Dive Brief:
- Roughly half of hiring professionals in a recent TopResume survey said that a resume lie would cost a candidate the job, but the other half said it would depend on the lie.
- Nearly all of the respondents, however, said a lie would at least cause them to reconsider a candidate. And the most offensive fabrication? Lying about an academic degree. After that, respondents cited lies about criminal history, certifications and licenses, work experience, and technical skills and proficiencies.
- Additionally, while 78% of respondents said they have spotted a lie on a resume, only 66% said they consistently perform background checks.
Dive Insight:
Resume lies continue to plague recruiters, hiring managers and HR but today's tight labor market has employers rethinking their responses, meaning these fabrications aren't quite the "red flags" they used to be.
Some are remaining focused on the most important qualifications. If someone has the majority of what you're looking for but has fudged a bit on something irrelevant, it might be worth overlooking, Emily Parra, HR practice leader at StratEx previously told HR Dive. It's important to understand the mentality of "getting yourself seen. Often the biggest things people exaggerate might not be the most important to you," she said.
Still, many employers are working to weed out those who exaggerate on a resume. Blockchain promises to put some resume lies to a stop in the future but until then, hiring professionals continue to rely on phone screens, background checks and interview training for hiring managers.
