Recruitment Detective: How do you handle people who lie on their resumes?

By Shelly Wallace 

As an experienced and accredited recruiter it is my responsibility to provide the best service to my clients and with that choosing the right person for their team. I need to assess skills, communication, personality, etc.  But how do we stop ourselves from being blindsided by that 'wow candidate'? When requested to "search for the star applicant"!

I have found that I have become more attuned to the fibs that people tell both in my personal and professional life. It has encouraged me to probe deeper and ask those difficult questions that sometimes people are uncomfortable with answering:

Can you explain the gaps on your CV? Question where they went on hols, etc
Why don’t you have a reference from your last employer? Why did you leave?

As humans we want to trust people and believe them, unfortunately that is not always the case as highlighted in a recent article by the Society of Human Resource Managers (SHRM), who claim that "more than 53% of people lie on their resumes".

It is up to the recruiter as a representative of the client to dig deep, ask the questions and hopefully unearth the lies.
We have all been burnt at some stage in our careers by that 'star' candidate. However when it comes down to the nitty gritty the cracks will start to appear in the façade.

So how do we avoid this happening? There are some steps and guidelines that you can implement:
1. Determine your criteria for the right candidate
2. Always meet the candidate – either through Skype or face2face
3. Don’t be afraid to probe, the more you know the more you can gain a clearer picture of who this applicant is
4. Ask for academic transcripts or proof of qualifications and certifications
5. Where feasible consider psychometric and technical testing
6. When supplied with referee details ensure it is a work landline or if the referee has moved on, call to verify they worked there at the same time as the candidate.

As a recruiter I use these tips on a day to day basis to weed out those who embellish on their resumes. And reiterate the old saying "that honesty is the best policy" when short listing the most suitable candidate for my client.