Resume Fraud

Resume Fraud

Is the interview data you extracted really the best evidence of your potential?

Resume

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If you discover an employee lied on his resume, you might not be able to fire him immediately. If the employee has no contract and you're in an at-will employment state, there should be no problem, but if you have a contract or your state requires termination for cause, you may have to prove the lie or show that the employee is otherwise unqualified. Keep careful documentation of all incidents with the employee and talk to the employee about the resume lie before termination. If you falsely accuse someone of lying on her resume, you could be vulnerable to a wrongful termination suit if the employee has a contract.

A lie doesn't necessarily have to be an outright false statement. Omissions can be just as dishonest as an out-and-out lie. It's suggested that the education section of the resume is where embellishments are most frequent. This often comes in the form of an individual claiming that they have completed an educational program that they may have only started. Embellished titles, exaggerated job duties, altered dates of employment, and even false references are also common. Job seekers have also provided fictitious information during the recruitment process, such as reasons for leaving previous positions. Though it may be tempting to assume that only a small amount of the population would be guilty of this sort of unscrupulous behavior, some studies have suggested that up to 50% of the population has at least a small amount of misleading or inflated content in their resumes. (Source: www.investopedia.com)

Job

via GIPHY

Once an employee has been found to have lied on their resume, the employer has the right to terminate the employment contract. The employee and employer relationship is one that's built upon trust. Finding out that the job was granted based on fictitious information causes this trust to be breached. It may seem like a little white lie when someone covers up the reason they left a previous job or says they graduated from college even though they're a semester shy. From an employer's point of view, however, this lie is seen as a serious character flaw. Even if an employee decides not to fire an employee that lied on their resume (or is unable to for other reasons), their future growth in the company will always be hindered. If an employee lied about something small, what else are they willing to lie about?

You can pretty much kiss your employment references goodbye if you're found to have provided false information on your resume. Even if your employer doesn't terminate the employment relationship for the fraudulent information, you'll still have to suffer the embarrassment of having your employer know you lied. Additionally, our digital-age lives make it easier and easier for us to network with other professionals in similar industries. In fields that are small or specialized, word can travel pretty quickly. If someone lost a job due to dishonesty, there's a good chance the word will get out. Some recruiters have even been known to flag candidates who have been found to have fraudulent information on their resumes. A simple lie could have career-long consequences. (Source: www.investopedia.com)