You’re interviewing; as you filter through a pile of resumes you notice something’s off. The same employer appears over and over again. You think, maybe it’s a coincidence – 30 resumes later – maybe it’s not. How would you proceed? Ignore it, go forward and reference check the applicants you like or investigate further to be on the safe side? Now, this scenario sounds slightly bizarre but a company in India actually experienced it.
What Happened?
In New Delhi, managers of an IT company came across 30 resumes with the same past employer. One or two people would have most likely gone unnoticed, but 30 raised a red flag for the managers. With the nature of the position they were staffing, they didn’t want to take any chances. They opened up an investigation into what appeared to be an IT firm, but what they discovered was something much different.
The Outcome?
These employers won’t be reference checking with a phone call anymore. When they dug a little deeper they didn’t find an IT firm but a man pretending to be an HR manager. Turns out job seekers paid him to lie, in return they gain experience for their resume and a reference to back it up. After an investigation they figured out the man had been doing this for almost four months.
Why?
Although the job market is a lot tougher in India, employers are seeing this kind of fraud across the globe. Desperate times call for desperate measures. In today’s job market many applicants go great lengths to land a job. Unfortunately, people exploit desperation and see an opportunity to make money.
It’s a win – win for everyone involved.
What Employers Should Do?
Reference and credentialing are a crucial part of a background check. Safety is a priority but the cost of a bad hire can be devastating to a company. Whenever you are faced with a new hire you should always check the following:
- Employment Verification: Verify dates of employment, position held, and eligibility for rehire, performance and any warnings.
- Education Verification: Confirm schools attended diplomas, degrees and dates of attendance.
- Professional Licenses (If necessary): Authenticate license and check when issued.
- Service Record (If necessary): Check military records, dates of service, rank, experience and discharge status.
Active Screening offers referencing and credentialing as part of each comprehensive check. To find out more about our packages and solutions please visit our site and request a demo from one of our industry experts.