Executive Summary 4
Spotting Lies
HR Magazine by Pamela Babcock
According to some staffing experts 30 percent of all job applicants make material
misrepresentation on resumes. According to this statistic it is safe to assume that one in
every three job applicants an employer is looking to hire is lying about one thing or
another on their application or resume. Weeding through this is difficult for employers.
They need to know what steps they can take, what works best to determine if someone is
lying and finally, how to handle the applicant if he or she is lying.
Are there definite signs that an employer can use to gage whether or not an applicant is not
being completely honest? According to some experts there are different types of body
language that should let an employer know who is not telling the truth. However,
according to the article, these mannerisms could simply mean that the interviewee is
nervous. In fact, the article goes on to state that, practiced liars often show no signs. Some
people have been telling one lie or another for so long and to so many people they believe
it themselves, making it honest in their minds. The best advice when it comes to
determining if someone is lying based on body languageit doesnt work. According to
Ekman from the article, the best advice is be cautious about your own judgments based on
demeanor, and be cautious about people who claim that there are signs of lying that they
can teach you quickly in this situation. The most important thing to know is youd better
