What Is A Resume?

 

According to Wikipedia a resume “is a document created and used by a person to present their background, skills, and accomplishments. Resumes can be used for a variety of reasons, but most often they are used to secure new employment.”

 

 

What Is Resume Fraud?

 

Resume Fraud, also known as Resume Inflation, occurs when a job applicant intentionally includes false or misleading information on their resume presumably with the hopes it will make them more likely to be hired for a job. Many employers make the mistake of only performing criminal background checks but there is more to consider. Look below at the various things that can be listed fraudulently by a job applicant:

 

Top 20 Resume Fraud examples - 

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• Enhancing Job Titles

• Fabricating Degrees

• Exaggerating Educational Accomplishments

• Stretching Dates of Employment

• Enhancing Job Responsibilities

• Fake Past Supervisor Contact Information

• Omitting Past Employment

• Plagiarizing Cover Letters

• Falsifying Reasons for Leaving Prior Employment

• Providing Fraudulent References

• Inflating Past Accomplishments and Skills

• Misrepresenting Military Records

• Unexplained Gaps & Periods of Self-Employment

• Omitting Employment Terminations

• Faking Credentials, Certifications & Licenses

• Increased Salary Amounts

• False Internship & Volunteer Experience

• Omitting Dishonorable Military Discharge

• Falsifying Hobbies & Awards

• False Names & Home Addresses/City/State

 

 

7 Reasons Why Resume Fraud Is So Easy To Get Away With:

 

• Employee Referrals – When a current employee refers someone to the company for a new position, often checked are ignored and the new person is hired with the trust that stems from the employee that referred them. I mean, why check the new person then Bob said they are good, and he’s been with us for 10 years!

• Company Budget Constraints – Resume Verification Investigations are not cheap, and they certainly take time. Companies with tight budgets often feel as though they are saving money by not paying for these extra pre-hire steps.

• Staff Shortages – Companies across the Nation are short staffed and need employees to start immediately. This rush, rush, now, now attitude is the perfect environment for inaccuracies on resumes to go overlooked.

• Penalties Are Non-existent – Almost all states have criminal penalties for resume fraud, but these crimes are rarely enforced. When was the last time you heard of someone going to jail for lying on their resume? Exactly!

• Online Job Apps – Due to the innovation of online employment search applications like Indeed and LinkedIn, it’s easier than ever to apply for a job. An applicant can upload their resume one time and apply to dozens or hundreds of jobs with a few simple clicks. A small business owner can easily find themselves inundated with over 500 resumes for one vacant position. With a small mountain of resumes to sift through, most employers literally don’t have the time to properly vet each applicant. 

• No Human Resources Department – not all companies have dedicated HR departments and staff who are experienced in properly vetting and hiring employees. At smaller companies this task is often given to an administrative person who is stuck with finding a pool of candidates for upper management or owners to choose from.

• Post-discovery Of Resume Fraud Is Not The Answer  – If an employee is hired with fraudulent items on their resume, discovery of those items does not completely justify their termination and will not stop the employee from suing you for wrongful termination

 

 

What Are The Consequences Of Not Having Resume Verifications Performed On All Employees?

 

Resume fraud causes huge consequences for small business owners. If an employer makes the wrong hire based on falsified resume information, this will create problems for the employer. If the new hire can’t perform their duties or isn’t qualified to do so; it can create more work for the other qualified employees, who must then take time to train, monitor, and perform duties that should have been performed by the new hire in the beginning.

 

A single bad hire can cost a company nearly 30% of that employee’s annual salary for lower-level positions and much more for mid and senior level positions. It may be challenging to quickly fire someone who is performing poorly. Depending on your states employment laws and your company’s policies, it could take months of performance improvement plans and remedial training before you are legally safe to let an employee go.

 

When calculating the cost of a bad hire, you must consider all the variables such as:

 

• Administrative costs and advertising fees to fill the initial position

• Resources spent post-termination to fill the still vacant position

• The overall impact resulting from the lack of work and output of poor-quality work

• Bad reviews from dissatisfied customers

• Reputation and brand damage

• Legal costs to defend wrongful termination lawsuits

 

The consequences of making the wrong hire extend beyond monetary concerns. Bad hires may also cause the following:

 

• Productivity loss from departments and teams

• Negatively impact company morale

• Mistakes made that cause vendors and clients to resign

• Develops poor relationships with clients

• Liability issues when customers sue because you allowed unqualified staff to work with them

• Tie current employees up with unnecessary administrative work

 

In addition, if the applicant starts their career by lying to secure the job, they will continue these lies throughout their career and it will affect the areas they are responsible for. If the job opening in question deals with sensitive or financial information, hiring the wrong person can lead to a multitude of problems!

 

 

What things are checked when I hire Investigate NC to perform a Resume Verification on my potential new hire?

 

We are glad you asked. Basically, we check every word that appears on the resume and perform a Background Investigation to discover possible omissions. Some of the items checked may include but not be limited to the following:

 

• Correct name, address, date of birth, social security, and driver’s license state & number

• Check previous employment positions to include job positions, duties, salaries, and dates of employment

• Call references and conduct formal interviews

• Contact educational facilities directly to confirm diplomas, degrees, certificates, and certifications

• Contact state and private licensing boards  

• Social media accounts reviewed and search for hidden accounts

• Criminal records check

•  Additional items checked based on the clients needs and application process!