Nabbing fibbers, fudgers, fabricators

I wish this was my headline, but it's one I recently saw on a handout taken from an article that appeared in a local Toronto newspaper in March/99.

The rest of the article reads:

"Weeding out applicants who fib, fudge and fabricate is big business for companies - some spend $100,000 on screening and checking - who want to ensure they get the right person for the job"

Then it starts:

"If Bill Clinton can get away with it, why not you?" and goes on to describe that stretcing the truth a little here, fudging a bit there, maybe embellishing your education history slightly, can all set the employer back up to $100,000 in an exhaustive recruitment, training and rehiring process.

The not-for-profit networking group, whose meeting I recently attended, is made up of professionals, many middle to senior management, looking for employment, contract consulting or whatever. The speaker was not a very welcome guest, but as Canadians, we do have a reputation as being 'oh so polite' and peace keepers, so we applauded. I refused, naturally. :-) Canadian yes, overly polite no.

Anyway, the speaker called himself a Reference Checker who has been in the resume busting business for over 20 years. Has anyone ever heard of such an animal. I think it could be the ideal business to get into. Very little, if any competition. But is there really a market for reference checkers? Sounds to me like a one man industry. He was quite a character. Wish some of you entreprepreneurial types could have been there. I think you would have all thrown eggs at the guy. I wanted to!!

Ths guy (Roger) (guess I shouldn't use his last name, eh?) claims he is hired by companies, didn't say what kinds, but he dropped names like Sprint, AT&T and the banks, to carry out reference checks on individuals who these employers are contemplating making a job offer to. One would think that companies would hire Roger when they are contemplating hiring a President, CEO , COO, or someone at a very senior level. But he claims, it could be someone in a junior role in the company as well. Makes me a bit suspicious of this!!

Continuing, he told us that he is capable, through a phone interview, to read between the lines and tell if your references are lying about your skills, and because he's been doing this for over 20 years he must know his stuff!! He is also very good at 'reading' resumes to determine fact from lie. Sounds like he might have a background as a private investigator or CIA?? But somehow, he didn't strike me as the type who could survive on the streets and get his hands dirty, if you know what I mean. In fact, he spoke oh so softly, the audience had great difficulty hearing him!! Bit whimpy looking too :-)

His company carried out a Reference Checking Survey in 1998 that shows a majority of Canadian employers believe reference-checking is essential but for some reason many prefer not to do it or don't do it properly.

Also, 93% of the employers have found exaggerations on resumes while 86% found outright misrepresentations. Some 84% say they have had to let an employee go for reasons that could have been detected by a thorough reference check before they were brought on board.

The major areas of exaggeration or deceptions are work responsibilities (45%) educatioon (22%) and work experience (21%).

The 77 companies involved in the nation-wide survey represented a cross-section of businesses in Canada, from small firms of six to national companies employing over 40,000. The firms were involved in manufacturing, retail, finance, insurance, publishing and hospitality. Now I would hardly call 77 companies a good yardstick to measure results. And how about the 'nation-wide' claim. Sorry, I'm too lazy to find how many companies are carrying on business in Canada but I know 77 is really really small. I am more likely to call this a mini, city-wide survey.

BUT folks, the above thus far is not really what angered some of the group. When Roger told us that part of the reference checking includes carrying out a credit check, this is when some in the room had lots of questions to ask. What about rights to privacy as individuals?

He was actually telling us that a poor or bad credit check is part and parcel of the service he provides when a company pays him to provide a reference check. So, e.g. as some in the audience asked, if I've recently had a divorce and I'm paying alimony and child support, this could potentially leave me with some fairly large credit card balances, and I could well have been in arrears at some point. So, does this mean that a potential employer will use this information in making a decision for/against me as the preferred candidate. Or how about a personal or business bankruptcy. How many people nowadays don't have a friend or haven't been through a personal or business bankruptcy? Does this make them an unfit candidate for a job? This information also remains on your file for several years, and could potentially jeopardize your chances for finding your next job or contract? He tried to dodge specifics on the credit checking issue and how it could be used against a preferred candidate, but it certainly leaves a lot of doubt and concern on the part of those seeking any kind of employment or contract with a company who would use this kind of service.

As we exchanged information after Roger's presentation, we were all in agreement that people like Roger should never be asked to return as a guest speaker. And the consensus was not favourable towards people in his profession who are really not in touch with reality.

There were several examples given of where e.g. older individuals with degress, may knock a few years off the year they graduated, simply because this is one sure sign that reveals one's age. In a work force, where the demographics are changing, many companies are favouring the younger graduates over the older ones because they can also pay less. So, this is one instance where I see it as survival of the fittest. If you have to knock a few years off your resume because you'll be considered over qualified, then I will do it. If Roger and Co. find out, then I'll have to explain to Mr. Employer. But, issues like this, do make me and others very concerned. So, welcome to reality, Elizabeth.

Regards,

Eliz.