The internet is a wealth of information with details on practically every subject you can possibly think of including background information that is collected through different sources including websites, social media and surveys. One of the questions that many of our commercial clients ask when looking over resumes for job applications is, “Can I get someone’s education history with just a name and date of birth?”
Universal Name & Address Database Lookup?
Firstly, it is important to understand that there is no dedicated database in which you can simply type in a name, date of birth, or an address for that matter that will give you the information that you are searching for in reference to an individual’s education related history or degree information.
Verifying Education Resume, Credentials & Background
If you are determined, have plenty of time on your hands, don’t mind chasing loose ends and running the risk of being completely frustrated, there are some places that you can search including:
• Social Media – people reveal the oddest things on social media, including information about schools. Even if they are not completely specific regarding the location, a pretty good indication may be following posts on their favorite school, although it could be they just like the football team and the school has nothing to do with their actual education history.
• Newspaper Articles – in the past, companies would issue a press release when a new position, particularly an executive position was filed with details about the newly hired candidates education and work history. If you are willing to dedicate the time to searching, you can still find job announcements and college graduation announcements in newspaper archives.
• Resumes/CV’s – almost everyone has a resume of some description and many people use sites such as LinkedIn, Dice.com and Monster.com to post resumes on-line. Keep in mind that some of these sites require an expensive subscription in order to access their databases. After all it’s a business just like any other.
• Googling – You can always do a Google search for a person’s name along with the key word “resume”, you might get lucky and find a posting on Classmates.com
Self Reported Academic Record
The important thing to remember when searching on-line for education history and degrees is that most of this information is self-reported so it doesn’t mean that it is necessarily true. You can attempt to contact the school directly but this can be like searching for a needle in a haystack. Even if you locate the correct school, and even though the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERRA) considers date of attendance and degrees earned as information that may be disclosed to the public, some educational establishments will only release information for the purpose of employment verification which can mean a lengthy process of filing paperwork and other forms.
Professional Private Investigator & Security Services in Miami, Sunny Isles, Fort Lauderdale, Boca Raton, Greater Miami & Miami Gardens Florida
If you are interested in verifying the education history of a prospective employee, contact the professionals at Advanced Private Investigator and Security of Miami FL. Our knowledgeable investigators have tools at their disposal that can expedite the investigative process to get you the information you need quickly. Contact us today and speak with a customer service representative about background checks including education history and any of your other pre-employment security concerns.
