How to Detect Resume Fraud and What to Do About It

Companies rely on hiring managers to bring the best people onto their teams. When you are screening potential candidates for a role, it is crucial to know how to separate qualified candidates from those who lie their way through the system. Talent management starts with picking the right people, so let’s talk about how to stop resume fraud from slipping through the cracks.

How Common is Resume Fraud?

A recent Resume Lab study found that 93% of people admitted to knowing someone who has lied on their resume. Out of those who lied, 31% were caught, but only 21% of people lost the job opportunity because of it. While this study was done on Americans, it’s safe to say that resume fraud is more common than you think, no matter where you are.

Why Do People Lie on Their Resumes?

There are many reasons why someone would consider lying on their resume. A few common circumstances include:

• If someone is unqualified for a job they want. Applicants may embellish their skills when they find a job opening for a role they don’t have the credentials for.
• If they are uneducated, a candidate might lie about obtaining a post-secondary degree if every job posting on the job boards calls for a certain level of education.
• If a person has had to take extended leave due to mental health issues, physical illness, or bereavement. The candidate might lie about their work experience to fill the period of unemployment.

Key Signs to Look For

If you are a human resources professional, you likely have a knack for reading people during the interview process. But what if you’re new to the hiring process or haven’t had any HR training? Even seasoned HR professionals can miss fraudulent resumes. So, how do you spot a fraudulent resume before making time to meet the applicant? Here are a few tell-tale signs to look for:

• Inconsistencies between their resume and their social media. Looking up a potential team member’s LinkedIn profile has become a common practice in HR to catch any discrepancies between what a candidate shares online compared to what’s on their resume.
• Dates and job descriptions that don’t match. Sometimes a candidate may try passing off a volunteer opportunity as a full-time position to fill gaps in their resume. Keep an eye on employment history that is only listed in years, not months, as this is a common way to conceal a period of unemployment.
• Organizations that don’t sound familiar. It seems far-fetched, but you would be surprised how many people will try to fluff up their resume with continuing education certificates and licenses from organizations that don’t exist.

Because there are quite a few ways to get creative when it comes to lying on a resume, it is wise to include a pre-screening opportunity on your hiring process checklist so you can check for holes in someone’s resume before investing time in a job interview.

How to Ask the Right Questions in an Interview

An effective way to catch a potential candidate in a lie is to ask the right questions during your interview. If any items on their resume raise red flags, observing how the candidate answers questions about them can help you determine if they are worth doing a background check on.

Here are a few interview questions that may help determine whether someone has been dishonest on their CV or not:

1. What interests you most about working for our company?
2. How has your previous work experience prepared you for this role?
3. If you are comfortable, could you please explain the periods of unemployment on your resume?
4. This organization you’ve received a certificate from sounds interesting. Could you expand on what you learned during your course?

As the person in charge of hiring, you need to make sure the right candidate gets the job offer. You can save yourself time on background checks by addressing potential resume fraud during the interview process.

Sharpen Your Hiring Skills with Hire Knowledge Academy

In a shaky economy, more people might be feeling pressure to lie about their employable skills, work experience, and even references if it means they will have a better chance of receiving an offer letter. That’s why it is crucial to have a toolbox of HR resources to help you in your search for the best (and most authentic) employees in the market.

Shelley is a seasoned hiring consultant with over 25 years of experience in HR who is passionate about sharing her expertise on how to find the right people for your team through HR courses. Learn how to build a hiring checklist, ask the right interview questions, create seamless employee onboarding processes, and how to do it all while keeping occupational health and safety top-of-mind for your business. Enroll in Shelley’s Hire Knowledge Academy online today!