More Articles

How To Identify Fraudulent Self-Promotion

Identifying Fraudulent Self-Promotion

Self-promotion can be good thing for a job seeker in a competitive job market. On the other hand, fraudulent self-promotion is never right. Fraudulent self-promotion is when an employee claims a senior position they never held. In other words, they promote themselves by themselves for themselves!

The embellishment or puffery of a resume′should never be accepted or tolerated. Employers need to be pro-active in reviewing resumes′. An employer should not take an applicant’s word without verifying the information on a resume′ or application through a third party such as pre-employment background screening firm.

What’s in a job title?

A job title is more than a name on a desk or door plaque. For most people a job title represents the skills and experience an employee has gained through years of work, education and skills. Unfortunately, at least 8% of job applicants inflate information on their resume′ or application. Hiring managers have reported they have caught lies 47% of the time on a resume′. The most frequent excuses for inflated information, such as a previous job title, are to:

• Get a job
• Demand a higher salary
• Prestige of a senior position

A slow job market may push some candidates to lie on their resume′ in order to get a job.

Employers need to keep this in mind and to watch out for prospective candidates who may “fudge” job titles on their resume′. 

Then there are the employees who are just plain greedy and lazy. They self-promote in order to obtain a job with more seniority and higher wages. These employees feel that they are above the standards of working hard to get senior roles in a company.

The Risks Of An Inflated Job Title

Regardless of the reason, self-promotion should not be accepted. For most employers, the main concern of an inflated job title is the obvious lack of skills and experience of the employee.

There have been well-documented cases of fake medical professionals with equally fake prior job titles. The following story reported July 11, 2008 in The New York Times documents an extreme but not totally uncommon story.

A Federal judge sentenced Abraham Asante today to 12 years in prison for causing serious brain damage to a patient while posing as a doctor last year at Walson Army Hospital at Fort Dix.

Mr. Asante, 45 years old, of Bordentown, N.J., who was born in Ghana and is now a naturalized United States citizen, was convicted in Federal District Court here in April on charges of making false statements to the Army, unlawfully distributing drugs and aggravated assault.

The judge, Mitchell Cohen, said in imposing the sentence that Mr. Asante had ''perpetrated an enormous fraud.''

The Government began investigating Mr. Asante after a patient to whom he was administering anesthetic, Joseph Branda, 46, of Browns Mills, N.J., went into cardiac arrest and lapsed into a coma.

The judge, Mitchell Cohen, said in imposing the sentence that Mr. Asante had ''perpetrated an enormous fraud.''

The Government began investigating Mr. Asante after a patient to whom he was administering anesthetic, Joseph Branda, 46, of Browns Mills, N.J., went into cardiac arrest and lapsed into a coma.

According to prosecutors and testimony at the trial, Mr. Asante obtained a position as anesthesiologist at Walson by telling officials that he was licensed to practice medicine in Indiana, Connecticut and New York.

This situation can occur when the following is not verified:

• Work History
• Education
• References
• Credentials
• References

Additionally, a criminal records check is in order to make sure this person does not have any convictions for prior fraudulent behavior.

How to recognize a self-promoted job title

Some of the ways to recognize self-promotion is a lack of references or names of key contact personnel from previous jobs. References should be checked regardless of whether the candidate has the education to support the previous job title they are claiming.

The best way to verify a candidate’s accurate job title

The single most effective way is to check and verify the information a job applicant provides on his or her resume′. A professional employment background-screening firm best handles this. This will produce the most accurate and unbiased information needed to make the best hiring decision possible. A reputable and skilled employment-screening firm will also save an employer time, money and frustration.