Gemini has been involved in the selection and interview of candidates for many years. Candidates should always try to portray them selves in the best light - but when does good presentation change to being economical with the truth or downright deceitful?
In a recent exercise, the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey wanted to determine what percentage of candidates would falsify resumes. They advertised a well-paid position in the career section of the local paper and indicated candidates must be familiar with a Sontag connector.
The Sontag connector doesn't exist. All of the candidates indicated they had experience with this fictitious connector. Over half indicated they had more than 10 years' experience with it.
Here in Hong Kong, with a more compact population it perhaps easier to check with past employers, and to verify qualifications and experience. Recruiting agencies and head hunters will do basic checks, but if you want a full reference check you should ask. Gemini can arrange for detailed background checks if required.
There is a difference between strategically presenting information on a resume and falsifying facts to secure a job. Strategic presentation sets out the information to highlight positive elements; falsification means intentionally misleading the reader with false data.
There may often be changes of emphasis as a candidate attempts to slant his resume towards a particular position. Often we will see several different resume's from the same person, all with different emphasis. There is nothing wrong with that, but where this does occur Gemini is able to provide clients with a much more rounded background picture of the candidate before you meet them.
Another difficult area is the question of periods of unemployment. Candidates are often reluctant to be up front about this - and so may disguise their immediate availability by pretending to be still working for the last employer. It is worth probing deeper, as often these periods of “unemployment” have been filled with voluntary work, overseas travel, and a period of trying to run a business. By rejecting outright candidates with gaps you may be overlooking other valuable skills acquired.
The goal of employers in any industry should be to place applicants at the point where talent, passion and business opportunity converge. To achieve this you need to identify what candidates do better than anyone else and what gets them out of bed in the morning.
So make sure you do more than just skim the resume, let Gemini pre screen candidates for you and ensure a successful hire.
And one last point, be careful if you do hire a "resume fraudster". They tend to become more and more neutral to the act of lying as time goes on and this may seriously damage your organization.
