Lying on Resumes is on the Rise – How to do a Background Search for a New Hire

In order to compete with overqualified applicants, people are more likely to lie on their resume, so a background check is just plain smart. People are desperate to get a job now more than ever.

If you are a small business owner, you know that it is an employer's market. You can choose from the cream of the crop when it comes to applicants. Not only should they pass a background search, but they should also stand out somehow from everyone else.

Why Employers Must Run a Background Check

Resume inconsistencies often surface when a background search is conducted and can raise questions about the applicant’s ethics. Many hiring managers will automatically dismiss someone that fibbed on their resume.

Some common resume lies include:

• Stretched dates hide times of unemployment.
• Level of education
• Past employers

These facts are vital for determining someone's expertise. According to Carrier Builder.com, 15% of the time the degree the applicant has on his resume was never earned or some relationship is fabricated

False Resumes Only Hurt the Applicant When You do a Background Check

More often than not, you are doing yourself a disservice by presenting yourself dishonestly to a potential employer. With the pink slips people are getting all over the country, people may be more inclined to exaggerate their accomplishments and embellish things.

This is coming back to haunt people. Recently, the former chief executive of Radio Shack, Dave Edmondson, stepped down after attention was drawn to the inaccuracy of his resume. He was claiming to have a degree in psychology and theology.

Like Edmondson, some job seekers are crossing the line and fear is leading to desperation. Nobody in this economy can afford to take unnecessary risks and there’s really no excuse for hiring someone without a thorough background check.

Even if you don’t find that the person has done anything that would seem to directly affect his or her ability to perform their job, any evidence that they gave you misleading information on their resume is evidence they are untrustworthy.

How Small Business Ensures Safety with Background Searches

As a small business owner, you probably don’t have a human resource department or anyone in charge of investing the claims of an applicant. Fortunately, this process is no longer difficult or time consuming with the use of internet websites that can act as a complete one-stop-shop for all the background you could ever need on an applicant.  Learn how to do a background search today.