The employer wants to see attention to detail, knowledge of verification channels, and the candidate's willingness to stop a process when a credential cannot be confirmed.
Use a specific past example, walk through the official verification steps, describe giving the candidate an opportunity to provide documents, and end with the decision and what you improved.
Start by naming one real case, even a small one, and walk through it chronologically. Say plainly that you never rely on the photocopy the candidate submits, because in the Philippines documents can be forged or simply outdated. Explain that you contact the registrar's office directly, using the official contact details on the school's website rather than the number on the resume, and that you ask for written confirmation or a verification slip. If the school is slow, tell the interviewer you followed up within a reasonable window and documented every attempt, because in a BPO or agency setting time pressure is real but a bad hire costs more. When the result comes back unverified or mismatched, do not soften it. Say you paused the endorsement immediately, informed the hiring manager in writing, and gave the candidate one clear chance to provide a corrected document or an explanation. If nothing credible arrived, you closed the file with a note in your tracker so the same issue would not resurface later. Close by mentioning one small improvement you made, like building a shared verification log, so the lesson outlives that single case.
A common Filipino candidate mistake is to downplay the issue by saying, 'Diploma lang naman po, baka okay na.' Instead, treat any falsified or unverifiable credential as a red flag, and say you would verify it directly with the school before endorsing the person.
Situation
During my on-the-job training in the HR department of a mid-sized logistics company, I was helping screen applicants for an accounting assistant role. One applicant attached a diploma from a university, but the registrar's name and the document format looked inconsistent.
Task
I needed to confirm whether the diploma was genuine before the applicant moved to the final interview, so I could either endorse him or stop the process early.
Action
I checked the university's official website for the correct verification process, then emailed the registrar using the address listed there. I also asked the applicant for a certified true copy of the transcript and compared the signature and school seal with our internal samples. I logged every step and the evidence in our recruitment tracker.
Result
The university confirmed the diploma was falsified, so we disqualified the applicant before spending more time. I also helped update the pre-screening checklist to include a diploma authenticity check for all degree-required roles.
Early credential verification saves time and protects the company from integrity risks.
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