Lies can kill your chances of getting hired - More companies relying on background checks

By Kate Lorenz
CareerBuilder.com

Truth be told, most of us have told a lie, even if it was just a little one, at some point in our lives.

The dog didn't really eat that homework when we were kids. And the "real" reason we came home two hours past our curfew was, well, our own business.

It can be tempting to fabricate a little tale now and then to defuse a situation and avoid a punishment. But let's raise the stakes a little.

Let's say there's a plumb job on the line, and you don't have "quite" the right qualifications.

Would a little fudging on your resume be such a big deal? Hey, you know you can do the job.

Or, what if you've made a mistake somewhere in your past and ended up on the wrong side of the law? Nobody needs to know about that.

After all, everyone deserves a second chance, right?

It's quite possible that white lies and the omission of blemishes on your record could cripple your future.

"I have no use for someone who lies on their resume. Fudging virtually anything is unacceptable from a recruiter's perspective," warns Dave Theobald, CEO of Netshare, a subscription-based career network for executives.

The big concern for companies seems to be that if you lie here, where will you stop lying?

But if you're not applying for a position as Notre Dame football coach or running for public office, will anyone find out? Chances seem to be getting better that someone will.

Companies are more and more often relying on background checks and employee screening services to keep the bad apples from getting in the door.

Recent high exposure business scandals have not helped the chances of remaining undiscovered. Public companies and their employees are under a new scrutiny.

"It has even led many companies to establish a new 'C-level' role: chief reputation officer," Theobald says.

Barry Nadell of InfoLink Screening Services Inc., a nationwide provider of employment background checks and drug testing, says, "Employers who don't perform criminal background checks may not know the correct history of an applicant and can open themselves up to negligent hiring liability."

Add the fact that some clients are requiring search firms to carry liability insurance in case a hired candidate turns out to be "not as advertised," and you realize, in this day and age, a background check is likely to be more than just a formality.

So what should you do if you've got something of this nature in your past? Or worse, yet, what if you lied about it on your resume, and now your big secret is about to be uncovered?

"Truth is the only way out," says Roz Usheroff, business image and communication consultant.

"Explain the circumstances, what was happening in your life at the time, what lessons you've learned as a result."

Beth Schoenfeldt, corporate coach and CEO of FLOinc, agrees. "Apologize and take responsibility, then explain. Ask to be judged on your current performance."

If your boss decides to spare you the ax, your next priority is re-establishing trust in yourself. "Be willing to put in any 'safety' measures so your current boss feels completely safe having you in the job," Schoenfeldt says.

Usheroff concurs. "It will take at least six months to a year displaying consistent honorable behavior to shift perception. Knowing how you want to be perceived is the first step."

All well and good, but if you were honest in the first place, would you have gotten the job you wanted or really needed?

Schoenfeldt offers this perspective: "I recently had a client face a situation where she didn't have the 'correct' background for the job. She admitted this right away but said that she knew she could do it, told them why and said if given the chance she wouldn't let them down. This approach will save much embarrassment and many problems down the road. People get hired all the time based on enthusiasm and motivation."