Employment Verifications
Candidate Fraud Is OnThe Rise
In today’s business climate, employers are being challenged to get more production out of less staff; decrease staff turn-over; and reduce the time to onboard and train new-hires. Finding a candidate out of an ever-growing talent pool that has the right mix of experience and productivity is critical. Past experience and prior performance is a great indicator of future performance, so evaluating qualifications such as overall knowledge, experience and specific job skills are essential in the recruiting process. Hiring managers need to properly assess the true value a candidate will bring to the organization by obtaining a true picture of that candidate’s prior job history, work experience and skill sets.
From a candidate’s point of view, a down economy generates higher levels of pressure with job-seekers in record numbers vying for a significantly reduced number of jobs. Candidates typically use creative methods to enhance their work experiences: create longer work-histories with a particular employer; stretch position titles, like Administrative Assistant to an Operations Managers; and expand work responsibilities to separate them from the competition.
Approximately 32% of all job applicants lie about their previous or current employment. An employer should never take a candidate’s supplied work history on a resume or job application at face value. Here are a few common candidate tricks to expand employment history:
Providing only the year of a start and end date creates the perception of longevity at a past employer or eliminates a "gap" in employment;
Stretching the dates of employment at one employer to cover employment at an undisclosed company that may not provide a favorable reference;
Lying about the reason for separation from a past employer;
Exaggerating job titles to reflect greater job responsibility and work experience;
Failing to disclose the nature of employment as an intern or a part-time position;
Using the name of recognized global brands as an employer where the candidate was employed under an affiliate contract or through a part-time staffing firm;
Providing exaggerated levels of income to obtain a higher starting pay rate;
And listing fictitious overseas employment in hopes that it will not be verified.
With a growing incentive to fabricate employment history comes an opportunity for scam artists to create easy to access resources that serve the fraudulent demands of the competitive job market. For just a few dollars, candidates can now create their own employment history that can be verified through an online resource: company name, job titles, job responsibilities, work experience, and even letters of recommendation.
CareerExcuse.com is just one example of this type of service provider. CareerExcuse will create a work and salary history to meet a candidate’s exact specifications, no matter how elaborate; the level of deception depends on how much the candidate wishes to spend. CareerExcuse will even supply a toll free number with a knowledgeable service agent to confirm the entire employment story. The process is easy; a short online application is completed, and the nominal fee is payable via credit card. Now a career that normally takes a lifetime to create can be produced in only a few minutes.
Connecting the employment history dots and looking for possible fraud is what EBI’s verifications team is trained to do. Getting complete, verifiable and credible information is only part of conducting employment history checks. The right tools, tracking mechanisms and experience reduces the time it takes to complete a verification, so you can onboard your new-hire more quickly. EBI resources speak different languages and work across several different times zones to complete international requests. And EBI’s online background screening management center, myEBI, provides real-time access throughout the verification process, keeping you updated every step of the way.
Candidate fraud is costly to a company’s bottom line: loss of productivity due to unqualified employees; additional recruiting and on boarding costs for replacement hires; and the cost in training, time and effort for your staff to verify each candidate’s employment history. Protect your workforce and your HR department’s valuable time and resources. Let EBI be your fraud detection and verification professionals.
Read Past Editions of The Source
All information contained herein is provided by Employment Background Investigations solely for the convenience of its clients. EBI is not providing legal advice or counsel and nothing provided on this document should be deemed as legal guidance or advice. Readers should consult with their own legal counsel to determine their legal responsibilities or if they have questions on any information provided by EBI.