Protect Your Business, Verify Past Employment

The fact that recent studies indicate that nearly 75% of all resumes contain some sort of falsification and that 89% are downright misleading means that a background check with a resume verification is in order for all pre-employment screening procedures.

An employer's lack of foresight can come back to haunt them. In fact, companies can be held liable for negligent hiring and retention. There can be public relations nightmares. All can be avoided by the due diligence, resume verification and education verification can head off wrongful termination lawsuits, it saves you time and money otherwise wasted by recruiting, hiring, and training the wrong applicants.

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Fake College Capital of the World - United States

Reports indicate that 810 diploma mills have been identified in the US and there are many more still under investigation.

California is the leading state with 134 diploma mills, followed closely by Hawaii and Washington state.

The report is a result of an 18 month international research project into diploma and accreditation mills.

The focus of the report was to provide employers with valid information about applicants' education to support them in hiring qualified candidates. The ability to spot a diploma mill helps companies avoid potential liability when clearing an applicant with a bogus degree.

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Dear Liberty....

"I had a great opportunity at a new company a week ago, but I realized the 6 month gap in my employment might look bad on my profile, so I extended the last position I had by 6 months and turned in my paperwork. I am a perfect match, this is a great opportunity, but the more and more I think about it, the more I realize this little lie could lose the deal for me!

What should I do? I lied and it was a stupid thing to do, but I'm not sure how to correct it. I might be able to contact the old company and ask them not to respond to any questions regarding my employment, or I can fess up and tell my prospective employer that I lied..."

Like the many hundreds of applicants who lie on their resumes or job applications, you're chances of doing nothing and seeing where the chips lie after the dust settles AND still getting the job are slim to none. The fact that you feel some guilt regarding this is a good thing.

You are very likely to fail an employment background check with the falsified dates. Even if your old employer agrees to not mention anything is also very likely to end up as a failed employment verification.

You should immediately contact your prospective employer. Tell them you realized you made an error on your application and that you'd like to correct it. Don't offer any further excuses, they will appreciate your honesty and likely not contemplate whether there was malicious intent behind the error or not. Good luck!

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Police Chief Lies about Criminal Past

Fired by the Lewisville, Minnesota City Council last Wednesday, former police chief Dave Kleinschmidt had a criminal past and lied about his previous employment.

He lied to investigators about a car crash 2000 when he was a private citizen - that an unknown person had hit his car and fled, however, the person was a friend of Kleinschmidt's.

He was convicted of falsifying a police report - a conviction that was later overlooked when he was hired in February 2008. He was named police chief a year later. City officials don't agree on whether he passed a background check, the standard for all city employees. They cannot determine if council members were aware of his conviction before they hired him.

"The council has found that Mr. Kleinschmidt was not truthful, honest and candid with the council," the board wrote in a resolution to fire the chief.

City officials are considering disbanding the troubled Lewisville police department.

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How to Hire

What do you do when your best employee relocates to another city and another job? You're number one sales associate changes professions? Or your lead manager left for lunch and never returned?

In either scenario, you'll be left in a pinch. In situations such as these, impulse hiring can be tempting, replacing a valued employee can seem daunting, and rash decisions are easily made.

To keep your head on straight during this stressful period, remember a few golden rules:

1. Know the position. The better you understand the requirements of the job, the more simple it will be to pull out the most qualified candidates. Re-think the job description and make sure it truly describes the duties expected and required of the job.

2. Develop an outreach plan. Target your job market effectively by utilizing the appropriate listing services. Job seekers are online, on social networks and looking for the best position available to them. You want to collect the attention of the best job seekers so you want to advertise the position using as many outlets as possible.

3. Screen application. You should have a stack of excellent looking applications and resumes. When it comes time to narrow the playing field, you'll need to weed out anyone who isn't an immediate match. Pre-employment screening is an effective way to do this. Conduct background checks. Call references, not just those listed but check former employers as well. This last step is vital to insuring the safety of your organization.

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Real Advice about Falsifying Your Resume

Taken from the archives of "Dear Prudence" at Slate.com, Prudence offers Remorseful Job Applicant great advice:

Dear Prudie,
I've been out of work for several months and have had trouble landing interviews—I have children and really need a job. My résumé is fantastic, with excellent references, but I do not have a four-year college degree. Finally, I got desperate and edited one of my résumés to show that I had a bachelor's degree from a college I attended 30 years ago. I sent it out only once (and have since deep-sixed it). The problem is that I received an inside referral to a job with an excellent company, hit it off with everyone during the interviews, and landed the job—contingent on my passing a background check. This is where I sent my falsified résumé. I completed the background check truthfully. But now my stomach is churning and I want to call the company, tell them what happened, and resign the position. I've never done anything like this before. It may be the worst thing I've ever done in my life.
—Remorseful Job Applicant

Dear Remorseful,
Do not resign! Contact human resources immediately and tell them there's a mistake on your résumé and that it should say you attended, not graduated from, your college. Let them know the background-check form is accurate. That may take care of the problem. If your call raises questions, be succinct and truthful. Say you made this onetime mistake in a foolish attempt to improve your résumé, you regretted it the moment you did it, and whatever else happens, you are relieved to have put things right. It's much better for you to come forward first before the checkers find the discrepancy. Yes, there's a chance they won't, but that's a big risk. If they miss it, and you do get hired, every time anyone says, "Marvin, can I see you in my office?" your stomach acid will pour. If you get the job and this comes out later, it could be a firing offense. And if this is the worst thing you've ever done, take pride in having led such an exemplary life.

--Prudie

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Lying for the Job

As the rate of unemployment steadily climbs, the competition in the job market heats up. The market belongs to employers with 10s, even 100s of applicants applying for each job posted. If you're among the many unemployed, searching for work, and quickly running out of money, the temptation to lie or exaggerate on your resume can be big, especially if you have something to cover up.

If you were fired for performance problems and don't acknowledge them, you could be offered a nice base salary and possibly a bonus to go with it. But if word about your performance issues spreads across the grapevine, as those types of words often do, you could be in for a world of pain. Your employer will likely terminate you for cause. What you might not expect: they can sue you for that hefty bonus, citing that your received it under false pretenses. Now you're out of a job and out of money.

According to a Stanford University study conducted some years back, more than 90% of resumes, in some respect or other, contain false or misleading information, ranging from slight embellishment to outright fraud.

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Background Checks Aren't Just for Employers

Just for fun, I thought we'd discuss the online dating industry. So many people utilize sites like Match.com and eHarmony to find love, and why shouldn't they? In a a growing world, it can be harder to connect with like-minded individuals. Online opportunites and website are soaring, but with all the profile indroductions and "About Me" sections, how can you be sure somebody is being truthful? How can you trust what you read?

Just like pre-employment background screening, people inflate their dating "resumes." Some say they are single when they are married. Some lie about how much money they make. While a little digging isn't likely to turn up exact truths about a person, it doesn't hurt to investigate somebody before you get serious about them.

The important things to focus on when exploring somebody's background check is to reveal criminal history and marital status. Lots of times, people are not what they want you to see.

Just a warning from Liberty Screening. We take pride in protecting you in your workplace and hope our security precautions can be used as a guide in your private life as well.

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License Supsended for Resume Lies

A 60-day license suspension is being recommended for Garland Stillwell, a former attorney for Pillsbury Winthrop Shaw Pittman after it was discovered that he inflated his credentials on his resume.

He also charged personal expenses to the company credit credit card. Among other transgressions, he also used firm employees to send out a false employment verification for a friend who no longer worked at Pillsbury.

The suspension to some, seems like a slap on the wrist. But those wary of hiring somebody with a past like this need only use a Professional License Verification service to view the history of attorneys licenses. The suspension will appear on any verification during the 60-day period and will remain in the license history.

The report by the committee said a harsher penalty was not warranted because of mitigating factors. Stillwell had acknowledged the violations, reimbursed the firm, participated in counseling and had no prior violations.

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High School Principal Employed with Criminal Record

Oklahoma: Michael James Maples, principal at Memorial High School in Oklahoma City attested in his application that he had not been convicted of crimes other than traffic offenses to obtain his position as principal.

The laundry list of offenses Maples has racked up since 1980 include attempted larceny, alteration of public records, and wearing unauthorized badges and awards in a military court.

Maples claimed to be a military officer after he was demoted. He lied about being picked to teach at the United States Military Academy.

In 2008, he faced serious charges of stealing from an Oklahoma school district he once worked for.

How these crimes were able to remain hidden from district authorities is a mystery. Maples was convicted, yet again, on May 26 of making a false statement to obtain property or credit, and tampering with a government record. Maples will serve 10 years probation for his crime.

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Resume Lies Lead to Serious Injury in Dallas

May 2nd was a tragic day in Dallas, TX. The practice facility used by the Dallas Cowboys collapsed seriously injuring two players. One was left with a broken neck and the other with permanent paralysis.

The director of engineering on the project, Jeffery Lawerence Galland runs his own consulting firm but works with the firm, JCI who oversaw the construction of the facility in 2003 and the reinforcement that led to the collapse.

Galland falsified his educational creditionals on his resume. In a written summary, Galland states that he received a bachelors degree from Eastern Washington University. A education verification confirmed that he did attend the university, but did not receive the stated degree.

Galland also served federal prison time for drug trafficking.

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