Recognizing a Great Pretender: Tips for Spotting Exaggerating Job Seekers

As the saying goes, "A liar is sooner caught than a cripple." Such resume errors as embellishing past experiences or posing with a favorite pet in the photo are not uncommon. One thing is for sure, though: these prevent the boaster from getting to the interview stage. Job seekers know that first impressions matter most, but many forget that standing out with a dubious lie is not the best scenario.

HR professionals have a tough job dealing with job seekers, as almost every resume contains at least one glaring lie. The more cunning job seekers, however, hide this among the lines so cleverly that even the most experienced professionals might have a hard time detecting the lie.

Most often, job positions and employment durations are "rearranged" to make periods of unemployment seem shorter. Another common embellishment is overstating language skills and computer proficiency. Familiar with the situation where the applicant claims in the resume to have coordinated an important project, only to reveal during the interview that they actually just escorted guests from the reception?

The Great Pretender Job Seeker Isn't Walking the Path of Truth

Anyone who has ever conducted a job interview has wondered how to detect if an applicant is lying. Fortunately, spotting lies doesn't require anything more than logical thinking and a few professional techniques. Interested in learning what techniques can identify a boasting job seeker during an interview? Stay with us!

The Boaster Type 1: The Polyglot

Experience shows that most job seekers use minor exaggerations to ensure success. Large lies, such as forged diplomas or false identities, occur in about a 30:1 ratio. Nearly 40% of applicants tend to be lenient with the truth about their language skills. Switching from Hungarian to English mid-interview can reveal how much the applicant's claims align with reality. Experts note that most embellishments about language skills aren't intentional manipulations but stem from self-awareness issues and a lack of realistic judgment.

The Boaster Type 2: The Experience Collector

It seems like the applicant is falsifying the number of workplaces and/or the duration of their stays? One of the most common tactics is omitting certain jobs, as more and more applicants realize that frequent job changes aren't viewed positively by employers. Counter this by asking for precise month-to-month explanations of their job transitions. Those who have exaggerated will quickly stumble. If the applicant spends too long and too much detail bashing their previous boss, don't be satisfied with just hearing about their last job. Ask about their previous workplaces, too. The more they criticize past workplaces or management, the more likely they were responsible for the issues. Another tricky area on resumes is computer skills embellishments. Applicants with basic computer skills often present themselves as experts. This is easily exposed with a practical task.

The Boaster Type 3: The Unintentional Revealer

A significant number of job seekers consider making it to the interview as a guarantee, but body language can ruin everything. According to HR professionals, lack of eye contact, a smileless face, and restless body language are behaviors that decrease the likelihood of the candidate being deemed suitable post-interview. Hiring professionals state that poor posture and a weak handshake can also diminish a job seeker's chances. These behaviors raise questions about honesty and seem off-putting if the interviewee crosses their arms over their chest or fiddles with their hair or face out of nervousness.

In a 2018 article, Business Insider listed 10 lies and errors that would make even non-professionals smile. For example, an applicant claimed to have worked at Microsoft but didn't know who Bill Gates was. On another occasion, a job seeker boasted about creating a computer code that was actually written by the interviewing HR professional. One applicant stated they learned from Nietzsche, not realizing Nietzsche stopped teaching in 1879 and died in 1900.

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