Examine CVs, Cover Letters and Certifications Carefully

Seek out Warning Signs – Warning indicators may include job title inconsistencies, dates that overlap, and frequent employment changes without clear explanation. Also, spelling can be a good sign specially in cases where the imposter would list ‘attention to detail’ as a skill they possess, but their spelling errors demonstrate lack of attention to detail.

Verify Details – Ensure that the skills and certifications listed are relevant and verifiable. Cross-check certifications with issuing organisations if possible. This can help confirm the authenticity of the candidate’s qualifications.

Prepare Detailed and Specific Questions

Dive Deep into Job Experience – Ask candidates to describe specific projects they have worked on. Request details about their role, the challenges they faced, and the outcomes. Imposters often struggle to provide in-depth and consistent answers when asked to explain further. There are some honest people out there that can’t provide a lot of details perhaps because they did not have many duties or their job role wasn’t fruitful, but they will be honest about it.

Behavioural Questions – Use behavioural questions to assess the candidate’s problem-solving abilities and interpersonal skills. Questions like “Can you describe a time when you had to overcome a significant challenge?” can reveal a lot about a candidate’s true experience and character.

Use Skills Tests and Assessments

Technical Assessments – You should consider incorporating practical tests or assessments into the selection process for roles that require specific technical skills. By doing this, it can be possible to verify the candidate’s actual proficiency in comparison to what is listed on their resume. While administering the assessment, consider providing a monitored environment, either through invigilating software or in-person supervision, to maintain integrity. Offer technical support in case candidates encounter any issues with the assessment process.

HOGAN Assessments – By using Hogan Personality Inventory (HPI) you can measure how executives handle everyday situations and predict leadership success across various levels and industries. You can also identify strengths, weaknesses, and perceptions by others, useful for entry-level to leadership development.

With Hogan Development Survey (HDS) you can test reactions under high pressure and stress, predict challenges in relationship management and team effectiveness. HDS helps you identify “dark side” risks or derailers that could impact performance, allowing employers to address potential issues proactively.

Motives, Values, Preferences Inventory (MVPI) can be used to bring out the interviewee’s internal personality traits, such as core goals, values, and interests, revealing what motivates them. Therefore, you are able determine the most suitable positions, jobs, and environments for candidates to be productive and so if you have an imposter in front of you, most likely they will fail these assessments.

To find out more details on what HOGAN assessments are and how to implement them in you hiring process, check out our article.

GRS Recruitment is the 1st certified Recruitment agency in Cyprus to administer the internationally acclaimed Hogan Assessments as part of its recruitment service, which elevates our quality of recruitment service.

Observe Non-Verbal Cues

Body Language – Pay attention to the candidate’s body language. Inconsistencies between their verbal answers and non-verbal cues, such as avoiding eye contact, excessive fidgeting, or nervous gestures, can indicate dishonesty or discomfort with the topic.

Conduct Multiple Interview Rounds

Diverse Interview Panels – Involve multiple interviewers from different departments of your organisation. It is beneficial to examine the candidate from different perspectives in order to uncover any inconsistencies and provide a more complete picture of the candidate’s abilities and fit for the position.

Follow-Up Interviews – Schedule follow-up interviews to revisit certain areas of concern. This gives candidates another chance to clarify their experiences and can reveal more about their true capabilities.

At GRS Recruitment we strive to provide our clients with the best quality service. For this reason, our experienced team of Consultants when screening candidates whether it is in-person, online or via the telephone, will go over the candidates CV, to understand their academic achievements, employment history and hopefully spot any potential inconsistencies. This helps us to provide all necessary information to our clients so that you can make informed decisions in your hiring process.

Contact us today to find out how we can help your business and assist you in growing your team.