How to Spot a Fake CV

With the vast number of unemployed individuals in the market, job seekers are becoming increasingly desperate. There seems to be a direct relationship between the rise of unemployment and a drop off rate in regards to the accuracy of information provide in job applications and on CV's.

When I started putting together this article, I did a Google search to see if I could find some statistics on the number of fake CV's that a recruiter can expect to receive, and while I did find a few websites that provided useful statistics, I was also amazed to see the number of websites promoting ‘Fake Resumes' and actually teaching job seekers how to write a fake resume. Some of these websites even go as far as justifying that it is okay for job seekers to fake a CV if they are desperate and know that they can do the job, despite the fact that they do not have any experience in the particular role that they are applying to.

There are many statistics as a result of surveys from different sources, however the one statistic that alarmed me the most was that provided by a company called ‘Hire Right' in the United States which said that for every 100 CV's viewed, 80 percent of them would be misleading in some way whether fallacy or an outright lie. A further breakdown showed that 20 percent contained fraudulent qualifications, 30 percent have inaccurate job descriptions, 25 percent list companies that no longer exist, and 27 percent give falsified references.

There is a marked difference between tailor-making or fluffing-up a CV to actually right out faking it. So while it is advisable that a Job Seeker customises a CV to highlight his particular skills in relation to the job that he is applying to, this does not mean that he is entitled to include misleading or inaccurate information on his CV.

Recruiters should be careful when reviewing CV's. There is no excuse for a recruiter who submits a CV for an interview with a client prior to having verified all credentials on the CV and having interviewed the candidate first.

When to become suspicious during an interview
Studies show that people are most likely to lie over the telephone which is why a face-to-face interview is recommended to observe any suspicious behaviour that might give clues that the applicant may not necessarily be telling the truth.

Signs to look out for include broad or vague answers to specific questions. Be wary when an interviewee refuses to give details about their responsibilities or who they reported to citing that confidentiality prevents them from providing this information.

Ask for specific details and try to pose the same question in various ways to the interviewee. While liars are often well rehearsed in their fables, once you ask for specific details they often corner themselves by not remembering what they had previously told you.

Other signs to look out for are a sudden change in voice pitch or rate of speech, or an increase in the number of 'ums' and 'ahs'. Look out for a change in eye contact - on average an individual makes eye contact one-quarter to one-half of the time. If suddenly, at a convenient time to lie the individual might glare at you or look completely away. You might notice a sudden change in the person's eyes where you are able to see the white on the top and the bottom of a person's eyes and not just the sides. The individuals body language may also provide clues, if an individual turns his body away from you, even slightly or reaches with his hands to his face, especially the mouth, or makes nervous movements with his legs then you should beware.

'Really good liars often behave in the opposite way and appear unnaturally calm and make fewer gestures with their body,' says Daniel R. Fisher, a psychologist who heads the assessment practice for Worklab Consulting LLC, a New York-based management-consulting firm. 'People who are lying often slow down to think about their answers, using fewer gestures and maintaining eye contact as they concentrate on putting together a plausible falsehood.'

It is sometimes very difficult to know if someone is lying unless you have had been able to establish a baseline for his behaviour. It is impossible to thoroughly get to know every interviewee; however it might be a good idea to bring the candidate back for a second interview with another colleague who can pose similar questions to what you did, but in a different way to see if the candidate derives at the same answer. You should then carefully watch the person and look out for any unusual speech patterns, gestures or facial expressions.

Be careful not to confuse nervous gestures with dishonesty. Fidgeting, stuttering or avoiding eye contact could simply be symptoms of nervousness rather than indicators deception.

Background Checks
The most common information faked on a CV are those that are fortunately easy enough to check out such as job description, skills, salary details, employment dates, reason for leaving and qualifications information. Most of this information can be validated through reputable institutions that provide pre-employment and background screening services.

Although not completely foolproof, by conducting thorough telephonic references with former employers you should be able to confirm the competency of the candidate as well as their integrity, credibility and skills. Other checks that can be done include running a internet search on Google for the previous employer, confirm that the telephone number provided for the referrer is in fact registered to the company (request a land-line and not a cellular number). Don't solely rely on the references provided by a candidate. Seek additional references, such as former colleagues, supervisors or direct reports. You may also want to ‘Google' the candidate's name or search for the candidate on LinkedIn or other professional networking websites to confirm that they candidate did in fact work for the company. Confirm with the previous employer the exact circumstances under which the candidate left the company and be sure to ask the candidate to explain any gaps in his CV.

Sometimes honest mistakes happen and a discrepancy might occur in the specific details or dates of employment. If this happens, give the candidate an opportunity to provide an explanation for the discrepancy and see if you can verify the information through an alternative source.

When in doubt, remember to be fair and to use your common sense when making judgement.

Author: Gillian Meier, CEO - Jobs.co.za