What Students Want

A ranking of students' expectations for their first jobs out of college.

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NOVEMBER 1988

Think you've finally found the perfect candidate to fill a position at your company? Be sure to check -- and double-check -- the information on the résumé in front of you. There's a 30% chance that something will be wrong.

According to Barrick Security Group, a San Mateo, Calif., firm that does corporate investigative work, some of those job applicants exaggerate their work histories, and others make exaggerated education claims. About 3% omit criminal violations.

How can you improve your odds of getting the truth? Barrick president Barry Bergman advises managers to have applicants fill out a standard job form -- which should include questions about criminal convictions -- and to make it clear that responses will be checked. You don't need those riders in order to do a legal follow-up, he says, but "putting people on notice makes it less likely that a degree in political science will become an engineering degree, or that three months at a previous job will become three years.'