6 ways hiring managers are spotting résumé lies

<b style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; text-align: left;"><span id="cbArticle_lblByLine">Mary Lorenz, CareerBuilder Writer</span></b><br /><b style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; text-align: left;"><span><br /></span></b><br /><div class="ArticleHeadline" style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; margin-top: -30px; text-align: left;"><div class="cbmsnArticleImage" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" src="http://emj.cbdr.com/artieimages/1b/ar5f062763cs7tw93l1b.gif?time=5/8/2012%203:32:14%20pm" /></div></div><div class="ArticleContent" style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; text-align: left;">Thirty-eight percent of employees have embellished their job responsibilities at some point, and 18 percent have lied about their skills, according to a CareerBuilder survey<b>.</b> Other common lies surrounded information about employment start and end dates, academic degrees, previous employers and job titles.</div><div class="ArticleContent" style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; text-align: left;"><br /><br />Here are six ways employers might be evaluating your résumé in today's <a href="http://www.careerbuilder.com/jobs/keyword/digital/" style="color: #666666; font-family: Arial; text-decoration: none;">digital</a> world. These are not only good reminders that you shouldn't lie, but they'll also help you avoid mistakes that might make <a href="http://www.careerbuilder.com/jobs/keyword/hiring+manager/" style="color: #666666; font-family: Arial; text-decoration: none;">hiring managers</a> question your honesty.<br /><br /><b>1. They're performing a standard </b><b>background check</b><b>.</b> Employers check on things such as work history, residences, dates of employment, etc. Managers look for discrepancies between what the candidate submitted and what the reports reveal.<br /><br /><b>2.</b> <b>They're checking for red flags.</b> Unexplained gaps in employment, a reluctance to explain the reason for leaving and unusual periods of self-employment can be a tip-off to false employment history. Since even references can be fake, employers might check the websites of previous employers and use the phone numbers found online for employment verification.<br /><br /><b>3. They're using social networking sites</b>. Social networking profiles contain public information that may help employers verify certain information such as a candidate's work history or education credentials. Both job seekers and employers should be aware of <a href="http://www.startribune.com/business/83725197.html?elr=KArksi8cyaiUncacyi8cyaiUiD3aPc:_Yyc:aUU" style="color: #666666; font-family: Arial; text-decoration: none;">the possible legal ramifications of using social media to screen applicants</a>.<br /><br /><b>4. They're testing your skills.</b> Knowing that employers use keyword searching to find and qualify their résumés, applicants may include keywords for all skills required for the job -- regardless of whether they have them or not. To confirm any embellishment, employers might ask specific technical questions about the candidate's stated skills or test the candidate's computer skills.<br /><br /><b>5. They're willing to hear an explanation.</b> Mistakes and misunderstandings do happen. If managers find a discrepancy, they might give the candidate an opportunity to explain. If this happens, have a good explanation for the error.<br /><br /><b>6. They're following their intuition. </b>When it comes to the difficult task of hiring a new employee, employers have to trust their intuition and experience. If something doesn't seem right, they'll probably follow up on it.<br /><i>Mary Lorenz writes for </i><a href="http://thehiringsite.careerbuilder.com/" style="color: #666666; font-family: Arial; text-decoration: none;"><i>The Hiring Site</i></a><i>, CareerBuilder's community for hiring professionals and other curious-minded individuals to discuss the attraction, engagement and retention of their #1 asset -- their people.</i></div>

6 ways hiring managers are spotting résumé lies

Mary Lorenz, CareerBuilder Writer Thirty-eight percent of employees have embellished their job responsibilities at some point, and 18 percen...

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