Educational Tips for the Detection of Résumé Padding

Abstract

While there is no truly accurate method to determine how many organizations are victimized by résumé fraud, there are strong indications and incidents that résumé embellishments are on the rise and becoming a thorny growing problem. Employees, by virtue of their duty of care and fiduciary loyalty to their employers, should exercise extreme skepticism in verifying the information provided on applicants’ résumés. Tips are by far the most common method for exposing résumé fakers. Tips emanate from jealousy, resentment, and any other personal disagreements or grudges. Hence, being an academician, with first-hand knowledge of the work of search committees and a certified fraud examiner (CFE), and in an attempt to bring into focus as many red flags of résumé embellishments as could be reviewed here as possible, to help employers and search committees members become more effective fraud fighters, I am writing this research to share ideas and tips on breaking into the code of résumé padding.