Resumes That Lie

Human resource managers are having to contend with a frequent and growing headache — employees lying on their resumes. Data from First Advantage, a company that has conducted 1.5 million background checks in the past year, shows that this problem is particularly acute in sectors such as real estate, travel and hospitality, and education — businesses that have grown rapidly in the past five years. Misrepresenting employment history remains the single biggest culprit, with educational qualifications coming a distant second. Job candidates at the associate level are, by far, the biggest culprits.