A new survey from Equifax found that HR leaders are noticing an upward trend of fabricated or misleading information in candidate applications. 

By Gillian Manning  

Job seekers appear to have grown tired of explaining gaps in their resumes. Equifax’s newly released HR Trends Survey, which questioned 350 SHRM conference attendees, concluded that employers are having an increasingly difficult time differentiating between genuine qualifications and embellished information submitted by applicants.  

Most survey respondents (73%) say they are struggling to decipher the information, and half specifically point to challenges regarding employment history. Equifax notes in its report too, that part of the challenge stems from the use of AI. While it’s making parts of the hiring process more efficient for HR teams, it’s also making things more complex as applicants are able to use it to alter their application materials. 

“Even in these early stages, HR is seeing meaningful efficiency gains from investments in AI,” says Chris Johnson, senior vice president and general manager of employer services at Equifax Workforce Solutions. “The next phase of opportunity will come from optimizing the use of trusted, high-quality data to help spot candidate AI-created content. That combination helps HR leaders make more informed decisions, strengthen confidence in the hiring process and create more time to focus on the employee experience.” 

Equifax also found that: 

• 63% of survey respondents cite employee experience as a top challenge; 

• 35% report receiving fabricated or misleading candidate-provided information regarding education, credentials, or licenses; and 

• 69% say they are confident in their organization’s ability to detect fabricated or misleading candidate information—up from 63% last year. 

“In a complex hiring market, the smartest approach is simple: trust but verify,” said Bart Lautenbach, senior vice president and general manager of talent solutions for Equifax Workforce Solutions. “As AI-generated candidate content becomes more sophisticated, organizations need verification strategies that keep pace. Reliable, more comprehensive employment, education, identity and licensing data can help employers make more confident hiring decisions.” 

Looking to dive deeper? We keep an ever-growing archive of HRO Today Association member webinars. Watch now: “Leading the AI-Enabled TA Function: From Recruiter to Talent Strategist.”