An averaged sized company can receive up to a million resumes each year and this can be the ‘Never Ending Story’ for a recruiter or HR department.
But after hours of skimming and sifting though all the possible-employer-clutter you come to find one particular candidate that is going to greatly help fulfill your company’s ever-changing needs. Your journey does not stop here however!
Just because someone looks good on paper, does not mean that they are going to be an accurate reflection of that in the work place. You do your searches, trying to find anything and everything you can about the seemingly perfect candidate, and after some time and effort, you find what you need to get a good idea of who this possible employer is as a person. But what happens after all that time and effort is spent researching someone, and they don’t follow through because they lied on their resume?
I’ll tell you what happens – the employee gets fired, and the repercussions land on your lap.
Better run for cover!
This happens all the time to companies and their hiring teams. Sometimes it just can’t be prevented, most of the time it can. Wording your resume, to make it look a little better than what it is, is not uncommon. In fact it might be the norm.
According to StatisticsBrain.com some 53% of resumes contain falsifications, and nearly 78% are at least misleading (wow, employers really want that job!). So how do you see through to the truth of a resume to reduce the risk of choosing the wrong hire?
1) Take your time:
Look at each particular statement of a resume, and take the time to add up the total picture of what the piece of paper is saying.
- What specific wording are they using?
- Are they stating specific numbers, or generalizing their work history?
- What facts are they bringing to your attention more than others?
This will pay off in the long run for you, and allow you to better evaluate each possible hire.
2) Compare and contrast:
Make sure that the things that they are showing off add up, and can be verified. Nothing should come across as contradicting. Gaps in the resume are usually a good indicator that something is fishy.
Remember; if it sounds too good to be true, it probably is!
3) Fact check:
If something is easily quantifiable, take the time to make sure it checks out. Most projects that someone lists on a resume can be found with the right search tools. If not, take it a step further and verify the specifics with a past employer – if the success is as good as the resume says, the recent employer will have no problem talking about it with you. $80,000 in sales is a lot different than $8,00.00 in sales.
There is a difference between wording a resume so that you stand out to an employer, and stretching the truth so much that the candidate fails to follow through with what your company needs. Using tools in order to get a better understanding of a candidate and what they are going to do for you, will ensure their success within the company, as well as yours.
I leave the recruiters with one final word of advice: wouldn’t you rather take your time, and really make sure you know what your getting, than have to do it all over again?
Author: Colten Oliver is a Marketing/Content Writer at HiringSolved.
