How Do You Spot Fake Profiles When Sourcing Resumes Online? Seeking Your Advice!

Hi All,

Can anybody guide me on how to identify a fake profile? When sourcing resumes from a portal, we come across numerous resumes, but how can we differentiate between the fake ones and the genuine ones?

It would be great if somebody could help me.

Regards,
Purnima

Dear Purnima,

The challenge that HR and the industry are facing is tough to discern just by screening resumes. We can identify it during the interview or through a discussion.

A few thoughts on this post:

1. Recruiters must have knowledge of major companies undergoing projects. In another way, recruiters must have a client list of every company so that they can screen the clients on the resume with respect to the company where the candidate is working.

2. Educational background: experience, age, qualifications, and years since graduation.

3. Project descriptions can also be useful sometimes, as a cancellation can reveal at least 30% of the candidate's suitability.

Regards,
Shiv

Dear Purnima,

You can also concentrate on the years in every organization they have worked and ask for professional references and do background checks. These are the best tools to differentiate between fake profiles and original ones. Apart from that, when you interview them, you can ask them out-of-the-blue questions which would have an obviously honest answer.

Hi Purnima,

This is one of the major problems faced by recruiters, especially in the IT industry. I was working in one of the top IT companies as a TA lead. I used to use these simple techniques:

- Check the project; some projects such as hospital maintenance or HR systems are not taken up by major players.
- If the employee has been working on a contract, check the consultancy that provided the payroll and the duration for which he/she had been working there (since most IT organizations hire contract employees for roles for a maximum of one year).
- During the preliminary telephonic conversation with the candidate, check for fluency and ask some questions regarding the current company, its headquarters, branches, revenue, etc. (Employees from small to medium-sized companies will be well-versed in this, as they need to impress the recruiter and their family members).
- Try making a list of companies or consultancies known for providing fake experience, verify them, and compile a list of blacklisted companies (we used to receive this list from the background verification team).

I hope this information is useful for you. Most of the things I mentioned are commonly used in IT recruitment, as I am unsure which industry you are in.

Warm regards,
Deepthi

Dear Deepthi and Purnima,

Deepthi, you have pointed out some positive aspects. However, can we discuss the potential costs that may arise for the employer?

Let's consider a scenario where Purnima is from the IT industry and her organization requires contract employees. The process kicks off with back-office verifications, profile checks, and other necessary procedures for each individual. This can consume a significant amount of time and incur costs for the company.

Alternatively, the HR department of Purnima's organization could explore an alternative approach as follows:

If the company needs 15 contract employees, they could initially reach out to about 100 potential candidates within 5 days. From this pool, at least 25 suitable candidates may emerge. On the 6th day, shortlist 20 candidates for the next round. Following a formal HR interview, finalize 15 candidates and maintain the remaining 5 as backups. This ensures that any offer cancellations or rejections can be promptly addressed from the backup pool.

By following this method, the required 15 candidates could be ready by the 8th day, with the possibility of onboarding them the next day. This streamlined process is not only rapid but also cost-effective, representing a significant advancement in recruitment practices.

I trust that this approach will lead to clearer outcomes and enhance the effectiveness of the recruitment process, thereby reducing instances of forged resumes and fake candidates.

Best regards

Hi Purnima,

In order to verify the authenticity of CVs, the best approach is to conduct reference checks with the companies the candidate has worked for. Additionally, one can easily discern the credibility of a candidate during the interview based on their presentation and how well they justify their experiences.

Let me know if you need further assistance or clarification on this matter.

Purnima,

Please let us know the practices you used to identify the fake. This information will be helpful for all of us as well.

Regards,
Shiv

Dear Purnima,

Let me tell you the live example: One of my friends used to work in a small location in India as an HR Manager with a local group. She received an offer from a reputed retail industry in the same location for the same profile. During the interview, she cleared her knowledge and skill rounds, but the company and recruiter, at that time, focused more on her company's profile and her past. They conducted reference checks with her current and past employers, as well as with a local labor law consultant. She mentioned that she used to work with him, so her reference check round was very tough.

So now you may get an idea of the situation.

Regards,

Shine:icon10:

Hi Friends,

Mostly, there are fakes in contract roles. When talking to a candidate, ask for the first name and last name of the person they will be reporting to, along with their official email address. This information can be very helpful.

Thank you.

In a single line Purnima, keep yourself informed all the while.

Apart from concentrating on the nitty-gritty of the job, it helps to pay attention to what's going on in the industry you are in. You can then use that information when you need it, like in the situation you mentioned. And that's where CiteHR may be able to help, to keep in pace with what's happening.

Regards,
TS

Hi,

In these days, it's very easy to catch anyone with a fake job profile or fake salary slip. You can directly check candidates' salaried accounts and confirm how much they are earning per month. Before scheduling the interview, you can also review the candidate's job profile. Here are some steps you can take:

1. Ask her about the project.
2. Inquire about the team members.
3. Confirm the team size.
4. Discuss project completion projections.
5. Reach out to their HR to learn more about the project, project manager, skills, duration, and job profile of the candidate.
6. Ask the same questions to the project manager and note any differences.

Hi,

I know someone who is going to join an organization with a fake job profile as the person has experience in Java but is going to join with experience in SAP. If I make a complaint to the organization about this, will they take any action against the candidate? It's unfair as it could deprive others who genuinely have experience in SAP of opportunities. In my opinion, the organization should take stricter action in such cases.