Posted by EmployTest - on Tue, Sep 22, 2009 @ 10:02 AM
According to HR Recruiting Alert, job candidates are strategically "crafting" their resumes to cover up any weak areas in their job history and references (related article). Is that a surprise? Certainly not. Since the dawn of our careers, we've all "spun" our resumes and job experiences to put us in best possible light.
What's unnerving about this information is the deliberate lack of honesty that seems to be driving these people. The top 3 areas that are lied about are...
-Employment Gaps
-Fake references
-Phony responsibilities
There's even a website selling information on how to lie on your resume (fakeresume.com). Disgusting, yes (although admirably entreprenurial).
None of us are naive enough to think that all information on a resume is 100% accurate. But we also want to believe that our candidates are not blatantly lying about their history.
The solution to this problem requires a dedicated investigative approach to your selection process. And pre-employment testing would likely assist you in these efforts. If a job requires Excel skills, then give the applicants an Excel test. If a job requires excellent customer service skills, then administer a customer service skills test. Taking a resume (and an interview) at face value will not do justice you or your company.