Job seekers will go to any extent to secure a well paying job. And this is a fact. This determination can be sometimes lethal to recruiters as we are seeing a rise in fake interviews. It is happening overwhelmingly in IT staffing and is costing companies time and money and they do not get the candidates they hired or the ones they thought they hired.
Couple of years back, almost all the companies invited candidates for an in-person interview before they finalised their offer. But it is not the case anymore. With the rise in remote and hybrid working, chances are that you might not even meet the person when you roll out the offer. This opens up opportunities for candidates to bypass through and land high paying jobs. In this article we are going to discuss how big a problem is fake interviews, and how a recruiter can spot it and tackle such attempts. So let’s get started.
What are fake interviews?
According to US News, fake interview (also known as proxy interview or interview fraud) “is the practice of a potential employee hiring someone to be their stand-in during the interview process.” It can also be using other fraudulent methods to cheat the interviewer from believing that the candidate is employable with the right knowledge and attitude.
People are still trying to figure out why some people cheat through their interviews. It can be:
- To land job easily
- Not available to take interview
- Under qualified
- Do not have the right skills
- Afraid to answer questions
- Not fluent in English
- Gain access to company systems
As per credible sources, remote positions in general have higher risk than in-person jobs to pull these kinds of frauds.
Fake interview market: Booming economy
Business Insider India reported that “Professional fakers” are charging people up to $150 an hour to sit in their job interviews for them. It is hard to imagine that the fake interview market is growing like any other industry. This is a growing concern for companies as they are putting their resources at risk. The malicious joiner could have any intention, and the costs will be immeasurable. According to the report, “bait-and-switch” trends have been on the rise because of more work-from-home jobs and overseas hiring.
Also read: Dos and Don’ts of Onboarding
How do candidates fake interviews?
Technological advancements have supercharged scammers to attempt at interview cheating. Let’s take a look at various methods a candidate cheats in an interview:
Deep Fakes
In deep fake interviews, according to euronews, “the actions and lip movements of the person seen interviewed on-camera do not completely coordinate with the audio of the person speaking. At times, actions such as coughing, sneezing, or other auditory actions are not aligned with what is presented visually.”
Here is a video explaining how a deep fake video works:
Proxy calls
Phone calls are always a primary choice for recruiters to reach out to candidates and do a preliminary round of the interview. But it is impossible for an interviewer to verify whether they are speaking to the right candidate via the phone. Exploiting this weakness, people have started to use someone else to appear for the call instead of them.
Eye tracking tools
The new eye tracking feature by NVIDIA on their broadcasting tool uses AI to fixate eye movements allowing the person to look at other locations. Tools like this help people to browse through answers while being interviewed in real time. This is really an advanced tool that candidates can leverage to fake in an interview.
Fake identities
Candidate impersonation is on the rise. Such fraudsters copy the bio, experience, education, and other relevant information from a real person from LinkedIn or other sources and paste them into their own resume. This helps them land an interview easily as interviewers do not verify the details in the first stages.
How to Spot a Fake Interview and Tackle it?
It is important to take proactive steps to verify the information and credibility of the candidate using various methods.
1. Look for inconsistencies in information provided:
You can find out whether a candidate is being untruthful by checking for inconsistencies on their resume. If the information on their resume, cover letter, and LinkedIn profile does not add up, it is a clear sign that they are not being truthful. It also indicates that the candidate does not have eye for detail or poor preparation, which should concern you as an employer.
2. Lack of specific details:
A fake candidate won’t be able to provide specific and detailed information about their past experiences, projects, or accomplishments.
3. Technical glitches:
In case the candidate is trying to fake the video call using any tools, you will be able to notice slight glitches. Ask them to turn on/off their video in the middle of the interview to notice any minor changes. It is crucial to ask the candidate to keep the video on at all times to avoid them referring to other resources to answer your questions. Take screenshots with permission during the interview and compare their image once they join the company. This allows you to ensure that the same person attended the interview.
4. Audio and video not in sync:
There are a number of cases being reported where the interviewer caught the candidate lip syncing.
The cases are increasing as candidates become desperate to land jobs. Look for audio and video not in sync. Minor things like coughing, sneezing or even breathing can be easily noticeable this way.
5. Unprofessionalism:
Poor communication skills, poor attitude, or showing up late or being unprepared are some of the red flags in a fake candidate. Avoid such types of candidates early on.
6. Vagueness:
Candidates claim various experiences and skills on their resume But when you ask them questions related to those mentioned points, they may answer it vaguely or in an evasive manner. This clearly indicates that the candidate may not have the mentioned experiences or skills.
7. References:
Don’t rely solely on the references provided by the candidate, but also reach out to previous employers or coworkers for additional information. This will make you ensure that the candidate is legit and not faking it.
Also read: 7 Actionable Ways to Retain Best Talent
8. Keep video on always:
Make it a habit to always enable your camera while interviewing and ask the candidate to enable theirs. It will remove chances for the candidate to cheat on the interview. If the camera is disabled, you might know who is on the other side, and if they are taking any help from someone.
9. Randomly ask for screen share:
If you noticed any red flags that we discussed earlier during the interview, don’t hesitate to ask them to screen share. If they have a chat window open, they are more likely talking with a proxy and you can see it clearly. Fake candidates will close the program and continue with the interview. If the quality of the answers drops significantly, you will know why.
10. Explore social media pages:
Most people are available on at least one social media platform. Ask candidates for their social media profiles and see if they are responding to you. Fake candidates may not share their social media handles fearing that they might get caught. This is a clear indication to drop pursuing the candidate.
Note for employer:
- Start off the interview by saying something like “We are a company that does not tolerate anything illegal or dishonesty.” Make it clear that your company has high integrity. This will scare away some dishonest candidates early on.
- In between the interview mention that your company has fired people for lying and being dishonest and disrespectful with each other.
Conclusion
To sum up, fake interviews are becoming common and recruiters should be aware of the fraudulent techniques candidates might use in order to cheat their way into companies. However, you can guard your company against such attempts by being mindful when it comes to noticing minor details of the candidate while on the video call, extensive background verification and social media tracking, and looking for vague replies and unpreparedness. I hope this article was helpful, let us know in the comments if you have even come across fake interview candidates in your role and how you were able to identify them.