According to the statistics, 46% of resumes submitted to companies contain lies. Only 31% of those who lied get caught. Candidates stretch the truth to meet the qualifications minimum, to come across as more skilled and experienced than they are in reality and to get hired by a particular company.
Although the candidate’s motivation is easy to understand, resume lies can be very costly for companies. The hiring manager can overlook a truly suitable candidate and spend money on orientation and training of the applicant who lack the essential skills. This is especially true for hiring someone for a high-paying and responsible position such as a product manager.
Some candidates try to stand out using honest techniques and hire a product management resume writing service such as Resumeperk.com. In this case scenario, an experienced resume writer presents the candidate’s achievements and strengths effectively without stretching the truth. However, as we can see from the stats, resume lies abound. Below, we will recommend what to pay attention to when reviewing resumes to spot untruthful information.
What do people lie about most on their resumes?
Job-seekers tend to stretch the truth in any section of the resume where they lack education or experience. For example, 60% of candidates tell they are experts at skills they have basic proficiency with. About 40% add non-existent professional experience, and the same percentage lies about having a degree from a renowned university. 15% of applicants fake their references as well and give phone numbers of their friends or family members.
What to look at when reviewing a PM resume?
Wrong hiring decisions can be costly for business, so here are some potential red flags you should take note of to identify exaggerations on a resume:
Mismatches between the resume and online profiles
Imagine that you review the candidate’s resume and it looks generally good. Yet, when you open their LinkedIn or Facebook profile, these profiles list different work experience or activities. Check if the dates of employment, position and company names are the same everywhere, and if there are any discrepancies, clarify with the candidate. Maybe, the company has changed its name, or there was a typo in the year of employment. But if not, discrepancies usually indicate lies.
No specific start-end employment dates
For example, the candidate states he/she worked for the company from 2020 to 2021. This can mean two full years of employment, or two months (from December 2020 to January 2021). Not indicating months often means that the candidate tries to conceal employment gaps or other unpleasant information.
Vague professional accomplishments
Accomplishments are always a plus, but good accomplishments always come with the context. For example, the candidate might say they managed a development budget of $2.5M. This sounds impressive at first glance, but maybe the project wasn’t completed on time or there were other issues. Such an accomplishment also needs to be clarified.
A long list of skills and technologies
If, in addition to A/B testing, SQL language, Agile & Scrum the candidate lists many programming languages, software and tools, this should warn a recruiter. Knowing many technologies is undoubtedly a plus, but no one can know all the existing technologies and tools equally well. If the resume presents a laundry list of methodologies and tech skills, chances are that the candidate lies about their proficiency, or doesn’t know some of these technologies at all.
Mismatches in work history
Pay attention to the sequence of jobs, career progression, and industries. Unusual transitions, rapid vertical growth or responsibilities inconsistent with the job title need extra clarification. For example, if the product manager worked for companies in automotive, healthcare and software development in just three years, it is difficult to believe. If you see bullet points that do not correspond with the given industry or the type of role, it might also indicate that the candidate makes up some information.
A prestigious degree
If the candidate lists a degree from Stanford or other Ivy League institution, it is not a bad thing itself. Again, it is necessary to look for mismatches. When a candidate has a degree from a prestigious institution but has worked in a series of assistant PM jobs they seem to be overqualified for, you need to dig deeper.
Similar job descriptions
Sometimes job-seekers list identical bullets under the different job titles. Say, a candidate worked for two companies as a junior product manager, but the job responsibilities look pretty much the same. Chances are, the candidate tries to make up the non-existent experience. However, this may also indicate that this candidate didn’t bother to describe their responsibilities and simply copied them from the internet.
How to spot lies on a PM resume
Verify the diploma
Sometimes candidates add a non-existent degree in business or public relations to look more qualified, or list the so-called “diploma mill” as their school name. Make sure that the college or university listed on a resume exists. Contact the university directly to verify that the candidate completed the educational program – sometimes people who dropped out of college claim to have obtained a Bachelor’s or a Master’s.
Check the company
To verify the candidate’s experience, take a look at companies they worked for. Use the Registrar of Companies to find out if the company is registered. Dishonest candidates can fake organizations and give numbers of their friends who pretend to be referrals.
If the listed company is real, you can find people working there on social media and reach out to them to make sure the information listed is true. Another way to clarify this is to ask the candidate more questions about the company’s services, products, corporate culture, the department they worked for, etc. If they cannot give names of their boss and coworkers, cannot explain how they collaborated with the development and marketing teams and what were the features of the product they managed, they probably lie.
Test the hard skills
If the candidate claims that they know foreign language, specific software or technologies, give them a short test task for 30 minutes or an hour. A liar will fail it or find reasons not to complete a test. In case with the product manager, give a person one or several case studies that contain real-life situations that PM encounters. This will help you evaluate their soft skills and analytical abilities.
Use social media
LinkedIn, Facebook and other social media are invaluable for accessing the candidate’s real experience. For example, you can look up for people listed as references and access their true relationship with the candidate. If the person mentions a degree earned in another country or a foreign internship, you might look at their posts and locations in the given time frame. Or, you can look up company profiles and connect with their CEO or colleagues to make sure the person worked there and is not hiding anything.
When you see mismatches or discrepancies in job descriptions, skills or projects, it’s easy to assume that the candidate stretches the truth. However, contact the candidate first and ask if they can explain the situation and answer your questions.
HR Future Staff Writer
