Job candidates typically focus on their resume and answering interview questions, but what you do after the job offer can be just as important – especially if you are exaggerating anything in your resume or job history.
We’ve discussed these options in detail before, but as a summary, you do have options to completely fabricate your past experience and having others pass you through the background check. Read here for a thorough discussion on this.
If you have exaggerated anything on your resume or in your background, the most essential thing for you is to be over-prepared. This means having things ready, even if they will never be used. The thing to keep in mind is that most verifiers are administrators, not investigators. In other words, it is not their job to try to prove you are lying, but rather to verify the information that you have provided. It’s not in anyone’s best interest to prove you lying (neither the hiring manager nor the verification want this) – they just want to show “compliance” with hiring standards. If you stay “under the radar” and handle the verification properly, then the verifiers will not make it to this point. The best way to make everything fast and easy for the verifier is to be prepared.
Some other considerations that you need to cover before the job offer arrives and before verification begins:
Have your references lined up
Don’t wait until the background check to verify your references. If it’s been years since your last job, you may be surprised how many of them have moved on to other roles, have changed their contact information, etc. And just having this ready to go will give you confidence during your next interview.
Remember, the key to passing a background check is to breeze through it – especially if you’ve taken liberties during the interview process. This means having everything prepared and ready to go.
Complete your W2s and Pay Stubs Beforehand
Again – prepare, prepare, prepare. It’s better to have these ready and never need them, than to need them and not have them. You do not want any delay when the background check starts – you want to breeze through it as quickly as possible.
Make sure to have your W2s and paystubs ready. Even if this never comes up, it’s well worth preparing for beforehand. There are ways to prepare W2s or paystubs if you’ve “forgotten” your real documents. Contact us for options.
Minimize how much lying or exaggerating you’ll do
If anything on your resume is a lie, something that we have no ethical problem with whatsoever, it’s best to be smart about what you say. The closer to the truth, the easier and more confident you will be in interviews. Instead of using complete fabrications or outright lies, think about ways to phrase variations of the truth in ways that still benefit you.
Some examples:
- For example, if you worked in a Sales Department as a sales analyst, but want to say you were an executive – use the same type of sales, the same company (if possible), the same product, etc. and simply change your role from Analyst to Director.
- If you were an engineer, but want to show sales experience, then use a sales position related to the product you were engineering.
- If you want to show experience at a large company, choose a company that is similar to your real job – not just the most prestigious employer. For example, if you worked a staff job for a small restaurant chain, don’t say you worked for McDonald’s Corporation – say Brinker’s International instead (FYI Brinker’s runs Macaroni Grill, etc.).
Freeze your The Work Number Report
The Work Number is an online database that stores employment and income records; and reports it to recruiters and verification companies. Make sure to freeze your report!
To learn more about this, read our TWN Compendium.
Wrapping up…
It’s clear that navigating the complexities of overemployment and ensuring the accuracy of your employment history require astute management of the verification process. Whether you choose to redirect or fabricate your past job details, it’s vital to make certain that your background checks hold up under scrutiny.
For those needing a secure and discrete solution, consider leveraging the services of a professional agency. We can help handling verification to ensure that your professional narrative remains intact and unchallenged.
Make sure you repeat everything on resume to your LinkedIn profile, even if you are lying. We advise you on whether you can lie on a public profile like LinkedIn.