Did you know that 1 in every 6 job applicants lie on their resume? It’s true. As reported by The Economic Times, providing false information about oneself in CVs is an extremely common practice among job candidates today, and it is rapidly on the rise. In fact, the number of people who misrepresented information increased by a staggering 50 percent in 2017 compared to statistics in 2016 (Refer to this AuthBridge Research)
So, as an employer, what can you do to ensure that your business is not negatively affected by such fraudulent applicants? An in-depth resume background verification including CV validation as well as verification is the perfect 360-degree solution for your organisation.
Whether it’s forging certificates, salary slips, providing fake references or lying about one’s employment tenure, these are all considered serious crimes that could not only cost applicants the job they want but could also land them behind bars. And since such fraudulent practices are so common, it has never been more imperative to conduct a thorough and extensive resume verification. In fact, it is your only way to ensure that the information provided by applicants is true and accurate. Think of resume verification as the first safety net that your organisation can put up. This way, you take preventive measures at the start, that is, the hiring process itself, so you can save yourself a ton of problems later on. After all, well begun is half done.
Also Read: Resume Verification is key to an Organisation’s Success
Resume Verification: An element by element analysis
A thorough resume verification process should include certain checks that cover each and every aspect of information provided in the resume. Below, we outline which areas you should not miss out on while verifying the resume or CV for the job applicants.
· Education Verification
Among the 1 out of 6 candidates who lied on their resume, 1.56 percent misrepresented information about their education in 2017 (Ref: AuthBridge’s Annual Trend Report). And this is just considering the discrepancies which were found out. Your resume verification service must verify the education credentials applicants present on their resume to make sure they are properly qualified for the job.
· Employment Verification
No CV validation process can be complete without a comprehensive employment history check. A whopping 12.14 percent of all reported job applicants misrepresented information about themselves related to their employment history like which positions they held in which organisation and for how long, and so on. So, make sure you verify all employment-related information of your applicants.
· Identity verification
No kind of background verification, including a resume verification is complete without a thorough identity verification. This is one of the most basic, yet extremely crucial checks that organisations must include in their hiring process. If an applicant is not the person he or she claims to be, chances are their entire resume is a lie. In 2017 alone, as much as 4,352 candidates provided fake IDs (Aadhaar, PAN, Passport, Voter ID).
· Address check
6.67 percentage of applicants provided false information regarding their address in 2017 as reported by The Economic Times. Therefore, to ensure that applicants do not indulge in such fraudulent practices, and to verify their addresses so you can easily reach them in case of any emergencies, make sure your resume verification includes an address check.
· Reference check
It’s a common practice among many job applicants of today to provide false reference letters or fake referees. In fact, 2.99 percent of cited referees did not respond in the year 2017, while 3.35 percentage of discrepancies in resumes were related to references. Therefore, make it a point to always cross-check every reference that applicants provide as part of your CV validation process. This practice will save you a lot of time, resources and trouble in the future. Ensure that the candidate’s resume states the correct information with background checks before investing your trust.
