First, Let's Look At Each Rating:

The "Job Match" rating shows my judgment of how well suited, overall, this individual is to meet the demands of the job for which he or she is being considered.  The "Potential For Growth" rating shows my judgment of how strong this individual's potential is to advance, either linearly or laterally, to a higher-level position.  Finally, the "Overall Recommendation" is my professional recommendation about how strong a candidate this individual is for the position in question.

Some Important Reminders

Assigning ratings and recommendations is at least as much an art as it is a science.  If it were simply a matter of averaging the individual characteristic ratings, a computer could do it.  But human nature and human behavior are not that tidy, and that's where experience with having evaluated over 20,000 profiles, and my familiarity with your company and its culture, come into play. 

Keep in mind also that the ratings and recommendations that appear on the Performance Profile Report are time-bound:  they represent everything that I know about the individual at one specific point in time.  Equally, they represent my best professional judgment based on the information I have at my disposable, and that seldom includes having met or talked with the applicant, let alone having verified his or her experience or credentials.

Why Ratings and Recommendations Are Significant

A friend of mine, who does a lot of hiring, once said, "You make the hiring decision based on the applicant's relevant experience and qualifications, but on his first day on the job, the 'whole person' walks in your front door."  You are hiring not only the expertise and experience on the resume; you are hiring the whole person – personality traits, quirks and tics – the whole ball of wax.  The Ratings and Recommendation on the Performance Profile Report give you another, more in-depth, perspective on the "whole person" that the applicant will bring to the job.

So, Where Does That Leave You?

According to a 2003 study done by ADP Selection and Screening Services, 52% of employment, education, and/or credentials on resumes were faked to some extent.  Think back to how many resumes you have looked at in the last twelve months and reflect on the fact that half of them likely contained inaccuracies—some relatively minor and unintended, and some large and intentional.  Some of those inaccuracies, if more realistically presented, might have led you to a different decision about the applicant.

Let The Buyer Beware

Another study, reported on MSN's homepage on July 20, 2004, entitled "Lying on your resume—know the consequences" by Michael Worthington of Resume Doctor.com, found the most common misleading information on resumes includes:

· unfinished degrees, inflated education, or "purchased" degrees that were not earned

· inflated job titles

· inaccurate dates to cover up job-hopping or gaps in employment

· inflated salaries

· explicit lies regarding specific roles and duties.

Ann Everhart of ResumeDoctor.com is quoted as saying, "Education is the most common area of the resume where we usually see misleading information."

A College Degree—Four Years of Hard Work, or only $79!

If you wonder why education is so often faked, all it takes is a quick Google search to turn up some interesting web sites like "fakedegrees.com" and "easydiploma.com".  These websites will sell a "university degree" for as little as $79, and promise soon to offer fake transcripts.  Some even offer, for a small additional fee, a "verification service" whereby they give their customer (your applicant?) a toll-free number to be given to prospective employers.  When you call that number, the voice on the other end verifies the "degree."

Why Does It Matter Whether The Degree Is Real?

Setting aside the whole issue of whether you want to hire a person who provides false information on a job application, an earned degree is significant because it bears witness to an individual's ability to set goals and work over time to accomplish them.  Arguably the most important thing that a completed training or degree program tells you about a person is that he or she can learn, and can motivate himself or herself to keep at it and complete a task.

If The Degree Is Good, What About The Granting Institution?

Institutions of higher learning, including not only conventional colleges and academic universities, but also technical training institutions and programs, must meet standards that are set by accrediting agencies.  Companies that do background checks can investigate the credibility of both the degree-awarding institution and the accrediting agency.  This is particularly important where the “degree” is from an on-line degree granting institution.

To What Degree Is That "Degree" The Real Thing?

There are several ways to verify that a claimed academic or technical training degree is legitimate.  If the reported degree is in a technical field, such as biochemistry or accounting, have one of your in-house experts in that field ask the candidate technical questions to ascertain the depth of his or her knowledge.  Another idea is to have more than one person interview the applicant, and ask the applicant open-ended questions about his or her educational background.  Listen for specifics about dates of attendance and location of the granting institution in the answers.  Ask the applicant what attracted him to the institution from which he claims to have a degree, and follow his answer up with questions that probe for more specifics.

Caveat Emptor

While there is no foolproof way to spot all the faked educational credentials on resumes, taking some time during the interview to probe in these areas will do several good things:  it will increase the odds that you will spot some fakers, and it will create the opportunity for the applicant to do some talking about himself or herself, while you listen.  Always, when you are evaluating what you see on applicants' resumes keep in mind:  caveat emptor (let the buyer beware!)

This month's case study focuses on Harry.  His Performance Profile generally looked great, with almost uniformly strong ratings.  He presented himself very well in the interview, and your Sales Manager and VP of Sales both reported excellent interviews with him as well.  Excellent references, in addition to his obvious eagerness for the job, cemented your decision to hire Harry for your critically important lead sales position.

Where Are The Sales?

It has been several months now and Harry appears to be working hard, making lots of calls, and making presentations, but the business is not coming in as fast as you had anticipated.  Harry is good on the phone, and even better in person.  He has immersed himself in the product and knows it as well as anyone.  Harry is as clueless and frustrated as you are.  His response is to work harder, set up more appointments, and make more presentations.  But all this effort does not seem to be paying off.

Let's Go Back To the Performance Profile Report

Harry's Energy Level, Socialibilty, and Objectivity ratings were all "8", so you know he is energetic enough, likes contact with people, and is thick-skinned enough to deal with rejection.  This sounds like an ideal sales profile – or does it?  There is one problem rating that didn't seem all that important at the time.  Harry's Assertiveness rating is "3."  At the time that you hired him, his desire for the job was so strong that you doubted the accuracy of the “3” rating on Assertiveness.  And, even if the Assertiveness rating was accurate, how important can one characteristic be?  In this case, the answer is that it can be a deal-breaker.

Order-Taker Profile vs. Salesman Profile

Harry's Profile is the Order-Taker profile.  He likes meeting people and making presentations, but he is just not comfortable asking for the order.  Harry sees making the effort to close the sale as being pushy, or taking advantage of people.  When asked how he closes sales, Harry says, "I lay out all the benefits of our product for the prospect, and then I let him decide whether or not he wants to buy.  The decision is up to him."  While this approach will work sometimes, it is not the surest way to produce strong sales!

How To Save Harry

Harry has a lot of strengths, and both he and you have a lot invested in his success.  Harry needs first to accept that not all people react to direct sales efforts as he does (with discomfort).  Once he sees that he can ask for the order without seeming obnoxious or boorish, then some focused training on how to be assertive but not aggressive in closing sales will fall on more receptive ears.  Find a one-day seminar on Assertiveness Training for him to attend, and have Harry ask the presenter for some videos or books that he can use as "refreshers" from time to time.  Finally, define a realistic goal for increased sales with a realistic deadline.  You will have done your part, and now it is up to Harry.