Plagiarism in Resumes: How Recruiters Can Spot and Prevent It

Every applicant wants to make a memorable first impression with their resume. That is why they often look through dozens of other people’s CVs to get a clear idea of how to make their profile stand out. People compare their achievements to those of others, but it does not mean that fabricating the whole section is acceptable. The practice of resume plagiarism has many negative consequences, from ethical issues to impacting team performance and company reputation.

Therefore, recruiters should be aware of practical techniques to identify obvious and not-so-obvious signs of plagiarism and outline strategies to prevent this deceptive practice. Using digital tools like an accurate plagiarism checker might be one such effective solution because it allows you to detect unoriginal content in resumes in the blink of an eye. If you are a hiring professional and want to learn more ways to identify unethical behavior, let’s consider the most effective ones.

What Plagiarism Can Look Like

Before we move on to the ways of detecting plagiarized content in resumes, let’s analyze its various forms.

Direct Copying of Job Descriptions

You might come across resumes that have phrases and even entire sections from the corresponding job descriptions. Some candidates want to seem like a perfect match and simply copy the text you or your colleagues wrote.

Lifting from Sample Resumes and Online Sources

It’s easy to find resume templates and examples on the web and use them when creating one’s resume. Even though it’s not a crime to get inspired by the structure and tone of voice other professionals use to describe their accomplishments, it is inappropriate to copy significant portions of these examples. A candidate should at least personalize them and back them up with genuine experience.

Fabricating Responsibilities and Achievements

This form of plagiarism occurs when a candidate exaggerates the scope of past roles, claims responsibilities they never held, or invents accomplishments and quantifiable results that are entirely untrue.

Credit for Team Accomplishments

It’s another type of plagiarism when a candidate presents collective achievements as their own. To check if this is really the case, you can ask the interviewees additional questions to concentrate on their individual contributions.

Misrepresenting Education

It’s natural that candidates want to show their best qualities and, therefore, might exaggerate some of their achievements. Nonetheless, there should be no plagiarism when they talk about their GPA or falsely claim degrees or certifications.

Red Flags to Watch For

The factors we are going to review here are not a 100% sign of plagiarism, a recruiter needs to pay close attention to these points when analyzing a candidate’s resume:

• Generic and cliché language might indicate that a candidate lacks genuine experience or relies on trivial templates.
• Inconsistent tone or writing style within the same resume can suggest that a candidate copied different sections from various sources.
• Unusual or overly sophisticated vocabulary is another point to watch out for, especially when the language does not match the typical communication style for similar roles.
• Quantifiable achievements that lack context and explanation of the “how” a candidate reached these results.

Practical Techniques

Now we can move on to the specific techniques that can help you determine whether a candidate uses someone else’s content in their resume.

Keyword Searches

Copy and paste unique phrases or unusual terminology from the resume into search engines to find out if the content is original and differentiates from the existing online sources.

Comparison Against Job Descriptions

Carefully compare the candidate’s responsibilities and achievements with the exact wording of the job description. There is nothing wrong with aligning them to the actual experience, but verbatim copying of multiple phrases is a significant red flag.

Cross-Referencing with Online Profiles

It is also helpful to systematically compare the information from resumes with professional profiles on platforms like LinkedIn. Pay close attention to dates of employment, job titles, and company descriptions to ensure there are no inconsistencies there.

Formatting and Structure

Not all candidates pay attention to formatting and can leave some obvious signs of copying content from other sources. Therefore, it is always a good idea to check if there is any unusual formatting (different font styles, inconsistent bullet point styles, or abrupt changes in layout within the same document).

Attention to Detail

Thoroughly review resumes for typos, grammatical errors, and awkward phrasing. Without a doubt, candidates can make mistakes, but a high number of such issues, especially combined with other red flags, can suggest a lack of careful preparation or potentially copied content.

Resume Screening Software

You already know that plagiarism checkers can come in handy, but they are not the only technological advancement that recruiters can benefit from. Some Applicant Tracking Systems and specialized software can identify potential plagiarism by comparing resumes against internal databases or publicly available text. However, you need to be aware of the limitations of these tools and use them as a supplementary measure.

Prevention Strategies

For those who want to engage in a more transparent and authentic hiring process, here are several plagiarism prevention strategies.

Craft Specific and Unique Job Descriptions

Try to create well-written and detailed job descriptions that highlight the specific requirements and desired skills that can serve as a deterrent to direct copying. When you use unique language and clearly outline the nuances of the position, it becomes more obvious if a candidate simply lifts text without understanding its context.

Ask Targeted and Behavioral Interview Questions

Use the interview process as a valuable opportunity to delve deeper into a candidate’s claimed experiences. Ask targeted questions that require specific examples and behavioral questions that explore how they handled past situations. Doing so quickly reveals inconsistencies or a lack of genuine understanding of the responsibilities they’ve mentioned on their resume.

Request Work Samples or Portfolio Pieces

For roles where candidates can demonstrate specific skills (writing, design, programming), request work samples or portfolio pieces to assess their actual abilities. After all, it might be easier to tell you about their experience during an interview than to showcase their talents in practice.

Conduct Thorough Reference Checks

One more strategy is to verify a candidate’s past roles, responsibilities, and performance with previous employers to uncover possible discrepancies. Be sure to go beyond confirming employment dates and dive deep into the nature of their contributions and achievements. It is common for recruiters to ask specific questions about the details candidates mention in their resumes because it helps to reveal fabrications.

Do Background Checks

Depending on the role and company policy, you can conduct background checks and use verification services to confirm a candidate’s educational qualifications, employment history, and professional certifications. These services can help you identify any misrepresentations or exaggerations.

Promote Ethical Candidate Behavior

Finally, you should clearly communicate the company’s values and expectations regarding honesty and integrity during the application process. It is one of the ways to underline the significance of ethical behavior and encourage candidates to avoid all kinds of plagiarism. It is also crucial to describe the consequences of submitting false information because candidates will think twice before doing something unethical.

To Sum Up

As you can see, recruiters have a major responsibility when it comes to fostering a culture of ethical candidate behavior. A combination of careful scrutiny and proactive prevention strategies can help you minimize the risks of hiring those who lie about their accomplishments and use plagiarized content in their resumes.