The 8 Most Common Lies You’ve Probably Been Told By Job Candidates

Are you a suspicious hiring manager?

Do you ever think that the people you are interviewing are lying to

you?

AKA

Figures Show

Of jobseekers admit to lying on their CV

They probably (definitely) are.

50%

But do not fear!Today, we’re revealing the

8 most common lies you’ll come across

1. Employment dates

Employment gaps look terrible on a CV

Or so jobseekers are told on a daily basis.

People with gaps that aren’t easy to explain are left with two choices

…

Trying to tell the truth in a more appealing way on their CV and

possibly not even getting a call-back for jobs

ORRisking it, lying and hoping you

won’t find out

What should you do?

If something looks a bit “off,” clarify dates with your job candidate in interview.

“So you worked at [Company Name] for how many months?”

Probing them further may reveal more information.

What should you do?

Or when you send off for references, ask the candidate’s past employers

for their start and end dates and contractual hours.

Easy.

But it’s a bit late then?

This lie is the hardest one to confront, because you can’t speak

to a candidate’s referee until you’ve made an offer.

If you do find out they lied, what happens next is up to you…

…is it a big enough deal to make you withdraw the offer?

Recruiter Pro Tip.

Don’t immediately write off a candidate with unexplained

unemployment gaps on their CV

There could be a variety of personal and professional reasons

why they’ve not been in work…

Instead, schedule a telephone call and ask

specific and investigative questions to find out more

2. Education

No one would have the audacity to fabricate an entire degree on

their CV would they?

You’d be surprised.

Studies have revealed that

20% of candidates lie about education on

their CV!

What should you do?

Ask for certificates from your job candidates.

Be wary, this can slow down the process and candidates

might drop out from the sheer hassle

(Do you still have a record of your GCSE results?)

3. Skills

Of job candidates

57%embellish their skill set

What should you do?

Set up some kind of skills test during the interview

ORAsk their references

4. Salary

Candidates often feel the need to inflate their salary

This will put them in a better situation to negotiate for a higher

rate with you.

What should you do?

Ask for the candidate’s salary from their previous or current employers…

(they don’t have to tell you)OR

Check their last payslip on arrival (if you really want to know.)

Again, both of these tactics are probably a bit “too little, too late…” so

it might be worth warning your candidate during the interview:

“We would need one of your previous payslips when you started, would that

be OK?”

5. Weakness

“What’s your greatest weakness?”

You’re bound to get some awful reply along the lines of…

“well, I’m a bit of a perfectionist.”

Yawn.

Not only predictable, it’s also probably a lie.

What should you do?

Don’t ask it in the first place.

Make the question harder, for example, “what would your

referee say is your biggest weakness?”

Or be upfront:

“That’s not really a weakness is it? Could you give us

another answer?”

6. Relationships

No one wants to come across like an unmanageable

or unsociable worker

So candidates will lie, if they didn’t particularly get on with

co-workers or managers

Although, some bosses are just genuinely horrible!

What should you do?

If anything went ridiculously awry, it should come up in their

reference.

Otherwise…

Use your initiative, ask investigative questions, to find out why they’re leaving the company

Candidates who badmouth their boss & colleagues could be trouble-makers.

7. Interests

What do you do in your spare time?

What they say:

“I play the violin, am training to run a marathon, host charity events, read industry news…”

What do you do in your spare time?

What they do:

“I get home from work, whack on some joggers and have a 6hr

marathon of Walking Dead”

What should you do?

Test them! Ask investigative questions.

‘So tell us some more about your charity events”

How long can they keep up the conversation?

You could also be really mean and test them to prove it.

For example:

If they say they speak German, ask for a demonstration!

8. References

Studies show

1 in 5 smaller businesses have

received fake references from candidates!

So, when you think you’re receiving a glowing

reference from the Head of Sales,

you could be speaking to Mike, from down the pub.

What should I do?

Google the company in question and look for their main number.

Call that directly and ask to speak to the referee in question. If they don’t exist, then you have your

answer.

Summary

Everybody lies.

Honestly, (pretty much) every jobseeker will lie about something.

Whether they merely exaggerate their profile for your benefit or completely fabricate an entire

degree, the lies are there.

What’s important is that YOU can recognise the

difference between a little white lie and one that

could genuinely affect their ability to do the job.

That bit’s down to you!

If you would like to discover more great

interview questions andinsider recruitment secrets, Check out our HR blog here.

FIN