Everyone wants to put their best foot forward when applying for a position but when a candidate misleads a prospective employer with the hope of securing employment there is a problem. Human resources experts argue that nearly 40% of resumes are fraudulent. That means 2 out of 5 resumes contain exaggerations or omissions that a reasonable person would consider deceptive. Examples of resume fraud can be anything from claiming to have worked at a job for a longer period of time to outright falsifying credentials such as degrees or professional certifications.
What can employers do?
Conduct pre employment screening and background checks. It’s difficult to spot a liar in a job interview and it’s not enough to just follow-up with references these days. Employee background checks can help every employer avoid a bad hiring decision. It’s not hard to write an honest resume but many applicants roll the dice and take their chances because many employers still fail to conduct employee background checks.
I believe there are three overarching benefits to conducting pre employment screening. Deterrence tops the lists because making it clear that background checks are part of the hiring process will discourage applicants with something to hide. Background checks also encourage honesty in the work place by creating a culture motivated by integrity from the start of the onboarding process.
Fact-finding is a key ingredient to pre employment screening so supplementing your initial impression of a candidate forged during the interview process with facts can help an employer make informed decisions. Employee background checks are conducted by major corporations because they can provide an added layer of protection from liability.
One bad hire could potentially cost an employer thousands in lost time or litigation costs and they may not have a leg to stand on in court if they haven’t conducted an employee background check. If you haven’t done so already, take the initiative and make informed decisions by implementing pre employment screening and background checks as part of your hiring process.
For more information on background check experts, background checks, criminal background checks, employee background checks or pre employment screening contact us at the background check company or call 1.770.426.0547
