The Trust Foundation Understanding trust issues in the digital era.

“The rise in résumé fraud can be traced to the rise in unemployment, coupled with tough competition among those competing in the labor market for what few jobs are available. Job seekers who don’t have a degree or specialized skills are inventing them out of desperation. For the employer, this translates into a significant problem since applicants who lie on their résumés often become employees who misrepresent issues on the job. It is estimated that résumé fraud costs employers approximately $600 billion annually.

The statistics concerning résumé fraud are grim. One survey estimates that as many 80 percent of all job seekers submit applications and résumés that contain intentionally misleading information. The misrepresentation involves work experience, criminal history, inflated past salaries and education credentials. It is not confined to workers who seek labor versus managerial or administrative positions. Indeed, in a 2001 survey of more than 7,000 applicants for executive positions, it was found that 23 percent misrepresented personal information. Of those who misrepresented information, 71 percent lied about length of service, 64 percent lied about accomplishments, 60 percent exaggerated managerial experience, 52 percent identified mere attendance at college as a degree, 48 percent overstated job responsibilities, and 41 percent omitted negative employment experiences.”

“Hiring managers know job candidates are putting their best feet forward and typically don't include every career detail on résumés. But outward lies and deceptions on a résumé are more common than you might think. Some 57 percent of hiring managers report that they have caught a lie on a candidate's application, according to a CareerBuilder.com survey.”