The H.R. department is usually one of those branches of government that goes through an audit with each change of leadership. The auditors test the accountability of the department by selecting several employee personnel files from the system to checking for discrepancies. Yours happened to be one of those that were audited. This was the reason you were asked to verify your graduate degree.
In general, the initial application and resume can be counted on to be kept in personnel files. Someone can be fired, even years later, if it is discovered that any of this information was falsified. Like some people have mentioned, you might get hired but it's like a time bomb just ticking away that could go off at anytime.
Re: Re: children count? In recent years, is this how some of the big name timebombs like Laura Callahan were discovered?
While not illegal to ask for ten references, it is very unusual. Most firms will ask for 3 to 5. Either their HR person has no idea what generally-accepted industry norms are, or they have been so badly burned in the past, they feel it gives them an edge. Cheers.
If a resume with SAT scores on it crossed my desk, I would immediately think that the candidate is (a) a braggart, (b) has something to hide, and is making up for it by touting their SAT scores, or (c) is new to the industry and just doesn't know any better. I would give them the benefit of the doubt, however. Cheers.
Agreed! I don't know why it was required, except that it was the HR Manager's policy. The HR Ass. told me on the phone when setting up the interview that I would need to get 30 minutes early and be prepared to list 10 refereneces. When I arrived I found out that she was not using hyperbole - 10 references were required. I had to use family members with different last names and list them as "acquaintances." What did they expect?
Re: Re: Re: children count? She may have gotten away with it if her file wasn't audited. Just imagine how many other time bombs are waiting to explode! Large organizations such as government are a great place for hiding bogus credentials.
audit Yes, being randomly selected for an audit makes sense. Although I interview and hire, all the credential checking is done by personnel and I know they don't verify beyond getting a copy of the diploma (except in unusual circumstances). The whole 10 reference thing is amazing! I tend to think this was someone who was inexperienced or didn't have enough to do at work. My wife once interviewed for a position in which the interviewer told her that she was conducting 17 interviews for a position in a social service program. The problem was that she was restricted in her hiring to the top three candidates on a civil service list. I always wondered where she found the time to conduct so many interviews and who let her do it. Peace, FJB
Hi FJB, With civil service requirements, the organization is required to select from the top 3 candidates who qualify, not necessarily the top 3 on the list. A candidate can be disqualified for a myriad of reasons. Tony I believe this policy is in place to combat cronyism and nepotism.
