Should You Lie???.
October 2, 2000 in BTN Pub.
November 6, 2000 in TW Pub.

Recently a sharp young man became a candidate for a Fortune 100 Corporation. The position was Senior Coordinator within their travel department. The salary was up to $58,000. + full benefits and other perks. We interviewed him at length, we checked his references... all looked great. He made an excellent presentation, had the right experience, his references were very good, and he was a college grad with a BA Degree. We sent his resume to our client, they wanted to see him immediately. He went through the Interview process. Within that process, he needed to fill out their Employment Application.

Their Employment Application, just like ours, asks that candidates sign the form stating all information supplied is truthful. Their form also states should a candidate lie about his employment, skills, education, etc., it is grounds for immediate dismissal.

Our Candidate was hired with a starting date of 3 weeks hence. He was very happy, and so were we. We solved the need for a Client of ours, actually a New Client of Ours. They were very happy as well, and invited him in early to attend a corporate meeting and to meet other important staff. All was going great... until (You knew there was going to be a "but" or "until," otherwise there is no article here)... The candidate is told by the HR Department of the corporation that his college can't find his transcripts or his diploma??? Well, to end this story on a sour note, he did not have a BA Degree. In fact, he only went to college for about a year! We asked him why he lied? Why did he say he had a BA Degree on his resume? His answer? "I've been doing it for years, no one ever checks to see your diploma or contacts the school." We told him that he deserved to lose the job!!! We are just glad that our new client didn't hold his "lies" against us, and we have already submitted new candidates.

Would you have a Guess on how many Job Candidates Lie on their Employment Applications? 10%?, 15%?, 25%?...what do you think, our statistics are truly scary!!!

The percentage is around 75%. The Number One Lie is about their current Base Salary.

If they are making $40K, they generally say $42K-$44K, the minimum most candidates at this salary level will accept for a new job is a "bump" of at least $2,000 per year. So, if we weren't aware of these "Fibs" according to those who get caught, and we catch most, they would actually gain $4K to $6K more than they are making, and that's too high of a bump in pay for a travel agent, even in cities like New York.

Candidates aren't the only "fib-ers", Companies also do it. They talk about their Incentives in pre-hiring interviews, but the incentive plan always seems to be in progress after the candidate takes the position. Now, of course this is not everybody, but many companies are "hiding" the "truth."

We have had many more Lies from candidates than companies. These, too, are statistics. We have had candidates who have stated they worked for "XYZ Travel," and XYZ never heard of them! We have read (on company letterhead) how wonderful a candidate is, when we verify with the company, we find out that the company never wrote the letter! We have had candidates lie about why they are no longer with their most recent employer... Answer's have included: "Downsizing", "Acquired", "Sold", "Business Fall Off", "No Budget", "Losing too much Money"...and since we check references before we send candidates out, the "Real Answers" have been: "Embezzler", "Stole Equipment", "Stole Tickets", "Never Arrived On Time", but one of the Best was "Who? Never heard of him/her!!!"

Whether You as a Manager or Owner utilize a service like ours, or not, you MUST Check References!!!

©Copyright Yours In Travel Personnel Agency, Inc. 9/00 P. Jason King is Founder and President of Yours In Travel Personnel Agency, Inc. the nation's largest recruitment source for the Travel Industry. www.yoursintravel.com