Hiring? Beware of Liars.

Two out of five U.S. professionals admitted in January that they’ve landed a job as a result of lying. Avoid hiring the wrong candidate by following these steps.

Author: Michelle Russell       

People in an interview setting, with one having their fingers crossed under the table.

One out of four job seekers have lied on their resume, according to 2,000 U.S. candidates who responded to a recent study from Resume Builder.

One out of four job seekers have lied on their resume, according to 2,000 U.S. candidates who responded to a recent study from Resume Builder. These aren’t little embellishments, either. Candidates have fudged how many years of experience they have (38 percent); their skills and abilities (34 percent); and the lengths of positions they’ve held (32 percent).

Who is most likely to fabricate? Millennials, with nearly three out of 10 admitting they’ve lied on their resumes, followed by Gen Xers (27 percent); Gen Zers (one out of five); and 13 percent of Boomers. Additionally, men are more likely than women to lie on their resumes — 30 percent vs. 20 percent.

Apparently, it’s easier to lie on “paper” than in person — 19 percent of job seekers admit to dishonesty during an interview, most often overstating or making up skills and abilities (41 percent); followed by responsibilities at previous jobs (32 percent); and years of experience (31 percent).

Looking to bring on new members to join your team? Hirer beware: One out of 10 job seekers told Resume Builder that they plan on lying in the hiring process this year. How can you sniff them out?

In an article published by SHRM for HR professionals, career advisor Mary Southern offers advice on how to spot a lie on a resume:

  1. Listen to your gut. Your first impression that something seems amiss on a candidate’s resume doesn’t necessarily mean it goes into the reject pile, Southern said, but definitely the “maybe” pile. You can fact check later.
  2. Go to LinkedIn and Google. Look for discrepancies between their LinkedIn profile and their resume — “It’s a huge red flag if the two don’t line up,” she said, but keep in mind that not everyone regularly updates their LinkedIn profiles.
  3. Review their career histories. Is the candidate muddling dates to hide gaps, job hopping, or something else? “A lot of people have pretty straightforward career histories,” Southern writes. “If they don’t, dig a little deeper.”
  4. Beware of the copy and paste. “Too many candidates are copying and pasting the employer’s job descriptions straight into the experience section of their resumes,” she said.
  5. Look at big jumps in job titles in a short timeframe. It’s possible for someone to skip over several levels, especially if they go from a big organization to a small one, Southern said. “But one common trait among job seekers who stretch the truth on a resume is an inflated job title. As one career guidance expert says, ‘Some people give themselves the title they feel they deserve on their resume instead of the actual title they had.’”
  6. Check over the education piece. Be on the lookout for candidates who add education in a vague way, like Bachelor’s Degree / Name of university. Did they earn the degree? What year?
  7. Question odd job descriptions. Southern cites a survey by OfficeTeam that found that more than three-quarters of people “expanded the truth in the experience section of their resume, while 55 percent lied about their duties,” she writes. “A huge red flag is when you see achievements, duties, and descriptions that don’t match the job title. 

Once someone has passed the resume sniff test, Southern said the best time to interview them is in the morning. “According to sleepio.com,” she writes, “people are 20-50 percent more likely to lie in the afternoon. They say this is because as the day wears on, people become more tired, and their ethics and morals begin to slip.” 

It should be noted that Southern’s article is almost two years old. While human behavior hasn’t changed during that time, technology has. With more job seekers using ChatGPT — which has a propensity to embellish one’s experience — to help them write their resumes, I wonder if that makes it more difficult to find the truth tellers in the talent pool.

Michelle Russell is editor in chief of Convene.

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