This month we review Mr. Due Diligence's resume a little closer. What are some red flags on
his resume that would provide cause to classify Due as an undesirable? What other flags
would be revealed by comparing Due’s resume to his background investigation report?
Red Flag #1: Email address: Working from top to bottom on Due’s Resume (See Page 2) we
first notice Due’s email address. Due’s address is DoobieDue2@yahoo.com. Although a
minor detail—applicants often fail to have a professional email address to use for job hunting
(despite available free email services). Applicants also often use their email address at their
current employer or will send their resume on company time with a company computer or fax
right from their current employer. This should make you question how they will spend their
time at your company and how they will utilize your office equipment.
Red Flag #2: Vague or Irrelevant Objective/Accomplishments. Due’s objective is vague and
not tailored to a specific position or his skill set. Further review of his background
investigation—including employment verifications can confirm or question Due’s skill and
experience level. Objectives should be consistent with qualifications and stress relevant
abilities for the specific job. While some applicants and HR managers may discount the
importance of an objective or cover letter—inconstancies can be clues that an applicant is
stretching their abilities and the truth.
Red Flag #3: Employment Gaps—omitted, incomplete or incorrect dates. Due listed all of his
past periods of employment in years—leaving out the months. This can be an indication that
he is covering gaps of employment. A hiring manager might assume that 2006 either means
he is currently employed there or left recently. CI determined through employment verification
that Due last worked at Quick Fix Hospital in October of 2005. The HR staff at Quick Fix also
indicated that Due is not eligible for rehire. Comparing Dues’ criminal record it was determined
that he was convicted of possession of a controlled substance for an arrest in September of
2005 in which he was sentenced to 60 days of imprisonment—about the same time his
employment ended. The HR staff of Quick Fix would not provide detail regarding why due was
not eligible for rehire—however they did give us his reason for leaving—jail time. On his
application—Due indicated “family issues.”
It is important to use an application and make sure applicants complete the application fully
regardless of whether they provide a resume (do not allow them to use “see resume”). This is
important because applicants typically sign an application and certify the truth to any statement
on it, thus it becomes a legal document. Rose Miller, Managing Director of DR Human
Resources LLC adds: “A fully completed application form is an extremely important tool in the
recruiting process. The proper disclaimers on the employment application offer many
employer protections. An employer can state that falsification of information on the application
will prevent hiring and could result in termination should it be identified later.”
Use of an application may also require the applicant to fill-in specific dates with months as well
as additional information such as reason for leaving or the name of their supervisor. A criminal
record check when compared with a resume, application, consent form and employment
verification can help complete the picture of an applicant and explain employment gaps without
relying solely on the applicant’s explanation.
CI was able to use database searches to verify several employers Due did not indicate on his
resume (See Due’s Report). Database searches uncovered Due’s recent employment with
Clean Sweep. Due did not list this employment because of its unrelated duties, short tenure
and his termination.
Red Flag #4: Overstating qualifications/inflating titles and taking too much credit for group
efforts. Many applicants will overstate or exaggerate their experience and responsibilities.
Red Flag #5: Unclear Degree and education credentials. Due stated a year and a field of
study but never actually indicated a Bachelor of Science or definitive degree. Applicants will
often list a year they last attended, even if a degree was not Awarded. This is another
important reason to rely on an application and not just a resume, and to conduct an education
verification.
Red Flag #6: Employer is unclear (acronyms/temp agencies): Due listed AMD as employer. In
this case, despite Due’s IT background—this employment was actually with American Munchies
Distributors (not Advanced Micro Devices as one would expect or Due would lead you to
believe). Due was not a Micro Chip Fabricator but rather a potato chip processor.
Applicants who work for staffing or temp agencies will often put the name of the employer
where they were placed and not the name of the agency. Many Fortune 500 companies utilize
staffing agencies and contract employees. Applicants who list larger employer and do not
indicate the staffing agency may be intentionally misleading prospective employers.
Red Flag #7: Unrelated job titles and responsibilities. If an applicant lists a wide range of
responsibilities they may not have had the depth of experience they are indicating. For
example, for Red Flags Amusement Park, Due indicated that he monitored inventory as well as
oversaw an IT upgrade. Upon review of this employment verifications, Due’s supervisor
clarified that Due worked in the vending stands in the park—and his reordering and restocking
involved buying bulk candy from Sam’s Club. Also, the IT upgrade involved Due helping install
two new desktop computers.
Red Flag #8: No supervisory references. It’s important on an application to ask for supervisors
name and/or require at least 2 supervisory references. Due provided references on his
resume but none were prior supervisors.
In summary, an impressive resume can be just an illusion. It’s important to consider all sources
of information regarding an applicant, including the resume, application, consent form and
background investigation.
TO BE CONTINUED . . .
EXERCISE DUE DILIGENCE: DO THE DUE
his resume that would provide cause to classify Due as an undesirable? What other flags
would be revealed by comparing Due’s resume to his background investigation report?
Red Flag #1: Email address: Working from top to bottom on Due’s Resume (See Page 2) we
first notice Due’s email address. Due’s address is DoobieDue2@yahoo.com. Although a
minor detail—applicants often fail to have a professional email address to use for job hunting
(despite available free email services). Applicants also often use their email address at their
current employer or will send their resume on company time with a company computer or fax
right from their current employer. This should make you question how they will spend their
time at your company and how they will utilize your office equipment.
Red Flag #2: Vague or Irrelevant Objective/Accomplishments. Due’s objective is vague and
not tailored to a specific position or his skill set. Further review of his background
investigation—including employment verifications can confirm or question Due’s skill and
experience level. Objectives should be consistent with qualifications and stress relevant
abilities for the specific job. While some applicants and HR managers may discount the
importance of an objective or cover letter—inconstancies can be clues that an applicant is
stretching their abilities and the truth.
Red Flag #3: Employment Gaps—omitted, incomplete or incorrect dates. Due listed all of his
past periods of employment in years—leaving out the months. This can be an indication that
he is covering gaps of employment. A hiring manager might assume that 2006 either means
he is currently employed there or left recently. CI determined through employment verification
that Due last worked at Quick Fix Hospital in October of 2005. The HR staff at Quick Fix also
indicated that Due is not eligible for rehire. Comparing Dues’ criminal record it was determined
that he was convicted of possession of a controlled substance for an arrest in September of
2005 in which he was sentenced to 60 days of imprisonment—about the same time his
employment ended. The HR staff of Quick Fix would not provide detail regarding why due was
not eligible for rehire—however they did give us his reason for leaving—jail time. On his
application—Due indicated “family issues.”
It is important to use an application and make sure applicants complete the application fully
regardless of whether they provide a resume (do not allow them to use “see resume”). This is
important because applicants typically sign an application and certify the truth to any statement
on it, thus it becomes a legal document. Rose Miller, Managing Director of DR Human
Resources LLC adds: “A fully completed application form is an extremely important tool in the
recruiting process. The proper disclaimers on the employment application offer many
employer protections. An employer can state that falsification of information on the application
will prevent hiring and could result in termination should it be identified later.”
Use of an application may also require the applicant to fill-in specific dates with months as well
as additional information such as reason for leaving or the name of their supervisor. A criminal
record check when compared with a resume, application, consent form and employment
verification can help complete the picture of an applicant and explain employment gaps without
relying solely on the applicant’s explanation.
CI was able to use database searches to verify several employers Due did not indicate on his
resume (See Due’s Report). Database searches uncovered Due’s recent employment with
Clean Sweep. Due did not list this employment because of its unrelated duties, short tenure
and his termination.
Red Flag #4: Overstating qualifications/inflating titles and taking too much credit for group
efforts. Many applicants will overstate or exaggerate their experience and responsibilities.
Red Flag #5: Unclear Degree and education credentials. Due stated a year and a field of
study but never actually indicated a Bachelor of Science or definitive degree. Applicants will
often list a year they last attended, even if a degree was not Awarded. This is another
important reason to rely on an application and not just a resume, and to conduct an education
verification.
Red Flag #6: Employer is unclear (acronyms/temp agencies): Due listed AMD as employer. In
this case, despite Due’s IT background—this employment was actually with American Munchies
Distributors (not Advanced Micro Devices as one would expect or Due would lead you to
believe). Due was not a Micro Chip Fabricator but rather a potato chip processor.
Applicants who work for staffing or temp agencies will often put the name of the employer
where they were placed and not the name of the agency. Many Fortune 500 companies utilize
staffing agencies and contract employees. Applicants who list larger employer and do not
indicate the staffing agency may be intentionally misleading prospective employers.
Red Flag #7: Unrelated job titles and responsibilities. If an applicant lists a wide range of
responsibilities they may not have had the depth of experience they are indicating. For
example, for Red Flags Amusement Park, Due indicated that he monitored inventory as well as
oversaw an IT upgrade. Upon review of this employment verifications, Due’s supervisor
clarified that Due worked in the vending stands in the park—and his reordering and restocking
involved buying bulk candy from Sam’s Club. Also, the IT upgrade involved Due helping install
two new desktop computers.
Red Flag #8: No supervisory references. It’s important on an application to ask for supervisors
name and/or require at least 2 supervisory references. Due provided references on his
resume but none were prior supervisors.
In summary, an impressive resume can be just an illusion. It’s important to consider all sources
of information regarding an applicant, including the resume, application, consent form and
background investigation.
TO BE CONTINUED . . .
EXERCISE DUE DILIGENCE: DO THE DUE
| MR. DUE DILIGENCE |
 |  |  |  |  |  |  |
| DUE DILIGENCE: RESUME FABRICATOR |
DATE: NOVEMBER 2006
COMMERCIAL INVESTIGATIONS LLC
