How to Identify a Lie on a Candidate’s Resume

From intentional omissions to outright falsehoods, there are many ways applicants lie on their resumes.

While you shouldn’t be expected to pick out every single lie, you wouldn’t be doing your job if you didn’t at least know some common lies and how to spot them.

Here are a few telltale signs you should be aware of when trying to identify fabrications on a resume.

Fuzzy dates

When start and end dates for previous jobs don’t include the month, the applicant might be trying to disguise work gaps or make their tenure at a previous job seem longer than it really was.

This might not be a straight up lie, but it’s probably something you’re going to want to delve into. Ask if strange-looking dates are a mistake, and hope a candidate with an otherwise impressive background wasn’t trying to mislead you.

A lack of degree details

Education is another place where applicants often omit key details or outright lie. Some individuals will indicate they went to a school they didn’t even attend, and others might be vague about whether or not they graduated. If the applicant doesn’t put the exact kind of degree they earned, that is a big red flag.

Big and fast promotions

While it’s possible someone could impress management so much and very quickly – major promotions tend to be very rare within the first six months or so. Seeing big, fast promotions on a resume is even more unusual if it goes against the rest of an applicant’s background. For example, if they earned a certificate and suddenly became the leader of a large team or project, you’ll have to ask more questions.

Odd wording

Strange-looking job titles or vague descriptions of past responsibilities should also be scrutinized. Sometimes odd wording is the result of a candidate trying to pass off skills they were only exposed to or read a little about online. Other times, it’s the result of someone dressing up a basic job.

At Career Concepts, we take the resume scrutiny out of the hands of our client companies so they can put more focus on their core business activities. c today if you’re ready to give the screening dirty work to someone else!