Five ways to catch resume lies

Reports show that 40% to 78% of applicants admit to lying on their resumes – holy cow! How can you tell? Sometimes you can’t however keep this handy for reference to prevent potentially costly hiring mistakes.

  1. Do reference checks and research the candidate

    • Verify they worked where they say they did

    • Phone former employers, verify salary information

    • Check with universities etc… did they attend? Is the course legitimate?

  2. Social media sleuthing

    • Look for discrepancies, time frames of employment, graduation photos

    • Check LinkedIn profiles

  3. Tell it to my face

    • It’s difficult to pick up untruths on the phone/text/email

    • Face to face you can read their body language

  4. Put them to the test

    • Basic skills assessments takes 57 minutes and costs next to nothing to ascertain their smarts

    • A practical test of the work you’re hiring them to do instead of a second interview highlights

  5. Interview in the morning

    • Researchers from Harvard University and the University of Utah found that people’s moral willpower dwindles as the day goes on

    • Apparently people are more likely to engage in unethical behaviours in the afternoon