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234 SNAKES IN SUITS
because they do not want to have their candidacy discounted based
on that fact alone. Other discrepancies are harder to assess. For example,
candidates will sometimes increase their actual salaries to a
round number, a practice that does not suggest deceit; employment
dates may be vague or unclear simply because candidates do not remember
them or because they wish to cover over legitimate gaps in
their employment history. Contrary to common belief, being out of
work between jobs is not necessarily a negative. In today’s economy,
it can take months to get a new position as individuals search for the
right career move. It is also not problematic for individuals to accept
lower-level interim jobs—and include them on their résumé—as
they search for a higher-level one, especially during times of economic
downturn when senior level jobs are scarce. This may even indicate
that the applicant is responsible and takes supporting his or her
family seriously. Certainly, it is best for job applicants to be forthright,
and interviewers should understand that career digressions are
sometimes necessary, and take an open-minded approach.
Without much new information coming from the formal verification
process, some hiring managers may try to circumvent the human
resources department and call previous supervisors directly.
This sometimes works, but many companies train their supervisors
well in this regard, telling them to direct all employment inquiries to
human resources, and explaining to them the dangers of answering
these “off-the-record” questions. Not every company follows this
strict procedure, however, so hiring companies often use this route to
find out how the candidate performed on his or her previous jobs.
REFERENCE CHECKING
Reference checking is an important step in the hiring process and
should not be downplayed, despite the time it might take to do well.
On résumés and applications, most candidates list references who
will provide favorable information. This is to be expected but should
not dissuade the hiring manager or the HR staff from making con-