1. Dates of employment. People realize they will be questioned about gaps in employment, so in order to cover those gaps, they may extend dates of employment on other jobs. This is one good reason for doing reference checks. Even if all you can do is verify employment dates, your check will reveal any inconsistencies. And if they've changed the dates of employment, can you really trust the rest of the information? One employer I know does reference checks before the in-person interview, which is a rare practice. But he's able to uncover a lot of information that either disqualifies the applicant immediately, or gives him additional questions to clarify those inconsistencies.
   
   
2. Job Title.  Some people may want to elevate their status on a previous job to impress you. So their assistant manager position may show up as a department manager or store manager instead. Here again, doing a reference check before the interview will reveal the truth. 
   
   
3. Wages. Applications may contain an inflated salary because they know it's not always easy to verify wages. They're also hoping to leverage a higher paying job. They may say they made $15/hour at their previous job in hopes of getting the same or higher from you. But if you stay on top of wages in your area, you may be aware that the employer they referenced pays most employees $10 - $12 per hour. And if you discover they lied about a job title, chances are their wage claims are inflated too.
   
   
4. Criminal History. Most people that have a criminal history worry that their application will be rejected if they admit to their criminal record, so this is a very common lie. In more serious cases, they may lie about the criminal history because they intend to repeat the crime (such as stealing from your clients). Hiring a person convicted of theft or burglary and putting them into your clients' homes would be a big risk for a cleaning company. Thorough background checks must be mandatory for all employees to reveal this type of lie. Just be sure to follow your state laws regarding background checks. You may be in a state where the check has to come AFTER the job offer, contingent on a clean report.
   
   
5. Education. Another popular lie on applications is the educational background. They may say they graduated with a degree, and they may even produce a fake diploma. If you're hiring for a more professional position such as a bookkeeper, it's important to verify educational history to verify graduation status and degrees.
   
   
6. Job Skills or Professional Licenses. Along with lies about educational background applicants may lie about their job skills or professional licenses (RN, MD, CPA, etc). In the case of a cleaning technician applicant, they may lie about a certification or industry designation like CBSE, or IICRC Certification. Ask to see their certification proof and call to verify the information. Some may tell you that they have years of experience cleaning homes, or maybe even professionally cleaning carpet. Be sure to ask specific questions about their process for cleaning a kitchen for example. Or in the case of carpet cleaning, ask about the specific process they use and equipment they've used. You'll quickly weed out the ones that stretch the truth.
   
   
7. Non-existent, Self-Owned Business. Some people say they were self-employed at one time, or were President of their own business. It can be a convenient way to cover gaps in employment or to make it appear that they have more experience. Some may even create a "ghost company" to cover gaps in employment due to incarceration. In this case, criminal background screening will weed out the information.

According to a Career Builder survey, only 5% of people admit to lying on their resumes and 57% of managers say they have caught a lie on a candidate's application. Knowing how to identify the most common lies will help you weed out unethical prospects so you can hire the best candidates for the job. And working with a background screening company will help you avoid hiring employees with a criminal background and possible financial loss to your company.