Over the last 23
years of performing
employment
verifications we
have documented many
cases of applicants
providing phony
references and
employment
histories. We've
become rather adept
at sniffing out
these situations.
The frequency of
fabrications
continues to rise.
It's almost an
epidemic as
applicants become
increasingly
desperate to find
jobs.
In the past, most
people who wanted to
cover up bad work
experiences or gaps
in their employment
used rather
simplistic
techniques. They
would have a friend
or family member
posing as a past
employer answer the
phone when a
prospective employer
called for
verification. An
experienced company
like ESS finds it
fairly easy to catch
these. We notice
inconsistencies in
the information they
provide or we
cross-reference the
phone number and
discover it is a
private line. It's
not too tough to
ferret out the truth
if you know what
you're looking for.
But the rules of the
game have changed.
Now we are up
against more
sophisticated
opponents who have
created a cottage
industry for
falsifying
employment
histories.
Check out this site:
www.CareerExcuse.com.
It is just one of
many websites
offering
"professional job
references" and
other services to
people who need to
lie on their
application to
secure a job. The
site appears very
professional and
legitimate. But it's
really a con game.
Start reading the
content and you find
brazen statements
such as:
"Bad References
Are Costly - Ask
yourself this
question...Can
your present job
references
provide you with
the positive
response needed
to compete
against the
hundreds of
other applicants
who are applying
for that same
job? If you
have any doubt -
WE CAN HELP
YOU."
"Create Your
Career History -
Have a 3 year
gap on your
resume you need
to get rid of?
Simply provide
us with your
desired career
field and we
will act as your
past employer
with a real
branch address,
800 number,
website, plus
email address,
along with
operators
standing by to
answer any
inquiries with a
positive
reference."
For as little as $64
this company will
shamelessly lie for
you and provide a
"professional
reference" with all
the trimmings. An
unsuspecting
prospective employer
will likely be
completely duped.
Think you're safe
looking on social
networking sites to
find information on
your applicant?
They have that
covered too.
"Building
a profile on
LinkedIn and other
social networks
takes a huge
investment in time
and resources. The
good news is that we
at Career Excuse
think this is time
well spent."
(By the way, this
is just one more
reason you should
never rely on social
networking sites for
employment
screening. See our
previous e-Update
for a discussion of
the subject.)
Further evidence of
Career Excuse's
audacious behavior
is their response to
one inquiry
"What if I get
caught?" "Lying on a
resume is not a
crime. A resume is
not a legal
document. As you
can see, using our
company as your
reference is
foolproof. The
greatest risk is
when you use a
former employer as a
reference and then
cross your fingers
they won't call."
And don't think
falsification of
employment is
limited to certain
types of
individuals.
Applicants at any
level can succumb to
the temptation of
misrepresenting
their past. A case
in point -- Chef
Robert Irvine from
the Food Network got
caught lying on his
resume and lost his
job for a season.
Click Here for the
article.
The bottom line is
you must be very
diligent in making
sure you obtain the
most accurate and
most complete
information possible
from your
applicants. If we
are doing the
employment
verification for
you, this helps us
to be more
effective. If you
are doing your own
verifications here
are a few things to
keep in mind.
-
Don't automatically
trust documents
(letters of
recommendation, employment
and degree
documents,
self-employment
information) provided
by an applicant
without independent
verification.
-
Require at least
three work-related
references. It is
probably unlikely
someone will pay a
flimflam company for
three distinct false
reference providers.
-
Although phony
references may be
well-prepared, ask
specific questions
regarding:
position(s) held and
work relationship,
description of the
position including
work environment,
address of the
company's
headquarters.
-
If suspicious,
verify the reference
giver's position
with his/her
company's HR
Department ... which
should be at
a different number
or extension from
the reference.
-
Cross reference
phone number and
addresses. If you
can, track down the
business next door
and call to see if
the company
is/was actually
there.
-
Confirm "closed"
companies or
ownership through
government agencies
or use IRS source
(4506T) for
verification.
There are no
guarantees you will
catch a skilled scam
artist. But the
higher the
position's risk of
doing harm to people
and property the
wider the employment
screening net should
be cast. If the
applicant is held
accountable for
providing complete
and clear
information on the
employment
application and if a
thorough and
comprehensive
screening is
performed (including
an integrity
interview) the
chances are good a
scam artist will be
discovered.
