As fake candidate information grows more prevalent, only 1 in 5 HR professionals say they’re “very confident” about being able to detect fabricated or misleading details in job applications, according to an Aug. 18 report from Equifax.
In fact, 71% of HR pros said they’ve already encountered fake or misleading candidate details during the hiring process, particularly around employment history, educational background and credentials.
“Our survey shows that HR is facing new challenges with the prevalence of misleading candidate information in the age of AI-generated resumes,” Bart Lautenbach, senior vice president and general manager of talent solutions for Equifax Workforce Solutions, said in a news release.
“Employers may think they have found a well-qualified candidate, only to learn after a comprehensive background check that this person was significantly exaggerating their experience,” Lautenbach said.
Facing a tough job market, 10% of job seekers say they’ve lied on their resume, typically about dates of employment, years of experience and job responsibilities, according to a report from AI Resume Builder. Among those who lied, three-quarters said they received a job offer, and 92% said their lies were never discovered.
In the Equifax survey of 254 HR pros and HR leaders, 76% reported using AI to improve efficiency in hiring and onboarding. For instance, automation could help with background checks and other verifications, Equifax noted.
HR teams also can look for patterns when trying to weed out bad hires; previous Equifax research indicates a strong correlation between past and future job tenure. Candidates who often leave jobs within 60 days tend to repeat the pattern, the report found.
Hiring managers can also protect themselves and fight back by using AI themselves in screening platforms, verification systems and deepfake detectors, security experts told HR Dive. However, these systems need human oversight to avoid bias or privacy concerns, the experts added.