Diploma presentation to prospective employer

I know that sometimes prospective employers request that your college diploma be brought along sometime during the early hiring/screening stages.

My question is: If your diploma is in a frame would it be inappropriate and/or unnecessary to bring the diploma along in the frame? Or is it better to put it back in the original diploma holder? I ask this primarily because frames (especially "actual" diploma frames) are not exactly user friendly.

 

Did you make a copy of it before you framed it?

 

If they want to see the damn thing so bad, bring the frame and all..... shows it off better too, unless you bought the $5 black aluminum Walgreens versions like I did for mine.

 

I brought mine to work in the original diploma folder and copied it on the office copier and stuck the copy in an inter-office envelope and sent it to HR.
Nobody blinked.
Jack

 

Diploma

The only time an employer has ever asked me to produce evidence is when the school board required to see my teaching certificate.
Roy Maybery

 

ok, maybe because I come from an IT background, but paper copy? I scanned my diplomas in as .pdf files. When HR wants them I email the files. I have done the same for all my transcripts. Of course with the transcripts the security features show (or not if you are good with a computer). This method also makes it easy to attach files into my resume when applying for jobs electronically. Now, if I need a hard copy I can just print from my computer (sorta like a diploma mill?).

I am somewhat confused by the requirement to demonstrate a diploma at an interview. Is this practice common in the private sector? I would have thought this requirement would be part of the validation process upon being offered a position.


Kevin

 

I tried to do a "colored photo copy" of my original college degrees because the copier technology is so good that you can barely tell the difference between the photocopied and the original. I was going to hang the copied degrees in my office and was going to preserve the originals. Anyways...

Kinkos refused to color copy my degrees, saying that it is against the law in Florida to do so.

 

I have never heard of a physical diploma presentation either. That's pretty strict!

What seems to be most common is first hiring the person, then running a background check that includes looking up educational credentials. The background check is often farmed out to companies that specialize in that stuff.

I imagine that at higher levels the background check is done first before hiring.

 

I guess not all the copy shops know this. I made a color copy of my MBA to send to WES for evaluation.

I'm in Florida, but I didn't use Kinkos.

 

The University of London wanted copies of my B.A. and J.D. diplomas as part of the LL.M. application process. They would accept (and return) either the originals or copies certified by the British Council ONLY. No notaries public, please.

So I mailed them to Washington D.C. (I think it was) with a hefty cheque for the certified copies.

 

Perhaps I'm just young and naive, but I can't see the point of presenting a diploma period especially with diploma mills as rampant as they are. To me it'd make sense to simply inquire as to what school the individual applicant attended (or look at the resume for those of you paying attention), find out if that school is properly recognized, and to avoid those bold diploma mills who print degrees from REAL schools contact the school in question directly and verify the application's education.

Simply saying here you go "Mr. Doe, Director of Human Resources. Here's a Kinkofied copy of my diploma" just doesn't seem to be enough. But, who knows? Perhaps the proof really is in the puddin'.

 

This is the exact issue I am seeking to address for my PhD. I am soon to survey 2,500 professional recruitment agencies here in Australia and New Zealand, to find out how exactly they determine the bona fides of educational credentials presented to them for employment purposes. I am seeking to determine:

a) What resources they use to assess the acceptability of a higher education providers degree and;
b) What methods they use to verify the authenticity of the credentials that are claimed by the candidate for the position.

I think it will make for very interesting reading.

Cheers,

George

 

Forgery

Up here in Canada and I imagine it is most likely so in the USA. When applying to academic institutions for degree programs etc, they ask for transcripts sent directly from the issuing institution. This was so when I did my second B.A at Waterloo and my B.Ed at Brock University. The Ontario College of Teachers insists on the same proceedure for registration.
Roy Maybery

 

Yes, from my researcgh that is common practice in North America Roy. However, interesting that this does not appear to be the process used in Australia - but am seeking to quantify this too by surveying 140+ providers of postgraduate programs.

Cheers,

George

 

Ditto, roy.

Every academic institution I've worked for or attended (all in the U.S., BTW) wanted official transcripts sent directly to them. I once asked if they wanted to see my diplomas. The answer: "They're useless to us."

marilynd