It is well-known that job seekers often fabricate or alter facts on their resumés. A 2024 survey by resumé writing company StandOutCV makes that clear. In that survey, 64.2 percent of workers said they had lied on a resumé before. According to StandOutCV, as many as 107 million Americans have falsified their resume to secure employment. Can a background check reveal past employers to push back against dishonesty? That’s a question many employers ask in today’s climate.
There’s a valid reason for concern. Lies might appear on any part of a resumé. However, the StandOutCV survey found that the most common deception concerns past employers. The first is when a job applicant lies about previous job experience. The second involves enhancing their job skills. StandOutCV also found that many applicants falsified their prior salaries. Such widespread dishonesty puts employers in a challenging position. After all, many hiring decisions depend on past job experience.
If candidates lie about their experience, how can employers make an informed hiring decision? The answer may lie in better vetting practices. However, you must understand the different tools available to employers. Let’s explore the key facts surrounding this critical hiring process.
The simple answer is no. Usually, pre-employment screening refers to criminal history screening. These checks only return criminal history data. No screening service can definitively list all of an individual’s past employers. Why? There is no database of such information as with criminal records. Previous employment history is not a matter of public record. On the other hand, employers seek to uncover public records when conducting background checks.
Employment history verification may be a fundamental influence on your hiring decision. Does that mean you have no recourse without public records to access? Not at all. There are other options employers may explore instead.
Background screening companies can assist employers in detecting resumé dishonesty. You can use the resumé information supplied by the applicant as the basis for your vetting. This type of background check can confirm or question essential facts and is available through backgroundchecks.com.
Candidates usually provide a list of past employers while filling out job applications. Some companies ask for information on an applicant’s last three jobs. Others ask for all jobs worked over a period of years instead. Use this information to verify past employers. You may also use gaps to reason why an applicant might avoid reporting a job. In this process, a business or its HR team contacts other companies directly for personnel information.
At backgroundchecks.com, we offer an easy-to-use employment history background check. We contact the employers listed by applicants on your behalf, helping hiring managers determine whether applicants were truthful in their applications.
Using our employment history background check is simple. Employers share the data provided by applicants about past job positions. backgroundchecks.com then contacts those companies to verify crucial details about the individual.
These details might include:
Our verification check will uncover whether candidates fabricated or embellished parts of their work history.
It’s possible. Some employers will report rehire eligibility. If someone isn’t eligible for rehiring, the employer could have fired them. Sometimes, employers are forthright and confirm that they fired the employee.
However, former employers will not always want to discuss these details. Most will choose to shield themselves from potential liability as a best practice. Pre-employment background checks stick to verifiable information.
Falsehoods found in an applicant’s employment history are a warning signal in a background check. Employers should evaluate the relevance and severity of these issues. Some mistakes could be mere human error. Others might be deliberate attempts to mislead. Employment dates that are a few months off might be a harmless mistake. A fake job title or wholly fabricated positions are warning signs.
Work history verifications differ from reference checks. The goal is not necessarily to discover a candidate’s work ethic or character. Instead, verifying resume data is about confirming the listed jobs.
Be aware that companies don’t want to invite unnecessary legal headaches. Many employers worry about facing defamation lawsuits from previous employees. It could put them at risk if they can’t prove what they say with evidence. HR teams focus on providing only the most objective facts about past workers for these reasons. Most will do their best to avoid tiptoeing into subjective judgments.
When verifying employment as part of a more extensive background check process, remember to follow the Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA). You must obtain an applicant’s consent and provide mandatory disclosures before ordering specific reports.
Beware of asking about salary information when you conduct a background check. The StandOutCV survey did show that many applicants falsify past salaries. However, most employers won’t discuss compensation. In some states, using this information for hiring may even be illegal. Check the law in your state before asking applicants for this information.
A potential employer wishing to explore more subjective opinions should perform professional reference checks instead. Checking references is a standard part of an employee background check process. The applicant has implicit permission for references to discuss them in detail with employers.
backgroundchecks.com can also perform reference checks on your behalf. Consider packaging these efforts alongside criminal record screenings and job history background checks. We also offer two other checks for education verification and checking professional licenses. Verifying all parts of an applicant’s resumé is advisable.
If you are a job seeker, you have a significant task when assembling a resumé. There is an art to crafting the perfect resumé. That challenge often prompts some candidates to stretch the truth. Applicants should provide as much accurate detail as possible.
However, employers and applicants alike may worry about omissions. Omissions may happen for many reasons:
Hiring managers may never know when an applicant didn’t list a job. Some signs might tip off an HR team that an applicant didn’t report everything.
Employers do pay attention to hiring and departure dates when reviewing resumés. Applicants who forget or omit a job might have a notable work history gap. That gap may create some caution for the employer. If a gap in the job history is long enough, it might cause a hiring manager to suspect a concealed termination. Alternatively, hiring managers might make assumptions about an applicant’s work ethic based on long periods of unemployment.
Concerns about resumé gaps may cause job seekers to create fabrications. To hide a gap, someone might embellish their start and end dates. Some people may even invent jobs. Employment verifications can and will flag these anomalies. Most employers will look less kindly on a falsehood than on a three-month gap between jobs. According to a study by ResumeLab, 65 percent of candidates caught lying were either disqualified or fired.
With backgroundchecks.com, confirming information on a resume is simple. We provide streamlined services for verifying education, employment, and more. Each verification can help you build trust and evaluate an applicant’s suitability. Can a background check reveal past employers? No—but it can verify what an applicant reports to you. Explore more about employment verification services today. Need to know more about how to find work history from applicants or how to build more innovative screening processes? Visit our Resource Center for more information..