Desperate Times, Desperate Measures

(Published February 1, 2009)

 

Reprinted from MANAGER'S LEGAL BULLETIN, a widely read employment law newsletter that communicates legal guidelines to managers through scenarios based on real-life cases. 

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As the economy continues on its downward spiral, more and more job seekers are competing for fewer employment opportunities.  Some applicants choose to exaggerate, embellish, or even outright lie about their credentials in order to make their résumé stand out in the crowd.  Here are some of the most common résumé falsities, along with strategies you can use to prevent a less-than-honest applicant from pulling a fast one over on you. 

Educational Qualification Falsification

Résumé says: A candidate claims to have recently graduated with academic honors from a prestigious university.  

Reality is: Not only had he not graduated with honors, he never graduated at all.  He had attended the university for two semesters before he dropped out.

Hiring strategy: Applicants often overstate educational qualifications, including listing degrees not earned, degrees from diploma mills, schools not attended, and inflated grade point averages.  Out-of-sequence degrees, quickie degrees, and sound-alike university names should raise a red flag.  Call the school to verify the information, or ask the applicant to provide proof before making a hiring decision.

Experience Exaggeration

Résumé says: A candidate had managed a department of 10 for more than two years. 

Reality is: The candidate supervised a team on a short-term project.

Hiring strategy: Besides speaking with references, ask questions during the interview that will allow you to gauge the individual’s knowledge and skills.  Instead of having candidates address a hypothetical situation, elicit information about their actual related experiences.

No References

Candidate says: A candidate presents a long history of stable employment, but claims she cannot provide recent references because the companies have gone out of business.

Reality is: The candidate created fictitious companies in order to cover gaps of unemployment.

Hiring strategy: Employment at companies that supposedly went out of business is not completely impossible to verify.  Ask for paycheck stubs, copies of W-2 forms, or personal references from former supervisors, co-workers, or clients.

Felony Falsehood

Candidate says: A candidate explains that a gap in employment was due to a medical condition that rendered him unable to work.

Reality is: The candidate was actually serving a prison term for armed robbery.

Hiring strategy: Conduct routine criminal background checks on all prospective hires after extending a conditional offer of employment.