You might think that resume or interview lies are few and far between. But according to Career Builder, 58% of hiring managers say they’ve caught a lie on a resume. Some of the most common areas that candidates lie about include:

• Dates of past employment – making it seem like they were at a company longer than they really were.
• Educational or career credentials – listing a college diploma when they didn’t graduate.
• Salary history – inflating their most recent one in the hopes of getting a higher offer.
• Job title – exaggerating past ones, such as adding “senior.”
• Claiming credit – making it seem like they solely achieved something while it was really a team effort.

So if this just happened to you, you’re certainly not alone. Once you get over your shock and disappointment, how can you deal with the situation?

If the lie was a big one, then you can just put their resume in the recycling bin and move onto the next candidate. After all, if someone isn’t going to be honest during the hiring process, they certainly won’t be once on the job.

If, however, you’re not completely sure the candidate lied – and there seems to be a discrepancy – ask the candidate about it. If they’re honest, then they’ll have a good explanation or it simply could have been an error on their part.

If you’re not satisfied with their answer, though, then cut them loose. The last thing you need is to hire someone and be constantly questioning whether they’re being straightforward with you or not. Moving forward, make sure you:

• Flag any possible falsifications or inconsistent details when reviewing candidates. Then question the candidate about them during the phone screen.
• If it’s a question about skills or abilities, perform a skills test to verify the knowledge the candidate claims to have.
• To check credentials, ask for official proof and documentation, for instance transcripts from college.
• Also, don’t skip the all-important step of checking references. This is your opportunity to verify that what the candidate has told you about their skills and abilities, as well as their past positions, is really true.

Don’t have the time or resources to devote to hiring, and reference and background checks?

Call in the experts at Murray Resources. As one of the leading staffing services firms in Houston, TX, we can assist you with the entire search process – from sourcing and screening to hiring and retaining top talent. Contact us today to get started.