With compliance and liability such pressing concerns these days in most business arenas, it’s more crucial than ever for business owners and HR departments to not fall victim to resume fraud. Unchecked, bad hiring decisions can snowball into regulatory sanctions, fines and lawsuits. Successful hiring leads to valuable assets who are loyal, dedicated and hard-working; however, poor hiring can lead to lost productivity and even breached safety and violence in the workplace.
The best way for businesses to protect themselves against resume fraud and maximize the odds of a successful hire is by knowing the truth about each potential candidate. Understandably, all applicants strive to show themselves in the best possible light; however, in this challenging economy and job landscape, some people take this too far and into the realm of exaggeration, stretching the truth, or outright lying. An AOL Jobs survey found that 26.5% of respondents admitted they’ve lied on a resume or would consider doing so.
Any type of fraud is a threat to a business, and lying on a resume is one of the most insidious types. Employers should know who they’re hiring.
Some of the red flags to watch out for when it comes to resume fraud include:
Discrepancies. Employers should look at all resumes with a critical eye. Time frame discrepancies, errors and omissions should all be explored deeper. If an achievement or accomplishment seems too good to be true, it just might be. Use the internet to fact-check everything you can, and make phone calls to listed organizations and references.
The long-term unemployed. A SHRM-funded research project found that the longer someone has been out of work, the more likely they are to fabricate parts of their resume. Inquire about any and all employment gaps.
Those with a history of dishonesty. If someone has committed fraud or other crimes before, they are more likely to be unscrupulous again in the future. Employment background checks can help with finding out the truth about a person’s past actions in both the workplace and their personal life.
Interview inconsistencies. Interviewers should get key questions ready ahead of time to effectively vet each potential new hire, especially if there are questions about the veracity of the claims on a resume. Any interview answers that don’t add up should be explored and verified.
Resume fraud can occur in any department and at any level of a company. While the hiring party can use their intuition when considering an applicant, the only way to check if a candidate doesn’t have a criminal past is with a criminal background check.
Disclaimer: The information on InstantCriminalChecks.com is governed by our Terms of Use and is never intended as legal advice.
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