Certain red flags are obvious when conducting background checks on potential employees. Others may be easier to overlook. However, they could give you second thoughts about hiring someone if you notice them.
Consider the example of a job title discrepancy. Perhaps an applicant has listed one job title on their resume. When you contact an employer, you find they actually had a different job title.
Such a discrepancy isn’t necessarily grounds for immediately throwing away a candidate’s application. Factors to consider when you notice a job title discrepancy include:
The Potential Reason for the Job Title Discrepancy
You may decide a candidate is untrustworthy if they claim to have had a job that involved more responsibility than the job they actually had with a past employer. That said, falsely claiming to have skills and experience one doesn’t have isn’t the only reason someone might put the wrong job title down on a resume.
Job titles aren’t universal. Companies can assign titles for roles that may be unique to their organizations. Thus, a former employee seeking work at a different company might worry their job title would confuse a hiring manager. They might, therefore, change the job title on the resume for simplicity’s sake.
Consider this when you discover a job title discrepancy. Before assuming a candidate was trying to actively mislead you, think about other reasons they may have had for altering a job title.
What the Candidate Has to Say
Speaking with a candidate directly about a job title discrepancy is entirely reasonable. They may be able to explain the discrepancy in a way that addresses your concerns.
Or, they might be able to provide additional references. For instance, due to a job title discrepancy, maybe you have doubts that a candidate is qualified for a particular role. You might wonder if they put the incorrect job title on their resume to falsely suggest they have skills or expertise they don’t genuinely possess.
Ask if they can provide references to confirm the nature of their past role. As long as others can vouch for the work a candidate once did, you may not care about a job title discrepancy.
What the False Job Title Implies
A job title can imply much information about a candidate’s past role. Consider the following words:
- Junior
- Executive
- Assistant
- Manager
These words in a job title could tell you something about a candidate’s place in the hierarchy at an organization. If a job title suggests a candidate had more responsibility than they actually had, that may be a red flag. For example, if someone listed a past job on their resume with “executive” in the title, you could reasonably assume they were a fairly high-ranking team member.
Maybe you find out that’s not the case when you speak with their past employer. Perhaps you learn they actually had a junior role. In these circumstances, you might be right to suspect that a candidate was trying to give you a false impression.
On the other hand, maybe the job title discrepancy doesn’t change your assumptions about the nature of a candidate’s past role. If their actual job title included the word “junior” while they changed the word to “assistant,” the overall meaning of the job title hasn’t necessarily changed.
If There Are Other Discrepancies
Someone willing to actively deceive a potential employer about past job titles may be willing to lie about other details. If a single job title discrepancy is the only red flag you come across in an application, consider whether it might simply be an error or oversight.
However, a job title discrepancy may give you a reason to look deeper into other aspects of a candidate’s background. You may disqualify them from consideration for a role if you find their application has numerous mistakes and falsehoods.
Handling Job Title Discrepancies: Every Candidate is Unique
You may feel tempted to apply a blanket rule whenever a job title discrepancy arises during the hiring process. Simply rejecting candidates who put down the wrong job titles on their resumes might be an easy solution. That said, it could also prevent you from hiring truly qualified team members.
A job title discrepancy doesn’t automatically mean a candidate is deceptive. As this overview has pointed out, there are several explanations for such a discrepancy. Many don’t require any nefarious intentions on the part of a candidate.
Yes, a job title discrepancy is definitely an issue you may investigate further before making a hiring decision. It simply shouldn’t always be the sole factor you account for when choosing whether to keep a candidate in the running.
If you’re a candidate, we recommend running a reverse lookup on yourself, like you can find here, so that you can prepare for any discrepancies that may show up on your background check.
