As competition for jobs in many industries keeps going up, many candidates are going to great lengths to land a job – even if it means embellishing their resumes. According to a poll noted in this article, 58 percent of hiring managers say they’ve caught lies on a resume. Unfortunately, padding resumes with extra job experience and fake credentials has become very common. As a hiring manager, here are some steps you can take to screen candidates’ who may be lying on their resumes.
Check Social Media Profiles
It’s never been easier to cross-check candidates’ credentials online through social media channels like Facebook and Twitter. For example, if a resume claims a candidate went to Harvard but their Facebook indicates differently, this is a clear red flag. With candidates nowadays often having a presence on so many different social media sites, it’s not too difficult to find a flood of information even with just one Google search. In addition to verifying information, searching through social media photos can also give you an idea of a candidate’s level of professionalism, as well as their personality.
Check Their Professional References
You should always check their professional references. Over the phone, references can confirm any discrepancies in gaps in employment, give you better insight with their experience, if they are eligible for rehire, their job performance, and will learn more about the candidate if they are a culture fit. Engage the reference in a conversational form of investigating the prospective employee; you will learn so much more about the candidate strengths and weaknesses.
Test Candidates’ Skills
To truly evaluate candidates’ skills, sometimes you just have to put them to the test. One of the top ways to see if a candidate is embellishing their skills is by requiring an onsite test at the job interview. We have many tests we perform on our maintenance candidates to see if they have the skills for regular work orders, how to fix most major appliances, how to complete a proper make-ready, questions regarding their tools, and much more. We also test every candidate of their knowledge of Fair Housing rules and regulations. Fair Housing every employee on-site should be trained on immediately. If they do not pass this test, you quickly know they do not have experience as their resume may state. We also have tests to assess Leasing Consultants, Assistant Managers, and Property Managers, regarding their core math skills, knowledge of the lease, budgeting, Fair Housing, and much more. Depending on the nature of the job, you may want to assess a candidate for technical skills (such as the use of a specific on-site software) or their writing abilities. Putting a candidate on the spot in this way will leave very little room for lying or fabrication of their qualifications.
Be Reasonable
It’s easy to become paranoid and start doubting the resume of every candidate who applies to your job. However, spending too much time and energy screening every single detail will not help your hiring process, but rather prevent you from reviewing each resume fairly and consistently. This is where your intuition should come into play. If something about a candidate doesn’t seem quite right, you should, of course, take the initiative to explore it further. With that being said, becoming overly cautious with every single piece of information will not serve you well.
Taking the steps above will reduce the likelihood of hiring underqualified candidates – something which could have disastrous effects on your organization’s culture and bottom line. According to to the U.S. Department of Labor, the price of a bad hire is at least 30 percent of the employee’s first-year earnings. For a small company, a five-figure investment in the wrong person is a threat to the business. The more mindful you are about how to effectively research candidates, the more effective you’ll be in combatting this issue.
Stop settling for inferior candidates!
Improve your screening process with The Liberty Group, with locations in major cities throughout the U.S!
