License verifications help protect businesses from fraudulent applicants. There are a million different licenses people can obtain these days, especially with all the technological developments. Every field you can think of from accounting to human resources to medicine to IT has many different licenses people can obtain in different ways. Most require passing a test or some sort of course.

Professional license verifications are needed to protect companies from certain liabilities. One of the Big Four accounting firms probably does not want to hire an Audit Manager who is not a Certified Public Accountant (CPA). A CPA certification is essential to perform the duties of an Audit Manager or an Audit Director. Failure to obtain a CPA by this point in an auditor's career would be a negative indication of that person's commitment to his or her practice.

License Verifications Keep Applicants Accountable

There are certain questions interviewers can ask to make sure applicants aren't lying about professional licenses. However, these questions are often overlooked or avoided altogether during the interview process because hiring managers don't want give the impression that there's a trust gap between management and employees. They do one of the most dangerous things an interviewer can do--they assume that person is telling the truth.

I'm not suggesting to hiring managers and recruiters that they should assume all applicants are lying--license verifications and background checks will determine that. You can, however, effectively screen out a candidate if you know a couple of revealing questions to ask about specific certifications. If you are recruiting CPAs, talk to a couple of CPAs and ask them what you should ask another supposed CPA.