Recruitment Techniques to Identify & Weed-Out Fake Applicants
It is understood across verticals, that hiring the right set of people is primary to ensure success of the project. However, sourcing people with the right-fit domain competency, recognized certification, real-time project expertise and proven technical skills has proved to be a daunting task for recruiting firms, and HR Managers.
The reasons are explicit: Majorly, given the mismatch between demand for jobs, and the exodus of Graduates and Post Graduates passing-out of colleges, there emerged scope for faking and fakery, almost in every sector. Added, faking has been compounded by the senseless greed of certain recruiters for monetary gains and early recognition in the market.
Both parties, the qualified/trained candidates seeking to make long and enriching careers with the industry, and the industry that seeks to hire the robust and right set of staff are equally affected by this perpetuation of faking and fakery.
The issue of faking and fakery becomes all the more important in the Infrastructure, IT & retail sector, when hiring is done on a massive scale. Two determining factors contribute to reducing the number of fake candidates getting hired by recruitment agencies: Accountability and integrity.
The established values of accountability and integrity should be integral to the recruiting firm’s organizational culture. Monetary gains and numbers can never be the sole consideration of established recruitment agencies.
Well, both the new and the old recruiting agencies and In-house recruiter’s need to adhere to established set of guidelines, while screening candidates as part of their hiring process.
- Original experience letters / certificates issued by the previous organization / educational institutions are furnished
- Present/last employer’s Appointment Letter, Salary Slip and CTC breakup structure are submitted
- Candidates review their own CV, forwarded by their consultant’s / downloaded from net / other channels
- Technical teams should evaluate each Candidate’s domain competency and project experience. This will help to authenticate the project experience of prospective candidates.
- Candidates can be made greatly accountable for the details furnished
* By making them to sign on each page of the CV
* By asking for the official mail ID, used by candidates while working at the previous employer
* By taking for references of each candidate’s immediate managers and colleagues
* By recording salary hikes received by candidates at earlier employers
- Experienced candidates may fudge on their professional experience. A little of probing and investigating with the previous employers will validate things. As the first step, you can verify the dates/months of work experience, as specified in the CV.
Example : a) 12 Jan 2003 – 13 Jan 2004 (Acceptable)
b) Dec 2002 – Jan 2005 (Not-acceptable)
- Stamped original educational certificates from the college/institute also help in validating the academic credentials of prospective candidates.
- By rule, salaries are deposited into each employee’s salary accounts. Therefore, the bank account details & the salary statements constitute a crucial parameter to validate each candidates actual work experience, in a company.
- Each Appraisal Statement stands as a proof to validate the candidate’s promotion history with an employer.
- Additionally, the candidate’s Provident Fund (PF) Number, Form 16 (for filing IT returns), Original ID Card of the previous/present company, office landline/board number with extension, reporting Manager’s details, and strength (number of employees) of the company also help in validating the credibility of prospective candidates lined-up for the interview.
- Interacting in person or on phone with the colleagues and friends of the candidates will sure offer some revealing information.
- If Internet has become more accessible, web 2.0 has defined the way people communicate and socialize, online. While, profiling prospective candidates it is needful to run their name (complete name with surname) on Facebook, LinkedIn and other social networking sites to check the footprints of the candidate.
The information found on social media sites may not have direct relevance, but sure to enhance your understanding of the candidates personal attributes and socializing trends, that determines his/her team work and attitude to work.
Checking the candidate’s CV at popular job sites such as Monster India and Naukri, eliciting information from the vendor/client with whom the candidate worked, verifying signature on academic and experience certificates and asking for only coloured scan documents of education certificates and other official document’s may also help in validating each candidate’s credentials.
Thanks for the very practical and informative piece of writing. Looking froward for some more practical inputs on talent acquisition.
Congrats for your initiative.
While HR is the responsibility of every management to achive Organisation Objectives on the one hand and on the other its employees; as it is said; you care me; I care you; progressive management has achieved great success with their vision and concern for their employees; who are ultimately; its assetts.
Thanks a heap sir.. This is very informative..
How to identify fake applicants during recruitment -http://t.co/DvnW0v8x
RT @Raks_d: Good pointers “@VinayRavindran1: Recruitment Techniques to Identify 038; Weed-Out Fake Applicants – http://t.co/DTQSkQkJsy“
Good pointers “@VinayRavindran1: Recruitment Techniques to Identify 038; Weed-Out Fake Applicants – http://t.co/DTQSkQkJsy“