But that doesn't surprise Edward C. Andler. And many people are getting by with it, which appears to be making others follow suit. Increasingly, experts like Andler are being hired by U.S. companies, who want to hire truthful employees and who are eager to avoid costly lawsuits arising from crimes committed by workers hired without reference checks. In some fields, such as sales, the numbers are even higher.
Some resume lies, such as phony degrees, are easy to track.
Other fabrications, particularly those that just stretch the truth, are harder to detect. But Andler says he has other techniques that nearly always ferret out lies on resumes. Questioning former colleagues and other probing often reveals clues to past performance and potential problems. Still, many get away with their fabrications. And that, according to Andler, is why so many people continue the practice.