According to recent statistics, about 53% of resumes and job applications contain falsifications. When applicants apply for a job, employment history can be one of the most important factors to human resource professionals. With the current competitive landscape of the job market, it’s common for candidates to embellish their accomplishments or outright lie on their resume regarding work or academic history. So how can employers separate the truth from the lies? Read on to learn 3 Ways To Spot Dishonest Candidates.

Most Common Lies on a Resume

There are many reasons applicants falsify their credentials when seeking employment. Confirming
prior employment history helps determine the validity of the resume and if the applicant’s qualifications
fit the job requirements. So what are the most common lies found on a resume?

How to Spot a Dishonest Candidate

So you know the most common lies found on an application and resume. But what are some ways to spot dishonesty? Many recruiters are skilled enough to do simple social media searches to determine if a candidate’s resume is accurate. But even if dishonest candidates slip through the initial screening process, here’s how recruiters spot a liar before they hire:

1. Interview Techniques

If employers asked detailed questions about a candidate’s work experience, recruiters can tell by the depth of the response if the person is lying. With this technique, recruiters are looking for quality in the responses. As an example, if the candidate claims to have 10 years of experience in management, the recruiter can ask for examples of how the candidate hired, trained or fired employees. The quality of the candidate’s example should be a good indication if he/she is lying about their experience.

2. Conducting a Background Check

Detailed reports can be purchased to validate past work experience, degrees acquired, wages earned, criminal records, whether certifications are current, and much more. Companies would rather pay to find out now if a candidate is lying than to have something bad happen on the job.

3. Reference Checks

For this tip on How to Spot a Dishonest Candidate, we advise going beyond your typical reference check during the hiring process. References submitted by job applicants may be coached into saying only good things and provide an accurate representation of the candidate. Instead, recruiters may contact another former co-worker of the candidate to inquire about his or her performance. This technique catches the unassuming colleague off-guard and provides the recruiter with a way to validate what the candidate claims to have done on past jobs.

No Need To Lie!

For would-be job candidates out there, we understand that the job market can be highly competitive especially depending on your specific industry. However, we do advise you to stay away from fibbing your resume and job application. It doesn’t do you any good in that the rate of being caught with lies on your resume is high. You can be refused work and also fired when an HR manager finds out.

Instead, we recommend the oldest trick in the book, network! Studies show that over 80% of jobs have been obtained via referral. Many companies offer their employees hefty referral bonuses as incentives for referring good candidates to their jobs. By making friends with employees through networking sites such as LinkedIn, or at job fairs and local networking events, job seekers can show how their personalities and aptitude are a match for employers. This makes not having an exact match in experience on your resume less of an issue.

At Accredited Background Checks, we pride ourselves in providing reliable, confidential employment screenings and background checks. Call us today if you have any questions about conducting employment background checks for your employees.

A Florida State Representative is calling upon Congress to draft legislation that would expand the process for screening hosts and host families for foreign exchange students. The representative wants the government to start FBI fingerprint background checks on all potential hosts.

Democratic representative Daisy Baez is seeking more in depth background screenings due to a recent incident in Florida. The incident began when a Florida man named Dale Leary and his wife applied to host a Spanish foreign exchange student. The student, Marta San Jose, was 16 when she arrived at the Leary residence in Cutler Bay. Shortly after San Jose turned 18, Dale Leary divorced his wife and married San Jose.

Later on, Leary and San Jose were arrested because they lured San Jose’s 14-year-old sister to the home and sexually abused her. Both were charged with multiple crimes including lewd and lascivious conduct with a child under the age of 16 and possession of child pornography. Dale Leary soon committed suicide while out on bail. According to Daisy Baez, Dale Leary should have never been able to host foreign exchange students due to his past criminal behavior.

In 1985,  Leary was arrested for breaking into a woman’s home, tying her up, and sexually assaulting her. In 1986, he pleaded guilty to multiple crimes including lewd and lascivious behavior, armed robbery, armed burglary, and kidnapping. He spent 60 days in jail and 13 years on probation.

Proposal for More Extensive Background Checks

Baez believes that adding FBI fingerprint checks to the screening process for foreign exchange hosts and host families would help to prevent incidents like this from happening in the future. Currently, the United States State Department uses a multi-step process to screen host families including criminal background checks, interviews, and reference checks. The checks don’t include FBI fingerprint searches, which Baez stated could widen the scope.

Leary is not the only American foreign exchange host to be accused of abusing a foreign exchange student. In June, the Miami-Dade School Board hired a lobbyist to take several foreign student host-related concerns to Congress. One of the priorities on the School Board’s list was enhancing background checks for foreign exchange hosts.

Searching for candidates to fill crucial positions at a company can be very stressful and time consuming. Hiring managers must comb through possibly hundreds of resumes, making calls and conducting interviews to find the right person for the job. So what happens when you find the perfect candidate but then they fail a background check? Let’s dive into a step-by-step process that all hiring managers should follow.

Confirmation

So you found the perfect candidate. This person had a wonderful resume, did great during the interview, and seems like they would fit well within the company. However, they failed the background check. Before you can continue with any action, the first thing every employer must do is confirm that the background check is 100% accurate and belongs to the candidate in question. Inaccurate data entry and inconsistencies tend to happen during the application process. Internet database records could also be outdated or incomplete. You need to make sure your background check company performs a quality inspection of the record to ensure accuracy.

Review Your Policy

This step is where having a background check policy and decision matrix are helpful. The background check policy will have guidelines and general direction for screening when hiring for certain positions within your organization. A decision matrix is a reference tool to review when a background check reveals a criminal record. The background check policy and decision matrix should be reviewed and updated regularly according to current regulations. When your candidate fails the background check, refer to each of these to see if the negative item is within your hiring criteria.

Pre-Adverse Action

Before making the decision to retract a job offer, the job candidate must be given an opportunity to explain and/or dispute the accuracy of the background check. The Fair Credit Reporting Act specifies that candidate must be notified with a Pre-Adverse Action notice. They should also receive a copy of their background report, a copy of their rights under the FCRA and a reasonable period of time to dispute the results.

Decision

After the candidate receives their pre-adverse action notice, the employer must allow a reasonable amount of time for them to review the results of their background check. If your new hire is able to properly explain and/or dispute the results, and their record is updated and removed, they are approved and can move forward in the hiring process. If they cannot explain, or do not dispute the results, the next step is to send an Adverse Action notice.

Adverse Action/Job Offer Retracted

Adverse action may be taken only after following the required pre-adverse action process. The adverse action notice must be in writing and state that the job offer is retracted due to failing the background check and that the results were not disputed. The candidate must also be provided with a copy of the report and the background check company used to run the report.

Making hiring decisions should be a documented, multi-step process to ensure candidate’s rights are being protected. FCRA claims are on the rise with more companies being subjected to legislation for not following the correct hiring procedures. This is why it is important for employers to review their hiring and background check process regularly and keep their background check policies up to date.

As an employer, the success of your business can boil down to hiring the right employees for your company. However, mitigating risks and liability doesn’t just involve conducting background checks on potential employees. The process of conducting background checks itself can also bring risk depending on how closely an employer follows the Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA) guidelines and regulations.

Increase in Violation Claims Under the FCRA

There has been an increase in claims under the FCRA by unsuccessful applicants for employment for violations arising out of background checks conducted by third party background check providers. If the claims are successful, claimants can recover actual damages, statutory damages, attorneys’ fees, and costs from an employer who violates FCRA. In translation, employers could be held financially responsible for improperly conducted background checks or for violating applicants’ rights under the Fair Credit Reporting Act. This is why it is so important for employers to be understand what they are responsible for and the documents and information needed to conduct employment background checks.

Tips for Employers to Maintain FCRA Compliance

It is important for employers to know that they may only supply the information required by statute and nothing more to an applicant or employee to obtain valid consent to conduct a background check through a third party credit reporting agency. Employers must also provide timely pre-adverse action and post-adverse action notices to the applicant or employee in connection with any adverse action that may be taken (pre-adverse) or will be taken (post-adverse) as a result of information contained in the report provided by the third party credit reporting agency.

Employers should review and make sure to have the following documents, as well as have the proper documents signed by the applicant prior to any background check is conducted:

(The following Resources Can Be Found Here)

• Background Check Authorization and Disclosure Forms
• Pre and Post-Adverse action notices and procedures
• Copies of any State Specific legislation regarding background checks

By making sure employers have these documents, it will be easier for companies to defend against claims of FCRA violations and more importantly, make sure to remain FCRA compliant throughout the background check process as to avoid any violation claims in the first place.

At Accredited Background Checks, Inc. we make sure to provide every employer with the knowledge and tool necessary to maintain compliance in accordance with FCRA and state regulations. If you have any questions about conducting a background check or need to start an employment background check, feel free to contact us online or call at (800)441-2728.

In today’s world of background checks, drug tests and all kinds of verifications for employment it can be difficult to figure out where the line is drawn. It is important for employers to know who they are hiring but we are all entitled to a little privacy. We are debunking one of the greatest employer myths today and please leave any additional questions about employer checks in the comments below and we will be sure to answer it in a future blog post!

“Credit Score” vs. “Credit Check”

It is very important to know the difference between your Credit Score and Credit Check before questioning what an employer can check because it may not be as bad as you think. Remember that your credit score is a three digit number composed of all of the contents on your credit report, which basically details all of your borrowing history from consumer credit cards, to car loans and school loans.

Your potential employer can pull a credit report BUT the report they request is not the same one lenders and credit card issuers see. Credit bureaus have a separate product available specifically for this purpose. There are several things excluded from this report including your birth date. Also, it is worth noting that an employer cannot check your credit report without your approval first. You must sign and consent for them to check your report. This is also a usual stipulation for pre employment verifications so if it is not run past you. the credit screening cannot be performed.

Employers can request credit report screenings during a background check for an additional fee through Accredited Background Checks. Email us or place an express order at AccreditedBackgroundChecks.com and be on your way to not only hiring better candidates if you are an employer but protecting yourself as an employee.