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.
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.
COMMERCIAL INVESTIGATIONS LLC
| MR. DUE DILIGENCE |
 |  |  |  |  |  |  |
| DUE DILIGENCE: RESUME FABRICATOR |
DATE: NOVEMBER 2006