Data Scammer Sleuth Candidate Checks

A later-in-life online dater sadly realised the hard way that not every profile you engage with is genuine.

Yet she used this pain to help others avoid what she suffered.

With impressive results.

Whilst not every candidate we receive is from a criminal call centre, there are some that may well be trying convince us that they are something they patently are not.

Can the data scammer sleuth approach help save us in our hiring matches?

It was tickled by the “language” reveal. Posting stolen pictures seemingly incredulous. Not knowing ‘their’ cat was a British Blue barely credible. Not recognising a major local landmark to where they claim to live or work when described by its nickname a classic hole (in this case, Oxford’s ‘Radcliffe Camera’). Especially when you, the inquisitor, deliberately use the tv detective ploy of using a label you know to be untrue to gauge whether they correct you. For the super-sneaky, doing homework when lying about their profession, meaning claiming to be a doctor they knew certain medical terms, still sees their subterfuge fall short upon deeper challenge.

A real job hunt example I’ve had when interviewing, is where candidates state they’ve done an MBA. Yet when probed they didn’t know about a particular, fundamental model. One which every single course anywhere on the planet features. And with alarm bells raised – especially when asked to judge the relative merits of two poles of opinion – they turn out to be unfamiliar with other core concepts too.

Detail, in both sector, exposure and seniority, is what can expose the fakers.

A number of times a prospective hire has mentioned they’ve sold to a notable company, inside which I have contacts. It’s amazing the number of times you then ask them to name names that they squirm.

How intimate are they truly with the industry they claim to have sold to? Is the type of deal and person buying properly reflected in the way they describe deals? Which level of organisation have they actually circled within.

Long ago I asked candidates to describe their first ever deal. You’d be amazed how many said they couldn’t remember. Impossible. And even if synapses were clogged, would you really want to entrust a portion of your target to someone so amnesic?

Then we must too be robust in the face of ‘sympathy angles’. Whilst we may not have the equivalent of being asked for money due to unforeseen emergency ‘cash flow problems’, we can face the lathered on sob story.

Do not fall for it. You cannot afford to have your ambitions affected by those dealing in such dishonesty. Cheating isn’t winning. Diligently investigate for career swindlers.