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• Five Tips to Avoid Resume Fraud

Five Tips to Avoid Resume Fraud

written on September 07, 2010 by Ted L Moss

“Everyone does it,” said one.

“I knew they wouldn’t consider me otherwise,” said another.

“Employers lie about the job, why should I be honest?” said yet another.

These are all explanations I have heard in reference to ‘resume padding’ – a practice that is tantamount to fraud when submitting a resume to potential employers.  The most startling thing about resume fraud is the statistic which shows that 45 to 60% of all resumes contain falsifications.  When today’s increasingly competitive job market is taken into account, we may be sure to encounter even greater increases in this fraudulent practice.  As the following story shows, no industry is immune to people’s assumption that resume padding is a victimless act of fraud:

George O’Leary was the head football coach at Georgia Tech, where he had built a successful program and reputation.  When Notre Dame was looking to fill their head coaching position, they tapped O’Leary, who was coming off several very successful years, as their top candidate.  In accordance to their hiring policies, they asked for his resume.  Under the auspices of his reputation, the Notre Dame athletic department did absolutely nothing in regards to verifying O’Leary’s resume.  It was not until ESPN received access to the resume and exposed it, that O’Leary admitted to falsifying his resume and resigned from the position at Notre Dame.

What did he lie about?  His level of education, claiming he had a master’s degree and his personal athletic history, claiming he had lettered in college when he never played.  Neither of these facts were concerns for Notre Dame, who were hiring him because of his successful coaching reputation and not his background.  Yet it cost him the job because he lied about it.  This story highlights two discouraging aspects about resume padding – it is both a widespread practice across the spectrum of employment, and that employers are not taking it seriously as a concern when hiring.

So how do you know if you are getting the real scoop?

1. Ask Questions - If something looks irregular, inquire about it with your candidate.  Long gaps in employment, sudden swings in job responsibilities, and differences between what was said in a cover letter versus the resume and application can give you a hint.  You have to ask the question to see how they respond, and act from there.
 
2. Dig Deeper - When you ask the question, are you receiving a reasonable answer?  Don’t be afraid to dig deeper with follow-up questions.

3. Research - Ask them if you can call their former employers.  Research information using resources like LinkedIn.  Talk to personal references and co-workers.  Don’t just take their word for it if they say their most recent employer is conveniently out of business – research all statements made by the candidate.

4. Get It Verified – Either perform a complete background check in-house, or use a FCRA certified third party screener.  Don’t just check criminal records based on the residential history the candidate provides, but run a social security trace to determine actual residential history.  Include a multi-jurisdiction database criminal record check on top of that as a safety net.  When possible, verify prior employment, educational claims, and driving records too.

5. Have Standards and Follow Them - If an applicant that you like can’t make it through the screening process, it’s time to go back to the drawing board - not time to find ways to get around your screening policy.

Following these steps can help your firm to avoid the pitfalls of resume padding and fraud.

 

Ted L. Moss

www.crimcheck.com

877-99CHECK toll free