How to Spot Résumé Fraud with Better Background Checks

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Résumé fraud may be a sign of an ambitious prospective employee, but it can also lead to dangerous consequences for the businesses that hire an unqualified person. In a study conducted in 2017 by CareerBuilder, a full 75% of HR managers reported catching a lie on a résumé. Some hiring managers admire the motivation factor, but most won't take the chance. See why the risks outweigh the benefits and why background checks are crucial if you don't want to open your business up to a liability nightmare.

The Threat of the Unknown

Employers who hire someone they don't really know could potentially face the following:

  • Accidents: Many people overstate their experience or their skill-level. If you plunge someone into a position they haven't earned, you're more likely to see costly mistakes. 
  • Fraud/theft: A person who lies on their résumé is a person who may be willing to bend the rules for fraud or theft in other respects. 
  • Violence: If a candidate lies about their criminal past, they may exhibit violent behavior when confronted with conflict. 
  • Turnover: Hiring someone is expensive. Even if it doesn't work out for benign reasons, you still have to find someone else to take their place. 

The Lies of Prospective Employees 

Résumé fraud fluctuates with the performance of your industry: the worse it is, the more likely you'll see some instances of fraud. If your economic sector was recently hit with serious legislation or a massive drop in demand, you need to be extremely careful when it comes to background checks. Most employees will lie about their educational background, while others will gloss over the circumstances of why they left a position or how well they performed in past jobs. This kind of fraud may be understandable, but its unintended consequences can be disastrous.  

Making the Investment 

Fraud can occur at any level position, from bottom to the top. Most managers would never discover the lie if not for screening, and yet, a surprising number of employers are still overlooking the benefits of screening. While it may save a few dollars today to forego background checks, the potential costs of a lawsuit or a reputation loss would be too great to bear for most companies. You're already taking risks if you hire the known, why take additional risks by hiring the unknown?

Microbilt is here to help our customers confirm the past, so they can better plan for the future. We verify each candidate's criminal history and financial stability of course, but we also dig deep into education and employment history. Taking time to double-check references, school records, and employment honors is the only way you'll get a sense of the person beyond what they're showing you in the interview. If you want to learn more about how we can save your business money and hassle, call us today to learn more about our background checks.