MBA Admits Facing Background Checks

For example, a Wharton MBA grad who had run her own marketing consulting business before attending B-school says, “Kroll simply would not leave me alone!  I ended up having to dig through boxes of old files and provide my former company’s articles of incorporation, bank verification of our business checking account, cancelled checks dating several years back, corporate meeting minutes, and even the cell phone numbers of my ex-business partner and some clients —all just to confirm that my company had actually existed, that I was compensated, and that I conducted operations as stated in my essays. The Kroll verification process took almost 10 days — and was more stressful that the entire application process.”

Another top-5 MBA admit devoted several high-stress days to locating and presenting documentation to prove that the $15,000 he had identified in his application as a “bonus” was legitimate. This “discrepancy” arose during verification solely because HR at his company had classified only $5,000 as a “bonus,” and the remaining $10,000 as a “commission.”

COMMON MISTAKES AND MISSTATEMENTS

According to admits who have had to deal with hiccups caused by background checks, common mistakes and misstatements by candidates include:

  • Annual salary overstated due to a “promised” raise or promotion that was later rescinded
  • A year-end bonus with a discrepancy in the actual vs. expected amount
  • Job titles, work responsibilities, reporting chains, and/or employment dates that do not align with official HR records
  • Academic courses that were started but not completed
  • Entrepreneurial ventures or sole proprietorships that were not verifiable “legal entities”
  • Independent consulting engagements that lack formal agreements or contracts

Given the pressures of meeting school deadlines, even the most open and honest individuals can rush through the application process without fact-checking, trusting only their faded memories. Candidates who meant well, but failed to verify details, omitted information they believed was irrelevant, or “rounded off” results they achieved would have been more careful had they only considered the thoroughness of the verification process ahead. However, once an applicant is informed by the school that a background check is underway, engaging an experienced advisor can be a way to mitigate risk and gain official clearance to enroll.

AT LEAST ONE ADMISSIONS FIRM IS NOW OFFERING A VERIFICATION SERVICE

Indeed, one admissions consulting firm, Chicago-based The MBA Exchange  has introduced what it calls CounterCheck, a verification service to help MBA applicants navigate through the often grueling post-admission verification process.  MBA Exchange consultants, with experience in background verification, guide clients through a structured process of identifying issues, projecting risks, developing an action plan, and engaging productively and professionally with the verification agency and admissions office. Depending on the extent of support provided to the applicant, this service is priced at $550 to $1950.

“The first step in surviving – or better yet avoiding – verification issues is to tell the truth in the application,” says Dan Bauer, managing director and founder of The MBA Exchange. “The vast majority of applicants have no intention of deceiving anyone.  But good intentions alone can’t overcome the intensive scrutiny of a background verification agency hired by b-schools to find fabrications, disconnects and inconsistencies.  Just as most people would seek their accountant’s guidance if summoned for a tax audit. MBA applicants enlist our expertise to help them get through this verification process so they can get cleared to enroll with peace of mind.”.

Bauer says his service is not a way to cover up a problem. “No one should view this service as a way for dishonest applicants to ‘beat the system,'” insists Bauer. “To the contrary, we help honest applicants confidently work through an unexpected, high-stakes administrative process that can be tedious, stressful and even intimidating.”

DON’T MISS: THE 30 COMMANDMENTS OF THE MBA ADMISSIONS GAME or MBA CONSULTING CLAIMS: HOW CREDIBLE?

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