HTSS News

Insights and advice about jobs and hiring in the Lehigh Valley.

Wait People Lie on Their Resume!? How to Spot Resume Lies and Red-Flags

Hiring a new employee for your team is hard work — especially when you have to scrutinize each resume to determine whether or not the candidate is telling the truth. Unfortunately, this is a reality. As one of the leading staffing agencies in Lehigh Valley, PA, HTSS, Inc. can confirm people really do lie on their resume, and it’s not always easy to catch.

A 2020 survey conducted by Ladders revealed 30% of people lie or bend the truth on their resume, and 80% are not caught. This is disturbing, as no one wants to hire a liar. Here’s some advice to help you spot dishonesty so you don’t inadvertently choose a candidate who doesn’t actually have the experience they claim.

Four Tips to Spot Lies and Red Flags on Resumes

Inconsistencies

When a job seeker tells the truth about their work experience, their employment history aligns across the board. Question anyone whose LinkedIn profile doesn’t align with their resume because something is probably up. The same thing goes for a cover letter that mentions a job held for three years, but their resume claims it was one year.

Honest people can easily forget the exact day they started or ended a job, but notable differences should be considered shady.

Questionable Job Titles

People don’t graduate college and immediately transition into the C-suite. Be suspicious of candidates who have little-to-no entry-level job titles on their resumes. Everyone has to start somewhere, so something is up if the candidate claims they hopped right into an executive role.

Of course, there are always exceptions. It’s possible some candidates held big job titles much earlier than expected because they worked at a tiny company, but this needs to be clarified.

Lack of Details

Candidates who have accomplished a lot want to tout their work. Therefore, their resume will contain many quantified bullet points detailing specific career achievements. Beware of those who don’t include this type of information, as they likely have something to hide. Instead of offering up specifics, they’ll use buzzwords and flowery language, essentially just smoke and mirrors.

Unexplained Resume Gaps

Many people take time off from the workforce for excellent reasons. However, most use their cover letter to explain this. If a candidate’s resume contains several unexplained gaps, this is a red flag. They’ve likely either been fired several times or otherwise have trouble holding a job, which doesn’t make for a great employee.

Spotting lies and red flags on resumes is tricky, so leave it to the experts. HTSS, Inc. is here to handle all your hiring needs for 2021, so contact us today to start building the best team you’ve ever had!

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CEO Letter

As a staffing and recruitment professional for over  30 years, I have seen many changes in the industry. Over that time, I’ve witnessed a transformation in the way organizations view staffing services. Today, we see more and more companies using staffing services as a strategic tool, rather than just for temporary fill-ins.

At HTSS, Inc., our focus is on helping companies create proactive workforce plans. Our goal is to help our clients use staffing strategically to increase capacity, overcome hiring freezes, access specialized talent, better manage increased workloads, and enhance overall productivity.

For our candidates, we help to uncover truly rewarding job opportunities—jobs that are a match to each candidate’s skills, and jobs that offer key experience and growth potential.

We look forward to strengthening our relationships with our current clients and candidates, as well as forming new and exciting partnerships in the future.

Sincerely,

Pat Howells
President
HTSS, Inc.