Job Candidate Fakery & Fake Job Candidates

by Angela Loeb

Candidate Fakery: False or Exaggerated Claims

Unfortunately, for as long as there have been jobs, there have been job candidates who have lied or exaggerated on the resume or during the interview. Common instances of candidate fakery include inflating the level of responsibilities held in previous roles, manipulating employment dates on the resume, and claiming degrees they don’t have.

In late 2023 StandoutCV.com surveyed 2,102 adults in the U.S. Of those who participated, 64.2% said they had lied on their resume at least once, 73.4% said they would consider using AI tools in 2024 to help embellish or lie on their resume, and 60% said they had lied in a job interview.

Fake Candidates: Bait & Switch Tactics

The rise in remote working has been highly advantageous to many employers and their workforce. However, it does require extra caution during the hiring process. There are reports of employers interviewing knowledgeable and qualified candidates who, after being hired, will secretly outsource or sub-contract the work to another potentially less capable person for a cut of the salary.

Another form of the bait & switch is the reverse situation as pointed out in the SHRM article, How to Spot a Fake Job Applicant Online: “Job seekers have hired people to stand in for them during virtual interviews. Typically, candidates who aren’t qualified find someone who has the necessary skills and gets them to do the interviews. It’s worked in some instances—at least until the real applicant reports for work and is found out.”

Interestingly, that same article also mentions a version of bait & switch in which someone else stands in to take assessments. The article cites Tim Sackett, president of HRU Technical Resources in Lansing, Michigan, who “recommends using interview technology such as Filtered.ai, which tracks IP addresses, makes job candidates appear on video for tech assessments, and doesn’t allow copying and pasting of code.” According to Sackett, Filtered.ai was able to use IP tracking to identify a person who was taking the tech assessment for dozens of candidates.

Risks of Hiring Fake Candidates

As Paul D. Fucci of Macrosoft Inc. points out in The Peril of Fake Job Candidates in the Technology and IT Industry, “Hiring fake candidates can lead to poor performance, unmet expectations, wasted resources, and reduced productivity. Trust within clients, shareholders, and employees can be jeopardized, impacting the organization’s reputation. More concerning in the IT sector are potential data breaches and intellectual property theft.”

In addition to the risks Fucci mentions, there’s also the risk of theft of equipment or money, such as when a “new hire” attempts to steal a company-issued computer or when a “new hire” uses the no call/no show tactic. In an article for HR Brew, Sam Blum shared observations about this tactic from iSolved Chief People Officer, Amy Mosher: “The most common ploy in Mosher’s experience, is a ‘no call, no show,’ which involves a new hire failing to clock in, but still quoting a company for billable hours. ‘They’ll be terminated after three or five days, but you already have their bank details. And from an employment perspective, you better pay them,’ she said, as some states require workers to be paid even if they fail to show up. California, for example, allows the absentee worker to collect payment if the circumstances for the absence meet a certain threshold.”

Some Counteractive Measures to Consider

In his article, The Growing Threat of Fake Job Applicants, Chester Avey warns that one sign to watch out for is a reluctance to turn on the camera and communicate via video. So, his recommended solution is to “Implement strict measures to vet candidates via video interviews” and “Enforce that video interviews are mandatory, and failing to comply will render an application void.”

LinkedIn has a verification method now, which may help give you peace of mind. However, many people may be uncomfortable providing a government-issued identification to the Microsoft-owned platform. So, even though it’s not a total solution, it is one worth mentioning.

Fortunately, seasoned recruiters like those on the APW recruitment team are well aware of the red flags to watch for when vetting candidates. They know how to ferret out false or exaggerated claims being made by candidates. They have the expertise to detect fake candidates early on during the recruitment process and ensure that only authentically qualified candidates are being presented. Consider partnering with APW for your talent acquisition needs – let our team take care of the candidate recruitment, vetting, and verification for you.