Resume falsification encompasses some of the most common lies that people tell. Sure, it’s easy to fib on salary, dates of employment, and titles held. However, what implications do those lies have once someone is hired? Also consider that many HR departments now use employment screening providers and run background searches and criminal records checks on their applicants. The bottom line is that lying rarely ever pays off, even if the ill effects are delayed. Here are the top three reasons why resume lies never pay off in the end.
Lying about dates of employment. Most people try and put down the actual dates that they were present and accounted for at prior jobs. An employment screening background check will eventually reveal their actual dates of employment, so if the dates don’t match up with the resume, the applicant has likely intentionally lied to you. This can be a very bad first impression! Hiring managers, when polled, said that when they catch applicants lying about this, all integrity is lost. This small, albeit “white lie” says that the employee is willing to mislead you with resume falsification. An employee who has started off under false pretenses is someone who probably cannot be trusted.
Salary history has been inflated. It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to figure out why people lie about their past salaries; they are looking to get more money than what they’re worth. This lie can mean big company losses if someone is paid more than what they deserve or rate for their qualifications. In an ideal world, however, a company’s hiring manager will run a salary history check as part of their standard employment screening process and reveal the truth. These types of resume lies have one motive: greed. A greedy employee who is trying to take what isn’t theirs is not the ideal person for the job. Do your homework and find out someone’s salary history to weed out the greed!
Job titles or qualification have been exaggerated. Again, these types of resume lies are motivated by greed. An employee who is under-qualified to perform the job they have been hired for will undoubtedly enjoy a higher salary than they deserve. Unfortunately, the company will suffer the biggest loss; paying too much for someone who can’t do the job and suffering through the employee’s mistakes and lost production along the way. Further, an employee who is under-qualified will probably either end their employment with a forced resignation or will end up getting fired. Then, the time and money spent on recruiting and training this person will have to be invested into someone else.
Losing valuable time, effort, and money by hiring someone who engages in resume lies and resume falsification will cost the company in the end. In an economic time of sharp ups and downs and money needs to be spent wisely, invest in an employment screening company like Accu-Screen that can help you hire right the first time (and every time)!
