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Archive for February, 2010

Employment News for the Week of February 26

While you were busy pushing through your bloody nose, heading to the Apple store to get hitched, or wishing you’d bought theft protection when you opened your foursquare account, here’s what was happening in the world of hiring and recruiting this week…

Will the Real Candidate Please Stand Up? How to Spot a Fake Resume

Can you spot a fake resume? Can’t blame you if the answer’s no…It’s becoming trickier than ever thanks to the rise in Web sites – like CareerExcuse.com and FakeResume.com – that make it even easier for job seekers to falsify information on their resumes. (Check out the recent CBS 2 video expose about CareerExcuse.com, featuring CareerBuilder’s own Jason Ferrara.)

Add to that the already strained resources hiring managers, HR professionals and recruiters have to verify these claims, and it’s even easier for unqualified job seekers to slip through the cracks.

In fact, a 2008 CareerBuilder survey on lies job seekers tell found that 38 percent of employees had embellished their job responsibilities at some point, while 18 percent had lied about their skill sets. Other common lies surrounded information about employees’ start and end dates of employment, academic degrees, previous employers and job titles. 

6 Ways to Avoid a Hiring Mistake:
Here are some more steps you can take to protect yourself from being the victim of a fake resume (adapted from Workforce Trends and Volt.com):

  1. Perform a standard background check on things like work history, residences, dates of employment, etc. Look for discrepancies between what the candidate submitted and what the reports reveal.
  2. Check for red flags: Unexplained gaps in employment, a reluctance to explain the reason for leaving, and unusual periods of self-employment can be a tip off to false employment history. Always check references, including clients, for self-employed work history. Because even references can be fake, check the web sites of previous employers and use the phone numbers found online for employment verification.  (Can’t find a previous employer’s web site, even after you’ve “Googled” it? The Better Business Bureau or the local Chamber of Commerce are good resources to check, too.)
  3. Utilize social networking sites. Social networking profiles contain public information that may help you verify certain information such as a candidate’s work history or education credentials.  (Just be aware of the possible legal ramifications of using social media to screen applicants.)
  4. Test their skills. Knowing that employers use keyword searching to find and qualify their resumes, applicants may include keywords for all skills required for the job – regardless of whether they have them or not. Find out if they’re embellishing by asking specific technical questions about the skills they claim to have and actually test their computer skills.
  5. Be fair. Remember that mistakes and misunderstandings do happen. If you find a discrepancy, give the candidate an opportunity to explain.
  6. Use common sense. Trust your intuition and experience. If something doesn’t seem right, follow up on it.

Lesson Learned: Readers Share Their Own Fake Resume Stories
In the comments from a previous post on lies job seekers tell on resumes, many readers shared their own experiences in dealing with false resume information. Here are some of their stories:

  • “Several years ago I learned a very important lesson: be wary of people who claim a previously outrageous salary from a “now defunct company” but are willing to work for less because they “like your company.” We hired my Executive HR Assistant who ended up spending the first two weeks of her job with us surfing for a new job online. We do have internet management software that blocks job sites, but as she was HR she needed access to these sites for our own recruiting efforts. It does monitor the sites visited though, and that’s what tipped us off. Additionally, she had five different versions of her resume stored on her company computer. All of them had her working for us for over one year, when she had only started 10 days previously. However, the reference name and number she included for our company was not us.  The funny thing was though, all of her business references and previous employment history checked out before we hired her; except the most recent one that “went out of business.” When checking references, look the company info up online and call directly. Don’t use the info the candidate supplied unless you have to, then take it with a grain of salt.” – Nathan
  • “I was ready to hire the perfect candidate when I decided to run a background check. We don’t normally run one for every position but this position had access to cash so I’d required it. The letters of recommendations from previous employers were actually letterhead he stole from the companies. And if that wasn’t bad enough, he submitted a list of company contacts and personal phone numbers. Everyone on his list turned out to be one of his friends who covered for him on the initial phone conversation telling us what a great employee he was. Digging deeper we found at a previous job in another city he was told to resign his position or he would be turned over to the police for theft. His explanation was that if he told me the truth, he probably wouldn’t have got the job. After that experience, I run background checks on anyone and everyone that works in the office and/or drives a company vehicle.” – John
  • “We had a person claim a very high-level position at a major corporation. It was actually true, but we couldn’t figure out why he wanted to come work for us in what was a huge step down for him. A few days later his name was in the paper – he had had *ahem* inappropriate activities with a board member of the company he was working for, in the parking garage. Which had been caught on tape….” – PJ
  • “I received four applications with the exact same resume…The only difference were their names at the top.” – Colleen

What’s So Wrong with a Little White Lie?
I also want to mention, however, that a few readers of that post actually came to job seekers’ defenses – arguing the point that there’s little harm in embellishing resume information if experience and performance trump what’s on paper….Would you agree?

Or do you, like other readers, believe that if job seekers are willing to lie about one thing, they are probably willing to lie about other things, too?

What are your thoughts? Do you forgive “embellishments” on resumes, or is any white lie a deal breaker? Continue Reading…

Employers Reveal Candidates’ Most Unusual Job Interview Behavior

Bigfoot waiting for a job interviewAs a society, we are willing to quickly forgive (or at least forget) some mistakes, yet when it comes to others (cough Tiger Woods cough), we’re still unsure where we stand. In the world of candidate interviews, the balance between what is acceptable and what is not can often be shaky — particularly in our current economy, with competition and pressure for jobs is at a high. With that in mind, we’re a bit sympathetic to the “most unusual” and interview blunders listed below. Everyone makes mistakes, and by examining our weaknesses in interviews, maybe we can all learn something — and become more polished  (candidates) and more prepared to handle tricky situations (employers).

The candidate interview anecdotes listed below are some of the results from a new CareerBuilder survey of more than 2,700 hiring managers.

Continue Reading…

Job Seekers Gravitate to Socially Responsible Companies, Survey Finds

If Quiznos’ was hoping to boost its employment brand, the fast food chain’s new environmentally conscious “Eat Toasty, Be Green” campaign – which includes the use of new biodegradable packaging and employee uniforms made from recycled materials – could not have come out at a better time.

Job seekers seem to gravitate toward social responsible companies, according to a recent Kelly Services survey of nearly 100,000 people in 34 countries in North America, Europe and Asia.

The reason for this? “Employees gain a sense of fulfillment when their employer is focused on not only the bottom line but also on initiatives and practices [that] have a common connection with the communities in which they operate,” said George Corona, Kelly Services’ executive VP and COO, in an article for Staffing Industry Review Magazine.

(Perhaps this helps explain why companies like Whole Foods and Starbucks – both of whom are often acknowledged for Corporate Social Responsibility efforts – often find themselves on ‘best companies to work for’ lists.)

Among the survey’s other findings: Continue Reading…

Readers Share Real-Life Solutions to Today’s Biggest Recruitment Challenges

Thanks to everyone who – in response to last week’s “We Ask, You Win” contest – shared their company’s biggest challenges in recruiting and retaining workers.  You gave us some great feedback, and I’d like to share some of those answers with the rest of our readers.

Challenge: “I have too many resumes to sort through.”  The influx of resumes recruiters and hiring managers are receiving right now can be both a blessing and a curse. As one reader puts it, “It’s great to have lots of choices [as far as resumes go], but the burden of time spent on this can be touch to manage.”  (Burden might be an understatement: One reader reported receiving as many as 800 resumes for a recently advertised job opening.)

Continue Reading…

Employment News for the Week of February 19

While you were busy apologizing to Kevin Smith, apologizing to everyone else, or refusing to apologize to Sarah Palin, here’s what was happening in the world of hiring and recruiting this week…

Social Media Recruiting Made Easy: A New (Free) eBook

Today, CareerBuilder released its new eBook  Will Tweet for Talent: A User’s Guide to Talent Recruitment through Social Media.

Why? Because using social media to recruit takes time…but reading about doing it doesn’t have to!

(Sorry – I couldn’t help myself with the cheesy tagline.  Obviously, that’s not the one CareerBuilder ended up going with for the eBook.)

It’s true, though: A quick and easy read, this eBook is informative without getting too bogged down with details or technical language.

Not that details don’t matter…but the purpose of the eBook isn’t meant to turn anyone into a social media “expert,”  but to provide a brief overview of social media as it relates to recruiting – with quick tips for getting started, including:

  • Where to start building a company profile
  • How to leverage various social networks to promote your business
  • The unique benefits social networking offers recruiters
  • How to set up a social media policy to protect your brand
  • How to overcome your fears about social media

Did we also mention that it’s free and really easy to download? And free?

If you’re new to using social media – whether for recruitment purposes or altogether – let this eBook be your guide to getting started. Even if you’re not new to social media, this’ll serve as a good (painless) refresher.

Click here to download the eBook Will Tweet for Talent today. Continue Reading…

Working for a Younger Boss? You’re In Good Company

No, I mean you’re kind of living In Good Company, the 2004 film where Dennis Quaid’s character finds himself working for a much younger boss, played by Topher Grace.  Oh, and also, you actually are in good company…

According to a new survey by CareerBuilder,  43 percent of workers ages 35 and older said they currently work for someone younger than them. (Sorry…no data on how many of these workers’ daughters were also dating their younger bosses.)

That figure increases to 53 percent when looking at workers age 45 and older, and to 69 percent for workers 55 and up. Perhaps not surprisingly, the survey showed that the younger boss/older worker dynamic can be a source of friction in the workplace, with 41 percent of those who work for someone younger saying they had difficulty taking direction from a younger boss.

The reasons it’s so hard to work for someone younger? According to survey participants:

  • They act like they know more than me when they don’t.
  • They act like they’re entitled and didn’t earn their position.
  • They  micromanage.
  • They play favorites with younger workers.
  • They don’t give me enough direction.

(What do you think about these findings? Are you on either side of a younger boss/older worker relationship?  If so, does that dynamic affect your workplace? Tell us in the comments section below, or keep reading for tips on how to better manage these types of relationships.) Continue Reading…

Calling all Employers: Is “To Whom it May Concern” the Kiss of Death?

One of our colleagues over at CareerBuilder’s job seeker blog, The Work Buzz, recently wrote about whether writing “To Whom It May Concern” as the salutation to a prospective employer on a cover letter is the kiss of death for a potential employee.

I think what’s most interesting about this question is that, as evidenced in the post’s comments section, both those in the position of hiring and of being hired have quite a varied opinion on which salutations are acceptable on a candidate’s cover letter — and whether it even matters.

Continue Reading…

Employment News for the Week of February 12

While you were busy getting more intimate than you might’ve wanted with your Gmail contacts, apologizing for trying (and failing…so so much) to be clever, or sharing your Valentine’s Day horror stories, here’s what was going on in the world of talent management and recruiting this week:

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