
Nearly everyone tells little white lies — including when they want a new job.
So when you’re the hiring manager, you probably want to know who’s stretching the truth a little and who’s fabricating an entire career.
Turns out, 11% of candidates lied during the hiring process last year.
Breakdown of Little White Lies
To break down the little white lies the researchers at Resume Templates found, let’s look at the top areas for deception and exactly what they fabricated:
Candidates lied on their resumes about:
- Skills or abilities (47%)
- Years of experience (39%)
- Length of previous positions held (37%)
- Responsibilities at previous jobs (37%)
- Previous employers (34%)
- References (34%)
- Professional achievements (29%)
- Professional credentials or associations (24%)
- Education (19%)
Candidates lied during an interview about:
- Skills or abilities (45%)
- Responsibilities at previous jobs (40%)
- Years of experience (34%)
- Professional achievements (31%)
- Length of previous positions held (24%)
- Previous employers (24%)
- Professional credentials or associations (16%)
- Education (11%)
And 4% of candidates actually cheated on their assessment!
Regrets and Wins
“Intentionally lying is a calculated risk and remains a moral/ethical question as well,” says Resume Template’s Executive Resume Writer and Career Coach Andrew Stoner. “That’s evidenced by the 49% of respondents who expressed regret about lying.”
But here’s the kicker: Liars get the job more often than truth-tellers: 72% of Dishonest Daves get job offers and just 62% of the Honest Abes get offers, the Resume Template study found. Two-thirds said lying helped them get a higher salary (under false pretenses, we might add).
So let’s clean up the hiring process to keep it honest and transparent in all ways. Here’s help.
1. Set the Stage
You can ensure more honesty in the hiring process if you start it that way. To do that:
- Create and post honest job and company descriptions, not inflated descriptions of an easy job in a utopian workplace
- Provide salary ranges: 64% of job candidates are more likely to apply to a job that posts the compensation in the description, and
- Set realistic expectations for your hiring process, letting candidates know how and when you’ll respond.
“Employers should work to ensure their hiring practices cater to the human element in recruiting. The communication and experience should demonstrate an employer’s commitment to value candidates as people — not just for their skills,” says Stoner. “Providing a realistic job preview for candidates is a great step in this direction. Executed properly, this premise can help foster a culture of mutual respect and openness between candidates and interviewers.”
2. Watch, Listen for Lies
Watch and listen for red flags that job candidates might be lying on their resume or during an interview.
On resumes, here are five signs of possible lies:
- Unexplained gaps in work: You might see inconsistencies in dates or vague descriptions of “consulting” during gaps.
- Exaggerated job titles and responsibilities: Watch out for inflated titles or descriptions — and rapid ascent — that aren’t backed by achievements or metrics.
- Suspicious skills claims: Watch for piles of buzzwords or listed skills that don’t align with any experience or projects.
- Unverifiable accomplishments or awards: Note “awards” that don’t show the organization that issued it or achievements without quantifiable results.
- Inconsistent academic credentials: If you question it, verify degrees and institutions, especially if dates or details seem dubious.
In interviews, here are five signs of potential lies:
- Excessive use of buzzwords and jargon: Liars often fill conversations with industry jargon but can’t provide evidence of actual understanding.
- Overly rehearsed answers: If their responses sound too scripted or rehearsed, it may suggest they’re covering up the truth with well-prepared lies.
- Vague or evasive responses: They might avoid giving details or change the subject when asked about specific experiences or skills. Or they may hesitate to answer simple questions.
- Body language cues: Look for signs of discomfort like fidgeting, touching their face or shifting in their seat.
- Contradictions with resume: Listen for answers that contradict what’s on their resume.
3. Defend Yourself Against Lies
Most job candidates who lie are good at it. They’ve likely lied before (and will do it again) to get what they want. With practice, their little white lies come so naturally to them that they’re tough to detect by you.
But, if you believe you’ve identified a lie — keeping in mind the cues noted above — you can probe to find out if it exists.
“Employers can identify lying by using behavioral interview questions to ask candidates for specific examples that demonstrate their purported skills,” says Stoner. “Asking detailed, probing questions about a skill example can reveal whether a candidate is telling the truth.”
A few questions to ask:
- When you said you accomplished X, can you please explain how and where you identified issues and the process you used to reach the goal?
- What’s one skill you wish you had better honed to achieve that accomplishment, and how did you overcome the lack of it?
- When you did X, what were the three biggest obstacles you had to overcome?
- Can you tell me about a failure and the outcome you had to rebound from?
4. Check References
As awesome as a candidate seems — whether you suspect lies or not — you don’t want to ever skip checking references. It’s true that former employers give less and less information these days, but just confirming employment can help verify feelings about the candidate.
“Utilizing reference checks to ask meaningful and specific questions about candidates’ backgrounds can elevate transparency,” says Stoner.
5. Make a Decision
No one likes to be deceived. While major lies — such as concocting a career or degree — are likely reasons not to hire, the little white lies might not be.
Some things to consider if you uncover a little white lie, according to Stoner: “I think this becomes a judgment call by the employer and hiring manager. Is the skill a mission-critical one for the role? Does the candidate present other red flags that indicate unscrupulous behavior? I would at least ask the candidate some additional questions about integrity and truthfulness in the workplace. For certain roles, an employment test or simulation might also be worthwhile.”