Hr Magazine by Pamela Babcock

Executive Summary 4

"Spotting Lies"

HR Magazine by Pamela Babcock

According to some staffing experts 30 percent of all job applicants make material misrepresentation on resumes. According to this statistic it is safe to assume that one in every three job applicants an employer is looking to hire is lying about one thing or another on their application or resume. Weeding through this is difficult for employers. They need to know what steps they can take, what works best to determine if someone is lying and finally, how to handle the applicant if he or she is lying.

Are there definite signs that an employer can use to gage whether or not an applicant is not being completely honest? According to some experts there are different types of body language that should let an employer know who is not telling the truth. However, according to the article, these mannerisms could simply mean that the interviewee is nervous. In fact, the article goes on to state that, "practiced liars often show no signs." Some people have been telling one lie or another for so long and to so many people they believe it themselves, making it honest in their minds. The best advice when it comes to determining if someone is lying based on body language...it doesn't work. According to Ekman from the article, the best advice is "be cautious about your own judgments based on demeanor, and be cautious about people who claim that there are signs of lying that they can teach you quickly in this situation. The most important thing to know is you'd better not trust your intuition, because it's probably wrong."

What can an employer to do help weed out those who are lying? Ask questions. First and foremost the best thing you can do to determine if someone is lying is to ask them questions. Ask the interviewee to expand on topics you question. "Ask the candidate to describe a work experience as it relates to a specific job skill you are trying to evaluate. Take extensive notes. Follow up on inconsistencies or contradictions. Probe for details."

Another valid way of verifying information from an applicant is to conduct reference and background checks. For smaller companies these can be costly, but in the long run they could end up saving companies hundreds, even thousands of dollars.