A CFO candidate's overseas degree and previous job title: neither matched on verification
Background screening ·
The degree was verified with the university and the title with the former employer's HR, both with written replies on file. The client withdrew before issuing the offer
The engagement
The client was about to appoint a chief financial officer. The candidate had passed three rounds of interviews with strong feedback. The résumé had two highlights: a master's degree from an overseas university and the title of vice president of finance at the previous employer. Before the offer letter went out, the board asked for a background check, limited to items on the résumé that could be verified, with the candidate's written consent obtained first.
What we found
The institution was a recognised university; that much was sound. But its reply was that it had no record of a degree awarded to that name, only attendance at a short course.
The former employer's HR confirmed the dates on the résumé but gave the title as finance manager, not vice president of finance.
Public company registrations and court records showed nothing of note. That went into the report too, because a check must record what was not found as well as what was.
Both replies were kept in writing and attached to the report along with the candidate's consent form.
What the client did
The client withdrew before issuing the offer. Their reasoning: a CFO is the person responsible for the numbers being right, and the two most important credentials on the résumé did not match their sources. Whatever the explanation, the basis for trust was gone. As the client put it afterwards, the check cost a fraction of one month's salary; what it saved was the loss they would have discovered a year later.
What carries over to other cases
- "The university exists" and "this person holds this degree" are two different facts.
- Verification results must be in writing from the source. Oral confirmation is almost useless in a later dispute.
- For senior roles, degrees and titles are material to the hiring decision, so verification is justified, but the candidate's written consent has to come first.
- If the discovery comes after appointment, the law provides a different remedy with its own deadline. See counsel the same day.
FAQ
- We discovered the misstatement after hiring. What now?
- Under the Labor Standards Act, where an employee made a false representation when the contract was concluded, causing the employer to be misled with a risk of loss, the employer may terminate without notice, but must do so within thirty days of learning of it. Courts consider whether the misstated item was material and whether it affected the hiring decision; a discrepancy alone is not enough. Record the date verification was completed and the misstatement confirmed, and speak to counsel immediately.
- What if the candidate refuses consent?
- You can ask the candidate to provide the degree certificate and have it authenticated, and to provide an employment certificate from the former employer, placing the burden on them. A refusal to provide these is itself a signal that may be weighed.
- How is an overseas degree verified?
- Two routes: a direct reply through the university's verification service, or the candidate applying in person to the Taiwan overseas mission for authentication of the certificate. The first is faster; the second produces a formal document. Private employers are not legally required to authenticate, but may make it a condition of the offer.