Global Degrees....How are they checked?

I work for a Fortune 500 ... we hire many "global" type people in the U.S. Many of these people have degrees from countries that are impossible to verify because of red tape, country of origin will not release records , cost to our company to send someone there to check, and on and on.

My company allows this person to be hired without having documentation to show he or she has a legit degree.

Are other people out there seeing this in your areas?

 

Has the potential employee presented credentials that have been "officialized" by some proper competent authority (e.g. university, ministry of education, department of education, embassy or consulate)? If so, then, this is pragmatically sufficient to show that the credential is a legitimate one (in most cases, that is). Of course, anyone bent on fraud will find a way to do so, but, I am sure, the majority of "'global' type people" will be able to satisfy some version of this verification process.

Kenneth

 

It is quite a difficult problem but getting a copy of the book by Dr John Bear should help weed out some of the suspicious ones. If in doubt ask on a thread if anyone has knowledge of any particular university.

To find Dr Bear just do a seach for him on this web site and make a posting to one of the threads on which he has participated.

 

I'm not sure I understand the situation. Let's see if I've got this right.
The company advertises (or whatever) and an applicant submits a resume. The resume states that the applicant has a degree in ABC from XYZ University located in some country that is in such disarray that there is no way to verify if that actual person earned that actual deree (or any degree for that matter). So when you say that the "company allows this person to be hired without having documentation to show he or she has a legit degree," what documentation might be sufficient or adequate in your eyes? The diploma itself? The transcripts? I've been asked for my diploma but never my transcripts. I'm surprised to discover that a Fortune 500 company has so few resources that they can bring to bear on this problem. From what country did this person's degree come? Most legit universities are well known and easy to contact. Don't HR people do this stuff all the time? In any case, I can only assume that this person was interviewed in such a way as to assure the interviewer that they had the knowledge needed to do the job.
Jack

 

Ummm.....no. This opens the door for people who get their credentials "apostilled" and go on to claim that they are therefore legitimate.

This is a two-step process. First, one must verify that the person in question does have the degree(s) claimed. Second, one must verify that the school is legitimate (normally determining whether or not the school has recognition comparable to an accredited one in the U.S.

The first step is accomplished in a number of ways, including the receipt of official transcripts, letters from registrars, etc. One can also contact the school in question and inquire. It is all a difficult thing, but a lot of it goes into one's confidence in the veracity of the applicant.

The second step normally involves looking up the school in an authoritative guide. The International Handbook of Universities, the Commonwealth Yearbook, the AQF, PIER, etc. There are also secondary ways of doing this, including using credential evaluation services.

 

We have an emploee with degree from university in Moldova formenr USSR.

He had his degree evaluated by WES and Spartran, that was sufucient for the HR in our LI NY cocation.

By the way the WES requested to examin diplomas, suplement to diploma and some marksheets that he had to send by courier.

I sent 4 emails to the school, in Russian, English and asked a friend to send one in Moldavian.
Not a single reply.

I called them 2 times, first time they hang the phone on me or the call simply disconected the second time I taked to the secretary who was very rood to me and refered me to Decan who asked for $300.

The emploee has many pictures from the school and I think he is not lying.

But verification directly with the school is not simple.

Learner

 

Lots of couriers in Brighton Beach.

More seriously, if people from that area haven't the requisite contacts to get the information then that likely can't be done.

 

AACRAO (the international registrars' organization) has a branch office, in Arizona, specifically for the purpose of investigating and confirming non-US academic credentials. My sense of it is that they are better at this than anyone else, with years of experience and vast reference sources and a 'Rolodex' of people in just about every country able to help.

The office is ably run by Ann Koenig (CANE-ig). [email protected], Southwest Regional Director, Credential Evaluation Services, AACRAO International Education Services
http://www.aacraosw.org

 

I tried to get more information on the Commonwealth Year Book. I did not find it on a search of Amazon.com and other references were to a publication of some years ago.

 

There is a 2005 Edition

Cheers,

George

 

Thanks for this. I should have tried a little harder!

 

Its OK. I presented a paper on these resources last week so it was easily to hand.

Cheers,

George

 

I have now managed to locate it on Amazon's UK website. Selling for £200 +£1.99+VAT because it is a hard-to-find title. Delivery minimum four weeks.

With almost 3,000 pages I assume that you did not carry it in your brief case!

 

checking on degrees

Aside from requesting the applicant have their university send official transcripts directly from the registrar to your company (which is one thing we do), you can also have the applicant have their transcripts or degrees authenticated by their gov't.

So, for example, they get a copy of their transcript. Then it gets authenticated (with official stamp) at usually the local, regional, and national level by their own government. We require this of all our new hires, no matter which country they are coming from (even the U.S., when most universities are obvious as to being legit or not).

Cheers,
Adrienne

 

NACES, too... right?

Aren't NACES member agencies also in that same game?

I know Oregon's ODA uses AACRAO and not any NACES agencies. But some -- many, actually -- colleges/universities use NACES agencies, as I understand it. So apparently they're legit. I'm sure some are better and/or more expensive than others, but if they're NACES-certified, and if NACES is considered a good alternative to AACRAO, would not a NACES assessment/verification be just as good? (Just wonderin')

And wouldn't any U.S. company be within its legal rights to summarily reject all foreign (non-U.S.) degrees that are not evaluated/verified by either AACRAO or a NACES agency? I mean... the company could make it a provision of employment -- and put it right into their job postings.

Oh, sure, the cost of doing it would be at the potential employee's expense; but once done, s/he could use/cite the evaluation/verification over and over again for the rest of his/her life... no?

If an employer wanted to make it attractive for the potential employee to do it, the employer could simply make this offer to all candidates who have foreign credentials:

• If your college degree is from a non-U.S. (foreign) institution, then you must have it verified and evaluated as equivalent to a U.S.-accredited degree using the services of either AACRAO or a NACES member agency. The cost of doing this will vary, but should be around $150 to $500. If you have already had one of these evaluation/verfications performed by AACRAO or a NACES member agency, then you may simply have said agency send us an original copy of said evaluation/verification. If you are having your degree evaluated/verified now, for the very first time, and you can prove it by showing us a verifiable receipt for same dated sometime within the past thirty (30) days, then we will happily reimburse you for whatever the receipt says the evaluation/verification cost you, up to $500, after you are hired. Even if you are not hired, this evaluation/verification will, nevertheless, be money well spent since you will be able to use and cite it with your next potential employer, and with all future employers, for the rest of your life.

Once the potential employee understands how it all works, you would think that s/he would view this as one helluva' deal!

Or so it is my opinion.