Update the resume, skimp on 'padding' - Employers scrutinizing information

By Kelly Yamanouchi
The Honolulu Advertiser, June 21, 2004

The next time you dust off your resume for a job search, be aware: Some employers may test the truthfulness of your glowing credentials carefully.

In an era when the trustworthiness of corporate executives has come into question and "creative accounting" has been criticized, the need to detect a fudged truth starts the moment someone applies for a job.

"Honesty is one of the things that employers are concentrating more on," said Derek Ito, past president of the Hawaii chapter of the Society for Human Resource Management. "We read about what's happening nationally with all these big companies and these white-collar crimes – people are just getting a little more lax as far as their morals go.

Employers are "not taking things for granted," Ito said. Companies are devoting more resources to background checks and following up on credentials and references.

Part of the problem is that some people feel a need to pad their resume.

A federal report released recently showed some high-level federal employees had bought academic degrees from "diploma mills" that require little or no academic work. According to the General Accounting Office, the investigative arm of Congress, 28 senior-level employees had degrees from diploma mills or other unaccredited schools. In some cases, the diplomas for advanced degrees cost thousands of dollars.

Some businesses say they rarely encounter serious problems with information on applicants' resumes. But some employers, particularly governments, say they go to pains to validate information and occasionally disqualify applicants after finding problems.

While most large employers check information on resumes, many mom-and-pop businesses do not, said Barry Nadell, president and co-founder of InfoLink Screening Services, a California-based firm that offers a background screening service.

However, technology has made it much faster and more convenient to verify information, Ito noted. It can cost $10 to $20 to verify licenses and education, $20 to $35 for a background check, and $5 for a Social Security number identification check.