Fake profiles: a growing menace in the recruitment industry

Published on Nov 24, 2017

Once these graduates pass out, the most sought after industry by them is the IT industry. No doubt the IT industry is major source of revenue in the Indian economy. Almost 77% of students try to seek jobs in the IT industry due to its lucrative and promising packages. The IT industry is a booming industry in India with cities such as Bengaluru, Hyderabad, Pune and even Chennai setting up bases for major IT big wigs both of national and international repute.

According to an internal study conducted by Han Digital researchers, the top 5 IT companies that recruit fresher pass outs or graduates are -- Tata Consultancy Services, Infosys, Wipro, HCL, and Accenture. These companies are known for mass recruitment and hire at least a handful of candidates from tier 1 and tier 2 colleges across India.

However, these companies have their own cut off rates and other criterions that many students fail to qualify. For instance, Accenture hires students who have scored at least 70% in their overall academics and at the same time should not have any backlogs. These criterions become a hindrance to many students thereby leading them to become unemployed youth or relegating to other short-term technical courses, which is perhaps not feasible in the long run.

There is no harm in enrolling for short-term courses but it can eventually lapses a candidate’s status of being freshers or job-worthy in the industry, thus rendering them to be unemployed for years and months alike.

When such a situation arises, students resort to unprofessional activities, that is by entering the industry through back door sources. They also invest a huge amount by seeking help from training institutes and other letterhead companies for recommendations and fake certificates. Though it might not be the fault of candidates but the agencies who charge hefty sums for such deceitful methods -- it is still considered illegal and a red flag while recruiting.

Fake certificates and resumes have been in circulation on various job portals for quite some time now and this has indeed become a menace that recruiters find it a challenge to deal with. Not only HR professionals of an MNC but also recruiters of an agency aren’t able to execute their tasks seamlessly due to the prevalence of fake profiles.

Majority of MNCs these days have issued a list of companies and agencies that are deemed unreliable and fake, but the growing rate of such companies never seem to decrease. Besides, recruiters are given strict protocols that are to be followed while sourcing profiles. At times, some fake profiles slip in through the cracks and end up of on the database and are only recognised once the candidate is personally interviewed. For an agency recruiter, this carelessness can cost them their job and even the client withdrawing their contract.

Thus to sift fake profiles from real profiles, here are some tips Han Digital experts have devised to both increase efficiency while recruiting and also save time:

 

 

·        The bottom-up approach:

The common approach that most recruiters use while going through profiles or resumes is to start from the top and then slowly move to the bottom. Simply put, recruiters use the top-down approach while reading resumes and profiles. But, what our experts suggest is that recruiters, in order to identify fake profiles, must screen profiles from the bottom first and then reach the top.

The bottom-up approach, also known as reverse chronology, helps recruiters to scrutinise crucial details first and then focus on other relevant details.

To spot a fake profile, a recruiter should analyse the educational details of candidates, which happens to be at the bottom. The standard time-frame any candidate should have is 15 – 16 years in their education. They must correlate this information and mentally estimate an accurate time frame from the candidate’s date of birth.

Apart from educational details, it is essential for recruiters to check professional gaps in resumes of any candidates. A job-seeker with irrelevant gaps in the resume is considered unfit for a job.

·        Blacklisted database:

As mentioned earlier, companies like Accenture and the rest issue a list of companies and agencies that a blacklisted due to their appearance in fake resumes and profiles. A recruiter must adhere to the rules and regulations listed out by the client and cross-verify resumes with the list the client has offered. Majority of the companies mentioned in the list are either non-existent or fraudulent. Through these lists, it becomes easy for recruiters to spot fake resumes in a jiffy.

·        Speak to candidates:

Even after several attempts of screening profiles and resumes, if there is still an element of doubt, it is best to simply speak or interact with the candidate. However, one must keep in mind while speaking to candidates that the flow of conversation should sound genuine and not staged. It is best to speak in a conversational tone and sound more friendly than professional.

Asking technical questions to candidates can help recruiters evaluate their technical expertise in the subject. Also, to ascertain the authenticity of a profile, the best method is to look for resume references or simply ask potential applicants to share a list of references from the previous company.

Moreover, asking candidates to share their LinkedIn profiles or other social media profiles will enable recruiters to easily cross-verify resumes with the information.

 

As known in the recruitment industry, fake profiles and resumes are a real nuisance to hiring professionals due to which most closures are not bound to happen. Besides, for a recruiter from an agency sourcing fake resumes can definitely impact their company’s performance and revenue. Thus, to avoid certain recruiting predicaments, a recruiter should be alert and execute tasks bearing in mind the professional nuances offered by the client.