Fraudulent candidates are a harsh reality plaguing today’s hiring landscape. While robust screening processes are critical for catching dishonest applicants, smart organizations are getting proactive – by cultivating an employer brand so authentic and transparent, it simply deters bad actors from the start.
How does a strong employer brand help deter fraud candidates from applying to the organization? Let’s look at 3 key reasons.
High Standards Intimidate Bad Actors
Fraudulent candidates are looking for an easy mark – an organization with lax hiring standards that won’t scrutinize their fabricated credentials or experience too closely. By promoting a rigorous, detail-oriented candidate evaluation process as part of your employer brand, you signal that cutting corners won’t fly.
Fraudsters are looking for organizations with lax hiring processes that won’t thoroughly vet their fabricated qualifications or work histories. By highlighting your stringent, detail-oriented screening methods, you make it clear that misrepresentation will be caught and not tolerated.
It raises the bar for applicants. When you emphasize attributes like intellectual curiosity, ethical decision-making, and a passion for excellence as core requirements, it intimidates those looking to game the system. Fraudsters realize they likely can’t manufacture credentials convincing enough to meet such exacting standards.
By being upfront about your high hiring bar as part of your employer branding, you set clear expectations that only candidates with genuine skills and experience should apply. This transparency eliminates wiggle room for dishonest applicants
Reinforce Cultural Alignment
Fraudsters are always on the lookout for organizations where there is a disconnect between the values and culture marketed externally versus the reality employees actually experience day-to-day. Any perceived misalignment creates an opportunity to exploit – they can attempt to craft a narrative that aligns with the company’s stated principles while glossing over whether they truly embody those values.
However, when an organization consistently reinforces how it lives its core values like integrity, accountability and respect through the entire employee lifecycle, it eliminates those gaps fraudsters try to wiggle through. By providing concrete examples of how behaviors reflecting the stated culture are baked into processes like:
1) Onboarding and training programs that instill ethical decision-making
2) Professional development focused on continuous learning and growth
3) Feedback and performance management prioritizing ownership and accountability
4) Policies and practices that uphold respect, inclusion and psychological safety
…you create an airtight alignment between your external employer brand and the authentic internal experience. There are no mixed messages or openings for fraudsters to exploit.
Spotlight Your Screening Vigilance
Spotlighting your screening vigilance as part of your employer brand is a powerful deterrent against fraudulent candidates. Here’s why being transparent about your rigorous vetting process can make dishonest applicants think twice:
Rather than keeping your stringent hiring practices behind closed doors, proudly tout them as a key selling point of your employer brand. Clearly articulate the multi-step verification process every candidate must go through, leaving no stone unturned:
1) Thorough background checks verifying education, employment history, and credentials
2) Structured behavioral interviews probing for inconsistencies and embellishments
3) Skills assessments and job auditions to validate claimed proficiencies
4) Comprehensive reference checks with former managers and colleagues
5) Advanced screening techniques like social media monitoring and identity verification tools
When you put your exhaustive screening protocols on display, it sends an unmistakable message to fraudsters: there is no easy path for misrepresentation here. You leave zero openings for fabricated qualifications or work histories to slip through.
This transparency creates an environment of accountability and scrutiny that bad actors simply can’t hide from. Seeing your commitment to rigorous candidate vetting may compel them to reconsider attempting to game the system with false pretenses. The hurdles and risks of getting caught become too high.
3 Ways to build a strong employer brand
Let’s look at some of the strategies for building a strong employer brand to deter fraud candidates from applying to an organization.
Leverage Employee Advocacy
Your current employees are your greatest brand ambassadors. Encouraging them to authentically share their experiences and perspectives can be a powerful tool in shaping your employer brand. Here are some practical ideas:
1) Implement an employee advocacy program that incentivizes and empowers team members to post about their work lives across social media channels like LinkedIn, Instagram, and Twitter. Provide guidelines on appropriate content and messaging.
2) Facilitate employee takeovers of your company’s social accounts, allowing them to give behind-the-scenes glimpses into a typical day, company events, or workplace culture.
3) Gather employee testimonials in video or written form, highlighting what they enjoy most about working for your organization. Feature these authentic stories prominently on your career site and recruitment marketing materials.
4) Encourage employees to leave honest reviews on sites like Glassdoor, detailing the pros and cons of your workplace. Respond professionally to negative feedback to demonstrate transparency.
5) Identify influential employees who are already active brand ambassadors organically. Amplify their voices by featuring them in recruitment content or having them speak at industry events.
The more your people share genuine insights into their employee experience, the harder it becomes for job seekers to dismiss your employer brand as superficial marketing. Their voices cultivate trust and authenticity.
Reinforce Cultural Alignment
Fraudsters seek to exploit gaps between an organization’s external employer brand and its internal reality. Consistently reinforcing how you live your stated values eliminates those openings. Here are some ideas:
1) Provide concrete examples across your recruitment marketing of how behaviors reflecting your core principles like integrity, inclusion, and continuous learning are embedded into processes like onboarding, training, feedback, and development.
2) Highlight real-life scenarios or case studies that exemplify your cultural tenets in action, such as ethical decision-making, customer-centricity, or innovation.
3) Share insights from employee surveys or focus groups that validate your promoted culture, being transparent about areas for improvement.
4) Ensure your physical workplace, policies, and leadership communications are aligned with your cultural messaging. Inconsistencies breed skepticism.
5) Encourage employees to validate your cultural claims through their public testimonials and advocacy efforts.
By creating an airtight connection between your external employer brand and the authentic internal experience, you eliminate wiggle room for fraudsters to manufacture misaligned narratives.
Spotlight Screening Vigilance
Rather than keeping your stringent hiring practices behind closed doors, make them a selling point of your employer brand. This transparency can deter dishonest candidates. Try ideas like:
1) Clearly articulate the multi-step verification process every candidate goes through, from background checks and skills assessments to structured interviews and reference checks.
2) Provide insights into advanced screening techniques you utilize, such as social media monitoring, identity verification tools, or AI-enabled resume scanning.
3) Share real examples (without identifying details) of how your process has caught embellished credentials or work histories.
4) Highlight your use of third-party employment verification services to validate candidates’ professional backgrounds.
Discuss your legal and ethical commitment to fair, unbiased hiring practices that eliminate opportunities for nepotism or favoritism.
When you put your exhaustive screening protocols front-and-center, it sends a powerful message: there is no easy path for misrepresentation here. The transparency and accountability you champion can compel fraudsters to self-select out before applying.
