When I look at the number of people who responded to our poll about lying on your resume and said they would, at least under some circumstances, lie on their resume, I wonder why? Employers do check references and employers do respond to requests for reference checks.
In fact, a Society for Human Resource Management survey reports that 76% of the respondents said they conduct reference checks for all job candidates and 22% said they check references for select candidates.
When it comes to providing information on employees, 98% of those surveyed said their organizations would verify dates of employment for current or former employees. That means, at the minimum, fudging job titles and dates on your resume is risky business.
As far as what actually happened at work, job seekers are on firmer ground when it comes to employers disclosing what could be gory details of your employment history. 68% of surveyed employers said they wouldn't discuss work performance. 82% said they wouldn't discuss character or personality and 87% said they wouldn't disclose a disciplinary action.
Here's what job applicants need to know about reference checks.
Related: Reference Check Questions | Reference Check Form | References
More: SHRM: Seeing Behind the Mask
Image Copyright Ryan Fox
