Does HR verify extracurriculars at all?

I just got a FT offer from a Bulge Bracket bank but i'll admit that I really sugarcoated some of my extracurriculars. For instance, there was this one leadership position that I technically had, but didn't really do anything and i'll admit I claimed responsibility for setting up these events just by association/affiliation.

Then there was this one award I said didn't remember 100%, but i just said how i remembered the event (i.e. 2nd place out of X participants at District Competition). Anyways, unless HR actually took the time to call the head of my club (or maybe this other association affiliated with it -- not even sure that they kept records for it), I don't think they could really verify this.

So, does HR verify any extracurricular activity at all? Let's assume it's not major awards (i.e. not Rhodes Scholar or NCAA Div 1 award).

 
Best Response

The world is just full of shitheads now isn't. You young kids are just so lame.

Not sure how it works in the US but generally if you come from a target school the people involved in your recruiting will be from the school and know how bullshit some of your extracurricular positions are. If people aren't from your school and the position isn't very high profile people are also just going to assume it's bullshit too so why lie about it?

I understand the US hires analysts from a broader background than Canadian firms so perhaps it's useful in demonstrating some semblance of experience but if you think that you being the "Senior Credit Analyst" for your jerkoff school fund of $5M is going to get you a job you're delusional. Someone with great extracurriculars and no actual experience through internships etc. just shows that they weren't good enough to land proper internships. Rather than "Those you can't, teach" it's "Those who can't, go work for their school fund".

 

Unless it's able to be checked via website, news, a brief glimpse, it probably won't be checked. Something like 1st place at a competition or something that has significant weighting to the strength of your candidacy would probably be checked or at least attempted, so you won't gain much by lying.

If for some freak reason, they knew you lied, i. e. if the recruiter knew the person in charge of the organization or competition, you'd be dinged so hard.

 

You don't need to submit 'proof' of your community service when you apply for an MBA. Schools will run thorough background checks on students selected at random and if you were selected the school might contact the organization to verify. The MBA application is complicated enough without the schools adding an extra layer to it. So you don't need to worry about getting documentation from your church/organization.

Best, Leah

Leah Derus Independent MBA Admissions Consultant MIT Sloan Class of 2010 [email protected] Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCacB1ueqfkRVW5pcMZKAj5w
 

They definitely use the good ol' trust system here so you'll be fine, no documentation needed! It has literally never come up for any of our clients where they've been asked to substantiate any involvement activity.

Bhavik | Managing Partner Critical Square | MBA Admissions Services Sign up for a free consultation today! https://criticalsquare.com/contact-us/free-mba-profile-consultation/
 

I have heard about background check firms verifying ECs. Obviously some are a lot easier to verify than others. I would guess that they "spot check," meaning that they don't check all ECs for everyone, but that they do a random sample to help ensure people stay honest. This is just a guess though.

CompBanker’s Career Guidance Services: https://www.rossettiadvisors.com/
 

They usually don't check them as most extras and essay details cannot be verified using a standard background check. And there are people who lie and get in. However, most people are not good liars or bs-ers, so if the whole story doesn't look coherent, they will just ding you.

Do adcoms know that people tend to lie and exaggerate in essays and about extras? Well, if they didn't know that after doing this job for years, they'd be total morons.

So, how much weight do you think adcoms would put in something that can easily be and is often exaggerated, and cannot be verified? Not nearly as much as they care about undergrad, company and position, and gmat, which are the most reliable indicators that cannot be gamed and on which applicants can be compared.

If you think that your chances will go up just by exaggerating your ECs by saying that you tutored that African orphan for 20 hours a week, when it was in fact closer to 10 hours, well that's not going to happen.

ECs usually won't help you much in getting in unless you were involved with some reputable organization or did something really big - these things can be checked and very few applicants are that dumb to lie about such things. But lying about small stuff is not worth it - close to zero upside and huge potential downside if you get caught or if it makes your app look like bs.

 
STIBOR:
N.R.G. - what's your experience with this? Like, how do you know?

Several years ago, when I was applying, the standard background check was just a regular verification of your employment history and education, and most schools were using Kroll. Most ECs that candidates put on their apps just can't be verified in detail.

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