As HR pros know, it’s not out of the question for candidates to inflate their past job titles and duties, or add academic degrees that were never completed.

But these days, many out-of-work managers are looking for stop-gap jobs and stretching the truth in a different way — by “dumbing down” their credentials so they don’t appear overqualified.

A lot of formerly high-up employees are willing to step a few rungs down the ladder just to get a steady paycheck. Often, that requires them to convince hiring managers they won’t jump ship the moment the market improves and something better comes up.

One way they’re doing that: changing job titles to look less impressive, according to the Wall Street Journal. For example, one marketing exec changed her previous jobs as “manager” and “trend researcher” to “staff” and “office support.”

Candidates are also hiding degrees and other academic achievements. One woman looking for temporary clerical work said she received no calls from employers until she stopped listing her master’s degree on her resume.

The best ways to spot this new type of dishonesty? The same ways HR and hiring managers catch other applicant lies — by asking probing questions during the interview and when checking references.

How concerned should employers be?

Many are worried because they want to avoid hiring overqualified employees, who might be disgruntled in lower-level work and may constantly have one foot out the door.

Others are less concerned about overqualification — but a lie is still a lie. If people are dishonest before they’re hired, how reliable will they be as employees?

What do you think? Have you caught any candidate with a “dumbed down” resume? Give us your opinion and experience in the comments section below.

• Changed dates of past employment – Up to 34% of job applicants fudge the dates of their previous jobs to cover gaps in their employment. The good news: This is one of the easiest fibs to catch through reference checks.
• Inflated salaries – One way some dishonest candidates attempt to bargain for better starting pay: lying about how much they’re currently making. For that reason, some companies ask candidates for a previous W-2 form or pay stub before they’re hired.
• Phony degrees – About 20% of resumes have some discrepancy regarding education and other qualifications. They range from degrees listed that candidates never completely earned to degrees purchased from so-called online “diploma mills.”
  
• Criminal records – About 11% of all candidate background checks turn up a criminal conviction. Also, the firm warns, many convicted criminals apply for jobs exclusively at smaller companies, since they’re the least likely to perform full background checks.
• Illicit drug use – Roughly 42% of Americans admit to using an illegal drug during their lifetimes. That’s why many experts recommend drug screening for applicants, especially where safety is a concern.

What’s the biggest or craziest resume lie you’ve ever caught?

Here are the 10 most ridiculous lies recruiters have caught, courtesy of a recent CareerBuilder survey:

1. Claiming to be a member of the Kennedy family.
2. Listing a degree from a fake school.
3. Including a photograph — of someone else.
4. Claiming to be a member of Mensa.
5. Listing military experience dating back to before the candidate was born.
6. Claiming (falsely) to have worked for the hiring manager before.
7. Listing “CEO” as a previous job title, when the candidate was actually a lower-level, hourly employee.
8. Submitting samples of work that were actually done by the interviewer.
9. Falsely claiming to be Hispanic.
10. Claiming to be a former pro baseball player.

How about you? Have you ever caught candidates committing bold-faced lies? Let us know by leaving a comment.

The facts:

A recently-hired employee discovered he had a serious illness. He was still able to work, but when his co-workers found out, he started experiencing some immature harassment. He complained to his supervisors, but wasn’t satisfied with the response. Eventually, he quit and sued the company for disability discrimination.

The employer said:

After the man quit, the employer discovered that he had failed to disclose a prior criminal conviction on his employment application. If it had found out while the man was working, he would have been fired — therefore, he had no standing to sue for discrimination.

Who won the case?

Answer: The employee.

Why: Since no one at the company knew about the lie while the alleged harassment was happening, it was completely irrelevant. Learning about the conviction didn’t change the fact that he was discriminated against because of his disability.

Cite: Cicchetti v. Morris County Sheriff’s Office

Depending on who you believe, either some or most job applicants stretch the truth in their resumes. Here are the most common lies HR managers are told.

The issue’s gotten some press lately, as both Food Network chef Robert Irvine and Lee McQueen, a contestant on the British version of The Apprentice, were recently ousted as having lied to get their TV jobs.

Apparently they aren’t alone — 48% of job-seekers have stretched the truth on a resume, while 10% have told bold-faced lies, according to a survey by Monster.com. Other studies report discrepancies in as many as 56% of all resumes.

Things you’ll find in a background check

What truths are being stretched? These are the most common areas:

• Compensation — Some applicants seem to think the easiest way to get a higher starting salary is to lie about their current pay. Many employers ask about this when they check references, but some have even started asking candidates to turn over pay stubs. (Look out, though — that might be a big turn-off for the candidate.)
• Title — Candidates might make up phony titles to sound more important, or because their current employer uses esoteric titles that wouldn’t mean much to an outsider. Either way, that’s another thing that’s easy to check with a reference. Also, you should remind hiring managers to focus on what candidates did, rather than what they were called.
• Education — Candidates lie about their education surprisingly often. Common lies about school: fudging dates to appear older or younger, claiming degrees that were started but never finished, and listing degrees from an institution that doesn’t even exist.

Other fibs

Those discrepancies are the easiest to catch in a background check, but that hasn’t stopped folks from trying anyway. About 20% of HR managers say they’ve caught someone lying about a previous job, while 16% have exposed lies about academic degrees.

Also, there are other kinds of lies that can’t be easily uncovered by talking to an old boss. Two more common areas:

• Accomplishments — This usually involves taking credit for previous co-workers’ work. For example, people might say they “led” a team when they were really just one of many members. The best way to figure what accomplishments the candidate can rightly take credit for? Probing deeply in the interview. A series of questions such as “What was your biggest challenge? How did you overcome it? What kind of help did you have?” should help you get the real story.
• Technical skills — Beyond official academic training, candidates might exaggerate proficiency in computer programs and other areas. How should you guard against it? If it’s something a position requires, consider giving some kind of test, or making sure you hire someone who had to use those skills in a previous job.