Upload
coburg-banks-recruitment
View
690
Download
0
Embed Size (px)
Citation preview
The 8 Most Common Lies You’ve Probably Been Told By Job Candidates
Are you a suspicious hiring manager?
Do you ever think that the people you are interviewing are lying to
you?
AKA
Figures Show
Of jobseekers admit to lying on their CV
They probably (definitely) are.
50%
But do not fear!Today, we’re revealing the
8 most common lies you’ll come across
1. Employment dates
Employment gaps look terrible on a CV
Or so jobseekers are told on a daily basis.
People with gaps that aren’t easy to explain are left with two choices
…
Trying to tell the truth in a more appealing way on their CV and
possibly not even getting a call-back for jobs
ORRisking it, lying and hoping you
won’t find out
What should you do?
If something looks a bit “off,” clarify dates with your job candidate in interview.
“So you worked at [Company Name] for how many months?”
Probing them further may reveal more information.
What should you do?
Or when you send off for references, ask the candidate’s past employers
for their start and end dates and contractual hours.
Easy.
But it’s a bit late then?
This lie is the hardest one to confront, because you can’t speak
to a candidate’s referee until you’ve made an offer.
If you do find out they lied, what happens next is up to you…
…is it a big enough deal to make you withdraw the offer?
Recruiter Pro Tip.
Don’t immediately write off a candidate with unexplained
unemployment gaps on their CV
There could be a variety of personal and professional reasons
why they’ve not been in work…
Instead, schedule a telephone call and ask
specific and investigative questions to find out more
2. Education
No one would have the audacity to fabricate an entire degree on
their CV would they?
You’d be surprised.
Studies have revealed that
20% of candidates lie about education on
their CV!
What should you do?
Ask for certificates from your job candidates.
Be wary, this can slow down the process and candidates
might drop out from the sheer hassle
(Do you still have a record of your GCSE results?)
3. Skills
Of job candidates
57%embellish their skill set
What should you do?
Set up some kind of skills test during the interview
ORAsk their references
4. Salary
Candidates often feel the need to inflate their salary
This will put them in a better situation to negotiate for a higher
rate with you.
What should you do?
Ask for the candidate’s salary from their previous or current employers…
(they don’t have to tell you)OR
Check their last payslip on arrival (if you really want to know.)
Again, both of these tactics are probably a bit “too little, too late…” so
it might be worth warning your candidate during the interview:
“We would need one of your previous payslips when you started, would that
be OK?”
5. Weakness
“What’s your greatest weakness?”
You’re bound to get some awful reply along the lines of…
“well, I’m a bit of a perfectionist.”
Yawn.
Not only predictable, it’s also probably a lie.
What should you do?
Don’t ask it in the first place.
Make the question harder, for example, “what would your
referee say is your biggest weakness?”
Or be upfront:
“That’s not really a weakness is it? Could you give us
another answer?”
6. Relationships
No one wants to come across like an unmanageable
or unsociable worker
So candidates will lie, if they didn’t particularly get on with
co-workers or managers
Although, some bosses are just genuinely horrible!
What should you do?
If anything went ridiculously awry, it should come up in their
reference.
Otherwise…
Use your initiative, ask investigative questions, to find out why they’re leaving the company
Candidates who badmouth their boss & colleagues could be trouble-makers.
7. Interests
What do you do in your spare time?
What they say:
“I play the violin, am training to run a marathon, host charity events, read industry news…”
What do you do in your spare time?
What they do:
“I get home from work, whack on some joggers and have a 6hr
marathon of Walking Dead”
What should you do?
Test them! Ask investigative questions.
‘So tell us some more about your charity events”
How long can they keep up the conversation?
You could also be really mean and test them to prove it.
For example:
If they say they speak German, ask for a demonstration!
8. References
Studies show
1 in 5 smaller businesses have
received fake references from candidates!
So, when you think you’re receiving a glowing
reference from the Head of Sales,
you could be speaking to Mike, from down the pub.
What should I do?
Google the company in question and look for their main number.
Call that directly and ask to speak to the referee in question. If they don’t exist, then you have your
answer.
Summary
Everybody lies.
Honestly, (pretty much) every jobseeker will lie about something.
Whether they merely exaggerate their profile for your benefit or completely fabricate an entire
degree, the lies are there.
What’s important is that YOU can recognise the
difference between a little white lie and one that
could genuinely affect their ability to do the job.
That bit’s down to you!
If you would like to discover more great
interview questions andinsider recruitment secrets, Check out our HR blog here.
FIN