Top Five Lies Told by Job Candidates

by John Reese, HireRight

Every employee in a small business has a big impact on performance, company culture and the bottom line. That’s why hiring the wrong candidate is a costly, sometimes critical, mistake. In a recent survey from Right Management(1), it’s reported that the cost of a bad hire can range from one to five times the salary of the individual. According to background screening leader HireRight, job seekers very often exaggerate, falsify credentials and outright lie on their job applications, especially in today’s constrained job market. Thus, the chances of hiring the wrong person escalate. The prevalence of candidates lying on job applications and resumes, if not outright fraud, at the very least provides reason for small businesses to conduct comprehensive background checks.

“Exasperating the problem for small business is that job candidates are more likely to lie to small businesses because they assume that the companies are less likely to perform background checks on their candidates as compared to larger enterprises,” said Glen Schrank, chief executive officer, HireRight. “And although more and more small businesses are performing professional, enterprise-quality background screening today, job seekers still try to get away with it.”

Here are five of the most popular lies told by job candidates that employers should watch out for:

1. Exaggerating dates of past employment -- As many as 34 percent of all resumes include discrepancies related to previous employment(2). Candidates often stretch the truth to cover gaps in their work history they may not want to explain -- like the job seeker who extended his employment dates to cover a six month jail sentence! Sometimes discrepancies are honest mistakes, but employers should always verify employment dates.

2. Falsifying the degree or credential earned -- There is roughly a 20 percent discrepancy rate in education qualifications provided by candidates(3). Often a resume will tout a degree when a candidate only took some classes, or exaggerate a major so the candidate appears more qualified for the job. Other candidates forge diplomas, claim degrees earned by family members or purchase degrees from diploma mills. The latter can be very difficult to identify, but knowledgeable background checking firms compile detailed databases of known diploma mills so frauds can be identified.

3. Inflating salary or title -- It’s hardly surprising that a candidate might exaggerate these important facts to get a better job or a higher salary. That’s why companies typically contact previous employers to verify positions held by the candidate. Salary verification can be more difficult since many companies will not reveal this information. In such cases, asking the candidate for previous W-2 forms as proof is a wise step.

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