How honest would you be?

LindaS

[font size="1" color="#FF0000"]LAST EDITED ON 04-21-04 AT 02:06PM (CST)[/font][br][br]I received an application from a person that used to work for the same company that I used to work for. I worked in HR at this company so I know the reason he no longer works there (termination due to attendance). Anyway he didn't put this company down on his application but I KNOW he worked there. In addition, this person's father-and mother-in-law work for us and I know that one of them will come in wanting to know if I'm going to hire him. This person has also called regarding his application and all I've said is that I'm currently reviewing the applications.

How honest would you be with this person if they call again? Would you say that you know they falsified their application or make up some other excuse because there is NO WAY I'm going to even interview this person. If I get asked about him from our employees, I will simply tell them that it is confidential so that is not an issue.

One last thing, this person is Native American and the family members that work for us are ones that I have posted about before regarding the "racial discrimination" probems.

Any advice would be appreciated.

Don D

Go with your gut. Tell the relatives that you will not discuss his application with them. If he calls tell him that you are not advancing his application to the next stage, period. If he becomes a pest tell him that he falsified his application and did not include his employment with XYZ in 199_.

LarryC

Having not listed his previous employer would leave a "gap" on his application, which you can surely ask him about.

Hunter1

I would be very honest with him. I'd tell him up-front that you know about his past employment and that he falsified his application. Why give him an excuse to believe that there's a chance it's discrimination? He would know the reason you're not considering him instead of making up his own reason that he might share with others. ERD, EEOC.

Balloonman

Linda,
Don hit the nail right on the head. It is what you feel you should do to.......but this is one of those uncomfortable areas............. like Don said, go with your gut.
Tell me, what would you do if you found out that someone falsified their application?
My $0.02 worth!
DJ The Balloonman

stilldazed

I agree that you should follow you hunch and try to operate within your comfort zone if possible. I would take Don's approach--try to provide an opportunity for the applicant to 'save face' by reserving full details about the blunder unless required to spell things out clearly, but be ready with both barrels in case he contests why he won't get considered/interviewed. In the meantime, what you do with his application is not the in-laws' business, and I'd tell them that up front. I'd try diplomacy, but if that didn't work, I'd be blunt about it. They wouldn't expect anything less if it was their own application.

ritaanz

As the others have indicated, follow your instinct. One way or another, the application is falsified. He left out a previous employer and probably used incorrect dates to cover up the gap in employment history. If I were in your spot, when he calls again, I would tell him that you are in the process of interviewing for the position and his application has not been selected. If he persists, I would tell him that his business references do not check out. Period. End of story.

Pork

I would go one step further "your application has been reviewed and "will not" be sent forward for further action". We wish you well in your pursuit of employment! There is no need to call back.

PORk

blw

I would probably call the previous HR department and verify the employment as a formality - cross my T so to speak. That way there is no chance you can be accused of having "remembered" incorrectly.

LindaS

Thanks to all for your advice...

Regarding the falsification of dates of employment, the area on our application allows for 4 job listings, he only put one so he was left with plenty of room.

Regarding the contacting of the other HR, already done and she called me yesterday to tell me she received an application from the same person and on this application he DID write down that he worked there. Funny, huh?!?

When he calls I'm going to tell him that his application has not been selected for an interview and if he presses the reason, I will explain that he failed to put a previous employer on his application.

Thanks again for all your help.

stilldazed

You should be fine in doing that, especially since you have multiple applications from the same person with different employment history. We've seen some of that in our office, and if we get to a job offer with someone, start screening, and find that kind of discrepancy, it's not hard to move from there to misrepresentation and disqualify the candidate.