Business Owners and Supervisors - 5 Ways to Avoid Hiring a Liar

From slight exaggerations to outright lies, applicants for all kinds of jobs have often bend the truth to either enhance what they've actually done, claim experience they don't have, or hide things they don't want prospective employers to know about.

And in today's tough economy, with high unemployment resulting in even more competition for scarce jobs, applicants may decide the benefit of getting hired is worth the risk of getting caught in a lie.

Even high-profile candidates are stretching or hiding the truth to get a job. Over the past few years, senior staff members at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, the Red Cross, and the TV Food Network have all faced humiliating departures after lying about past experience.

How do so many people get away with lying on resumes and in interviews?

Why do employers so readily trust people they don't know?

The answer has a lot to do with the psychology of first impressions. Studies have shown that when we meet someone for the first time, we tend to have a slightly positive impression of him or her. Even without data to support that impression. So, we tend to look for information that supports that positive impression, and ignore or discount information that conflicts with that view.

Here are 5 things you can do to avoid hiring a liar:

Look for gaps on the resume. Gaps are frequently used to hide negative information. The applicant hopes you won't notice the six-month gap between jobs. But now you will, and you'll inquire about it thoroughly.

Require month and year for dates of employment. A technique often used to hide information is to include only the years associated with a job, not the months. So, 1990-1991 could be as short as a few days or as long as 24 months. Insist that applicants include the month when providing employment information.

Verify dates of employment and degrees. If necessary, have the applicant sign a release giving you permission to verify this information. If they hesitate or give you excuses about why they can't or won't, they may be hiding something.

Create a questionnaire to use with all applicants. Using a standard set of questions will help you avoid the possibility that you are unconsciously biased in favor of someone who impresses you in the interview.

Get a work "sample." Give the applicant a task or question to answer, during the interview or while they are still in your office, that is a sample of one of the responsibilities of the job. Ask an associate attorney applicant to review and comment on a brief, for example. Or ask a marketing director how they might brand a new product.

After tightening up your interviewing process, you may still have a nagging doubt about an applicant. A hesitation way back in your mind somewhere, that something is just not right -- or that the applicant is too perfect. Trust your instincts. Ask more questions until you're completely satisfied that they are who they say they are. And if you still have doubts, consider hiring someone else.

Dr. David Weiman is a psychologist and management consultant in Wynnewood, PA (suburban Philadelphia). His website is http://www.WeimanConsulting.com, where site visitors can sign up for a free leadership newsletter that helps them increase their impact and influence as business leaders. An expert on leadership and the psychology of success, Dr. Weiman has been quoted in the LA Times, BusinessWeek, the Philadelphia Inquirer, and he has appeared as a guest on Fox Philadelphia news and Money Matters. Dr. Weiman is the author of The Stress Solution, a guide for managing stress written for business executives and the co-creator of The Keys to Successful Interviewing and Hiring CD course.

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Are You Ready To Start Your Own Business? The 6 Key Questions You Must Ask Yourself to Be Successful

Small business success is an issue of winners and losers. You definitely want to be a winner in the high stakes game, so how can you make sure you succeed. You can never be guaranteed success with a small business since there are too many variables outside of your control that can impact it one way or another. However, there are things you can do to maximize your chances of success.

Every year, millions of people decide to take the plunge and open their own small business. Unfortunately, this decision costs many of them money, time, confidence, and heartbreak. The Small Business Administration (SBA) estimates there are 580,900 new small businesses opening each year and that number does not include the small one-person entrepreneurships that pop up every day.

The SBA also estimates that two-thirds of new businesses survive at least two years and 44 percent survive at least four years. Two key factors in the businesses’ survival and ability to thrive are the owner's education level and the owner's reason for starting the business.

You must ask yourself six key questions to determine whether your small business will survive and thrive.

• Are You Ready? - Have you mentally prepared yourself for the switch from employee (or student or whatever label fits you currently) to boss. You are going to be the one making decisions now about everything from office products to product line. Total control is one of the driving forces behind many people who take the plunge into starting their own business, but it is also one of the elements that drive new entrepreneurs crazy. The endless list of decisions that need to be made every day can be draining and discouraging.

• Can You be Flexible Enough? – You must keep in mind that you will wear many hats in a small business. Even if you manage to start out with employees on staff, you will be handling more than one responsibility in your new business. You will need to jump from being the CEO to answering telephones, meeting with marketing contacts, maintaining your financial records, and serving as file clerk. Can you handle switching from task to task and role to role like that? Are you willing to make those switches?

• Can You Maintain the Right Attitude? – Are you prepared for the significant changes you will face in your life? Your life will change and that change can have a positive or negative impact on your family life and social interactions. It will make things much easier if your friends and family are supportive going into the process.

• Where Is Your Niche? - One of the reasons many businesses fail is that owners do not focus on a target audience or niche. I you are a major discount chain, then you can sell everything from plants to clothes, but this type of business requires vast resources that just aren't available to a small business. But small businesses dominate the marketplace (creating more than 50 percent of the private gross domestic product last year) by finding a different approach -- a niche.

Knowing your niche means you are better able to find, target, and maintain your customers as well as provide the best possible goods and services to that customer base. That focus is one of your best chances to not only survive, but to thrive in a very competitive marketplace.

• What Is Your Plan Of Action? – Any successful small business has a business plan that is detailed enough to include all of the relevant steps, but also broad enough to include long-term planning and the opportunity for revision. You need to decide if your business will be based on the Internet or focus more on traditional models. Are you going to work full-time or part-time at your new business? Are you going to hire help or go solo? Dreaming, thinking and planning can save you considerable trouble and waste later when things are hectic and problems occur. Planning can also help keep you focused and provide balance to your priorities.

• Who Are You Going To Call? – Even experienced business people require help sometimes. You will need support, advice, tools, or information -- or all of the above. One of the beautiful, and most frightening, aspects of growth is that it can lead you to places you never imagined. No matter how much planning and experience you bring to your new position as CEO, the unexpected will arise. How will you cope with this? It is important to recognize that no business is an island. It is not failure to seek help. Failure is when your business shuts down because you didn't get the help you needed.

The best way to get timely help is to work on your support system while you work on building your business. That way you will already have a list of resources available that you can quickly tap into when emergencies strike. In today's world, there are many marvelous resources available to you no matter what your business model may be. These include: publications (newsletters, magazines, books); people (professional advisors, mentors, teachers, consultants); networks (organizations and forums in your niche as well as general business and marketing); and education and training (tutorials, courses, and seminars).

Ask yourself these 6 key questions which will help to frame your approach to starting a new business. There are no certainties in this world but, if you follow this model, you will greatly enhance your chances of success.

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Successful Managers Master These Skills

You’ve taken the plunge and are either starting a business, purchasing a business, or have been promoted into a management position. I suspect you have been bombarded by suggestions on how to be an outstanding manager, many of which contradict each other and some that don’t make a lot of sense. While there are many aspects of management that you will need to master, your best bet is to start with your people skills. Successful managers learn to maximize their impact on subordinates, other managers, networking contacts, customers, and others who they meet along the way. Here are a few of the skills you will need to know in developing a people-centered perspective to management.

• Persuasion – successful managers learn how to persuade others to their viewpoints or priorities. This is often done by doing your homework to understand how the other person may feel about an issue and anticipate their response. It also involves acknowledging their concerns and being patience. You don’t always win on the first attempt but can set the stage for a future win.

• Empowerment – successful managers learn how to facilitate and coordinate the work of others and provide them with the confidence to operate at a high level. One of the hardest things a new manager needs to learn is not to micro-manage but to train and support subordinates to do their work properly. In many environments, the idea of employee empowerment is not well understood or supported. If you have the power to introduce the idea of empowerment into your business or team, do it. If you don’t have the power, proceed carefully but do proceed toward that goal.

• Role Modeling – managers can role model the behaviors and actions they want to see from others. If you are looking for a networking contact to be supportive and positive, then you need to be that way with her. If you want a subordinate to arrive to work on time and be dependable, you need to reflect those behaviors yourself.

• Communication – successful managers learn to be good communicators. This is similar to the concept of persuasion but communication goes beyond that. Good communicators demonstrate a balance between establishing a social connection with people and providing useful and relevant information. Good eye contact and positive body language are very important. You could be giving someone a signal that you think they are a moron by they way you look at them, your voice inflection, or body language. Always be aware of the way you are projecting yourself when dealing with others.

• Management/Leadership – successful managers learn to be both a good manager and leader. The two concepts are often lumped together as being the same thing – but they are not the same. Management involves the fulfilling of tasks, processes, and responsibilities which establishes the framework for work while leadership involves the attitudes and emotions of people and provides the vision, inspiration, and purpose for work. It is important to master both roles.

There are certainly other management concepts and roles that a new manager needs to master to be effective. However, you can’t go wrong if you start by focusing on becoming people-centered in your approach to your work. Look for other article posts that will help to clarify many of the concepts outlined here.


Steven Watson, PhD has been a small business owner for 8 years and currently owns two businesses – a home health agency and professional copywriting and resume company. He also has over 10 years of experience working in federal, state, and local government agencies as a manager.

Here is an interesting resource you can take a look at if you want to know more about how to build your skills as a successful manager and leader of your business Click Here!

Successful managers understand themselves and are able to connect with other people. Here is a resource that will help you to maximize your potential as a manager and leader Click Here!

If you are interested in learning more about small business financing without the use of your personal resources, check out this site Click Here!