When companies vanish, verification fails: How one job seeker bypassed background checks

employment gap using a fake reference and it worked. While the story may appear clever, it also exposes the challenges of bending the protocols in the job market.

The Six-Month Gap That Sparked Desperation

The Redditor described their situation:

“I was stuck in a loop because of a six month gap after a toxic startup folded. Every time a recruiter asked for a supervisor contact from that era I panicked because the founder basically disappeared.”

Encountering with this dilemma, they made a bold decision:

“I finally decided to just have my cousin act as my former manager. We prepped for twenty minutes on the projects I supposedly finished and what my ‘weaknesses’ were. When the background check company called him he played the part perfectly.”

According to them, the system is often far more forgiving than candidates anticipate:

“The truth is that most HR people are just checking a box. They aren’t private investigators and they don’t have the time to cross reference every single person on LinkedIn to see if they actually worked at a specific company in 2022. If the company is gone there is no paper trail anyway. People worry way too much about the spotlight effect but in reality you are just a line item on their to-do list for the day.”

Redditors Share Experiences

Several Reddit users chimed in with similar experiences. One acknowledged:

“I have never used proper references for a job. They have all always been fake. My job experiences also are 9/10 fake.”

Others cited that depending on the job, using false references could be risky. For instance, several companies currently use The Work Number, a system that can check employment history and even pull pay details:

“Depending on what kind of jobs you are applying for, this can be a very bad idea. A lot of companies now use The Work Number, and they can use this to pull up your work history. And pay rates, in some cases. I pulled mine recently, and not only did it have my work history for roughly the past 15 years, but it had my pay stubs from my current job.”

One user described:

“I am a huge proponent of lying to get the best possible work/job opportunities. If you can sustain it once you’re there, though. That’s the part some people miss. If you come onto all these job-seeking subs and admit you have lied on your resume, you’ll get lots of hate. What the salty people miss is you still have to DO the job you lie your way into. If you can do the job well, though, who gives a fuk how you got the job?”

Others with HR experience confirmed that background verification can be surprisingly superficial:

“Haha used to do background checks for HR, that’s a minimum wage pay you just wanna tick the box and move on. Fun fact: with some employers you can even lie about the time you worked there — 3 months on or off — and still pass. If you provide the contact info they’ll use whatever number or email provided instead of looking for the real company.”

Interestingly, some Redditors even acknowledged monetizing fake references. One wrote:

“I used to have a side gig being a reference for people. I started from Fiverr when it was new and then branched off from there. There are so many people who need this service. The best part was when people called back or emailed that they got the job. Even though I didn’t ask for tips, a lot of them tipped. I didn’t like working with those in the tech field from certain parts of this world.”

FAQs:

Q1. What is a reference in job applications?

A reference is someone who can vouch for your work experience, skills, and character. Employers contact references to confirm the accuracy of your resume and interview claims.

Q2. Can I use a friend or family member as a reference?

Typically, professional references are preferred over personal ones. Using friends or family is generally discouraged because it may not be seen as credible.