Companies Must Guard Against Resume Fraud

With the latest economic downturn, employers should step up programs to vigilantly screen job applicants for resume fraud and must develop tools to deal with current employees who have committed resume fraud.  When job availability decreases, some applicants may “pad” their resumes to help land a position.  Researchers estimate that up to forty percent of resume writers exaggerate or misrepresent information. 

Companies must both guard against hiring a candidate who has misrepresented his credentials and develop a plan to address current employees who have committed resume fraud.

To prevent resume fraud, an employer should thoroughly screen all job candidates’ credentials—either through an in-house program or via a specialized resume-verification company—and should conduct reference checks.  Employers should also place a disclosure statement on job applications and require applicants to sign and verify that all the information the applicant provided is true and that the applicant understands that providing false information will disqualify the applicant from employment.  A similar disclosure statement should be placed in an employee handbook and state that resume fraud will result in an employee’s discharge.

If an employer learns that a current employee lied about his background, the employer should discharge the employee.  Failing to consistently do so may risk a discrimination claim if the employer chooses to fire an employee within a protected class for resume fraud. 

For more information, please contact the Business Litigators at Clouse Dunn Khoshbin LLP at info@cdklawyers.com.