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Hiring Job Interviews Screening Applicants

I was interviewing an applicant who could not keep his employment dates straight. He was not sure when he started or stopped working on his previous jobs, and he read from his resume to give me the correct dates. I'm inclined to think that he faked some or all of his background. What is your opinion of this?



Although it is easy to assume that a person who does not remember his or her employment dates is living in a fabricated world, there are some highly intelligent applicants who just cannot recall this type of information. In some cases, these individuals can show dazzling ability to recall technical data in their areas of expertise, not unlike the classical "absent-minded professor."

Although this applicant may be faking everything about his background, that is not likely. In fact, the more common finding is that applicants who are true fakes tend to paint a perfect picture in terms of every date and detail of their make-believe backgrounds. Such applicants tend be likable, persuasive, and charming as they weave their seamless stories.

If you believe that your applicant has the knowledge, skills, experience, and other criteria needed for the job, and your only reservation is his confusion over employment dates, you should do some reality testing by taking references on him. Even if you are only able to verify his dates of employment, that would be extremely helpful.

Obviously much will depend on the position you are trying to fill, but instead of knocking this applicant out, some verification may reveal that he is actually a knockout.




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Posted by Website visitor on 2012-09-28 08:54:56
Just because someone does not know a date, does not mean they are lying. I am a very honest person, and one of the best employees you could have, and I could not tell you any of my prior hire dates. I know around when, but it’s not something that I memorize. I don’t understand why people rely on such things, as scraped shoes, not knowing a date, if the car they drive needs to washed, or do they have a manicure? Most people that come across as perfect and over confident end up being so so workers, because they rely on getting by with their personalities, and not a work ethic. If I were selecting someone, I would look at their basic skills. With these skills can they transition into the position I am filling? If yes, I would look at their GPA. If they graduate with a 3.0 or above, I know they have the ability to learn. Next, I would try to ask questions as to their work ethic, and there moral character. I would ask questions related to their prior productivity, and quality. My ideal employee would be intelligent, honest, and have a great work ethic. That is the stuff good employees are made of.