Résumés getting more scrutiny

By Kelly Yamanouchi
Advertiser Staff Writer

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

Personnel management specialist Stephanie Wada checks an application against job requirements at the state Department of Human Resources and Development. The state routinely checks the accuracy of applicant claims. Rebecca Breyer • The Honolulu Advertiser

"Honesty is one of the things that employers are concentrating more on," said Derek Ito, past president of the Hawai'i 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 résumé, sometimes with fluff.

A federal report released earlier this month showed some high-level federal employees had bought academic degrees from "diploma mills" that require little or no academic work. According to the investigation by the U.S. 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.

"Now we're learning that there's schools out there that are nothing more than a box office or something like that," Ito said. "A lot of those guys that used to do that used to be in Honolulu. ... They clamped down on that."

Local businesses say they rarely encounter serious problems with information on applicants' résumés. But some employers, particularly the state government, say they go to pains to validate information and occasionally disqualify applicants after finding problems.

If information is found to be untruthful, job candidates may be removed or barred from consideration. Cases of potentially serious fraud could be forwarded to law-enforcement authorities.

Watanabe said the department reviewed about 25,000 job applications last year. She could not say how many raised flags, but noted: "We have had several instances where we have told the applicant we find them to be less than truthful, and we are taking their name out of consideration."

The city Department of Human Resources does not accept résumés, but requires applicants to fill out a form and "certify" that information is accurate, said spokeswoman Carol Costa. She said there are checks and balances to verify information, with the Honolulu Police Department conducting one of the most thorough evaluations.

If an applicant is found to have misrepresented years of service, copied a diploma or altered a name or date, that person is banned from applying for a city job, Costa said.

At Starwood Hotels & Resorts, spokesman David Uchiyama said the company focuses on verifying work experience by checking references and doing deeper checks for jobs in areas such as finance.

Hawaiian Electric Co. requires job seekers to fill out an application, checks references and criminal records and, for some jobs, asks for a copy of a transcript, license or certification, said spokesman Jose Dizon.

Many hires come from reputable, recognized schools, he said. But interviewers ask a lot of questions, and "if we require a transcript, we'll go into detail as to what courses they took — and actually a lot of technical questions we ask will determine whether they're competent or not."

Verizon hires a subcontractor to run background checks. "It's just what we have to do," said spokesman Kevin Laverty. "Our folks say it's rare for them to encounter issues or problems."

While most large employers check information on résumés, 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.

Employers say it's not unusual to question information on résumés, which in many cases result from inadvertent mistakes or incomplete information.

Ito said he had heard it estimated that about 40 percent of résumés and applications have misleading information — "not necessarily intentional lying, but sometimes it's just misleading or incorrect information."

Using references to verify information can be difficult, because employers are often reluctant to do more than verify dates of employment. Despite protections in Hawai'i law, "there are a lot of companies that are still worried" about being sued, Ito said.

However, technology has made it much faster and more convenient to verify information, he 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.

Common inaccuracies arise in dates of employment, job titles and accomplishments. Sometimes information on a résumés may not mention the size of a company or reason for resignation.

Inaccuracies in dates "could be a person's memory," Ito said. "As far as outright lying, I don't think it's really prevalent."

But if a job applicant did lie, "we would just end it right there," he said. "Where there's smoke, there's fire."

Reach Kelly Yamanouchi at kyamanouchi@honoluluadvertiser.com or 535-2470.