Risky Business: Resume fraud on the rise

Article courtesy of Dice

Resume fraud is nothing new, just ask former Yahoo CEO Scott Thompson, e-commerce Etsy co-founder Rob Kalin, or former Lotus Development CEO Jeff Papows.

But did you know actions like this where bigwig tech executives put false or embellished information on their resumes is having a reverberating effect on your job search? Well, it is.

An estimated 33 percent of all resumes contain false or embellished information, says Marquet International, and, surprisingly, this is impacting your job search.

For starters, widespread fraud makes hiring managers leery of every claim you make and they’re responding by adding background checks, technical assessments and additional interviews to the hiring process. Plus, employers have become so risk averse that they’d rather eliminate a candidate they don’t trust, than make a hiring mistake.

Here’s how you can keep the problem of resume fraud from spilling over into your search.

No. 1: Get Your Story Straight

Make sure the dates and titles on your resume are correct and coordinate with your job application, online profile and employment records. If you decide to use a recognized industry job title, be sure to list your real job title in parenthesis. A study by the Society for Human Resource Management found that 64 percent of HR professionals did not extend a job offer to a potential employee because their background reference check showed inaccurate dates of previous employment.

No 2: Vet Yourself

Did you earn your degree under a different name? Did that brush with the law during college result in a misdemeanor or a felony and is it still on your record? Has someone stolen your identity? Will nosy employers find digital dirt? Clear up any issues that may keep you from getting an offer and remember, you can run but you can’t hide from social media.

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e-commerce

fraud

resume