Over the last few years we have seen a significant rise in unemployment rates nationwide, some of the highest in the last few decades actually. To some recruiters this is a dream come true due to the overflow of applicants that they now have, but to the true Talent Scouts this is a complete nightmare. Why? Because now it is that much more difficult to find that top 1%. I have always been a firm believer that a resume is a limited representation of the candidate. So if this is indeed the case, what does this say about them when the majority of the information in their resume is fabricated and/or inaccurate? It says that they are dishonest and they were willing to lie to get the job. Thus, chances are they will be dishonest once they are hired and with the economy being what it is, there are very few companies that can afford the huge expense of a bad hire.Being aware of the common lies applicants tell, allows you to arm yourself with the knowledge and tools necessary to minimize the chances of a bad hire. Some of the most common things lied about in resumes and applications according to a nationally recognized background screening firm (esr.com) include:
1- Job Title/ Responsibilities: Working in a fast growing call center environment has exposed to me to thousands of people from all backgrounds and walks of life and it seems the more people you interview the easier it becomes to spot inaccuracies, lies and exaggerations. What I have found to be the easiest way to spot these types of "self- proclaimed promotions" is by asking them very specific questions. So if they claim to be a store manager (even if you don't know in specific what they do- you kind of have an idea of what is expected of them) you would ask questions such as: A) How did you measure your team's performance? B) How did you deal with employees that weren't performing? C) What were your individual goals as a manager and team goals? Questions like these should be no problem for someone who has been in the position, but to someone who hasn't its a surefire way to stop them in their tracks. Another easy way would be by checking their references (but this would only work if their references are accurate).
2-Claiming a degree not earned- This seems to be a very common trend nowadays and it it comes in many different forms. The first one is where people award themselves a degree even though they still had credits to complete or only attended for a few semesters. The second one is where people claim to have graduated from schools they never even attended- now that's gutsy because with the internet what it is today and by simply asking some probing questions this is the simplest one to catch. Lastly there are those that simply buy there degree online for "3 easy installments of $49.95". They purchase these degrees from Degree Mills, these "Mills" often offer transcripts and even phone numbers that employers can call to verify that they attended. Talk about committing to your lie. But again, this can be verified by running an education background check.
3-Dates of Employment: No one wants to look like they are a job hopper, inexperienced or unstable so this is something that is common regardless of position or age. If this is not dug up during the interview process than the next easiest way to verify this is by calling references or simply running an employment verification check. But remember if your gut is telling you that there is something not right- than chances are that you are probably right and you should dig, dig, dig.
4-Compensation: Times are tough and its ok to exaggerate a little about your salary history so we can get that nice bump in pay, right? Wrong! There is no excuse for being dishonest, period. Every application I have always seen asks for the desired salary, so why not be honest with what you are looking or hoping to make- if they are qualified and deserve it than chances are they will probably get what they are looking for regardless of what they were making before. But when they sit in front of me lying to me and telling me they were making $50k a year when they only made $30k and are looking to make $60k- this is not only unacceptable but can also cause your company some major bucks.
5- Criminal Background- Different companies have different standards and different tolerance levels on what is acceptable and what isn't in the background checks. One thing I do know is that most applications if not all, specifically ask if they have ever been convicted of a crime and to please specify. So, this to me is their amnesty period in which they need to be 100% honest. If not, no matter how small the infraction if not declared up front is considered dishonest and a possible reason for termination.
These are just some of the things that people tend to lie about in their resumes and applications but as I mentioned before some of these can easily be verified during the interview process by asking very thorough and specific questions, as you should be doing anyways. If a pre-screening/ background check is not in place in your workplace I would highly suggest that you implement one as it is a smart business investment. Remember that there is nothing wrong with trusting as long as you verify.
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