Modern jobseekers and the businesses hiring them all face an emerging threat that hasn’t been prevalent in past years – the fake job candidate. Fake job candidates take deliberate action to bolster their resumé by adding fraudulent information or making their experience seem more than what it was. As you can imagine, this creates many new challenges for hiring teams trying to ensure a candidate is suitable for a vacant position.
Companies that hire a fraudulent job candidate know all too well how expensive this mistake can be. But what can be done to spot these fakes and ensure they aren’t extended a position early in the process? This article will look at some of the signs of a fake job candidate and provide a little more insight into the steps that can be taken to identify them quickly throughout the process.
Spotting and Preventing Fake Job Candidates
Every hiring manager will eventually come across invalid or false information when recruiting new talent. While some inflated experience can be easy to identify, a few red flags should be kept in mind when reviewing resumés, including missing information, inconsistencies in educational or professional history, or qualifications that seem too good to be true.
Most candidates will now also have some online footprint that gives a clearer picture of their qualifications, history, and experience. If they aren’t easily found online, or a profile shows information that is grossly different from their resumé, that could be a sign that they are a fake job candidate and could be trying to gain a position they aren’t actually qualified for.
So, how can we prevent fake job candidates?
While there are many ways to eliminate fake job candidates from the hiring process, the team at Interview Magic believes that the best first step is ensuring that you are asking the right questions. If you have the knowledge required to understand the position and what skills are required fully, you can quickly determine if they also have the same level of comprehension. Companies and hiring teams can create question blocks through our software to eliminate these candidates before an interview is even extended.
In addition, background checks can also be used to verify past employment and criminal activity. So, if possible, this is an excellent option to ensure your candidates are suitable for the position in question. Fraud is not new; however, modern applicants are getting much better at blending into the changing candidate pools. Staying vigilant is essential to keep yourself or your clients protected.
