Last updated: October 2, 2023
You’re certain you’ve found a candidate who is a stellar choice for the open management position in your company. It’s all a matter of formality now. As soon as you get the results from the required background screening, you will have the pleasure of officially welcoming them aboard. Sometime later, as you read the results, your mouth drops open a bit in shock. You’re looking at a failed employment verification result.
Now what?
It’s called pulling the wool over your eyes
In today’s world, it seems as if technology links everything, all the time. It’s surprising to think that someone would assume that they could falsify information and get away with it. Still, it happens. Employment credentials play an important role in a job search. There is no doubt that some applicants bank on the hope that the company doesn’t thoroughly check out their information. And, sometimes, it pans out.
Moreover, if they’ve gotten by with fluffing up their employment credentials in the past, they’re more apt to try it again. In fact, they may pad their history even more. It’s sad to think that someone would be dishonest to obtain a job for which they aren’t qualified. However, it would be naive to think that it doesn’t happen.
As a matter of fact, statistics show that one-third of Americans aren’t honest about their work experience. They lie about dates of employment too. It stands to reason that more employers than ever before are choosing to require background screenings as part of their hiring process.
A point of reference
It turns out that employment history isn’t the only thing people lie about on their resumes. It turns out that up to 60% of resumes submitted contain accreditation claims that are refuted by college registrars. That statistic was determined by an ethical standards study conducted by Checkster, a talent-decision tech company. It created a survey taken by 400 applicants and 400 hiring managers, human resources (HR) professionals, and recruiters.
Other statistics related to this study that you may find interesting follow:
- 74% of job applicants state they lied on their resumes
- January 2021 marked the most FBI background checks completed ever
- 2.1 million firearm applicants have been denied since 1994
- Customers aren’t as likely to steal from a company as its employees are
- US companies lose $400 billion a year due to employee fraud and theft
We saved what we believe could be the worst news—in our opinion—for last. Odds are in the employer’s favor that any false information will be discovered during the background investigation. However, the survey also revealed that 66% of hiring managers were willing to entirely overlook the lapse in ethics.
Checks and balances
Management personnel looking the other way as far as whether or not to hire someone who failed employment verification, or other background checks, may be handled on a case-by-case basis within your company. Even though a background check returned a failed employment verification dating back several years, they’re obviously skilled because they currently work in the field. That fact was verified. Does company policy dictate how the hiring process is handled after that point though?
Additionally, there could be instances that would cause an employer to overlook some minor criminal infractions—or big ones if something compelling warrants—as well.
However, this should be a familiar step in the hiring process and not one determined at the whim of the person in charge of making the decision. The fact that someone lies on their resume speaks to their integrity. As a whole, it’s a character trait that is being overlooked more often in this world.
It shouldn’t be.
Background checks provide employers the ability to discover whether or not someone is the person they say they are. If a candidate fails the screening for one reason or another, speaking with them directly as to why they falsified information can lead to discovery. Listen carefully to the answer that you receive and then weigh all information carefully.
Life is pretty rough right now. It could be that your candidate acted impulsively out of desperation. It would be a shame to let a great talent pass by when if given a chance to come clean, the result could lead to a long-term relationship built with honesty as its foundation.
