The main point of the interview is to get to know the person sitting in front of you. However, it can be easy for people to say whatever they want. How do you know if they are actually being honest? Here are some tips to ensure your interviewees are telling the truth.

1. Ask the right questions
You get to pick the questions you ask your candidates. If you ask the right questions, it can be extremely revealing. Ask questions specifically designed to get someone to expose their true feelings and behaviour. You can also ask questions made to trip the candidate up. Even when it comes to the basic questions, make sure you get the candidate to speak up. Do this by asking open-ended questions as opposed to yes/no questions. This forces the candidate to tell you more. You should also ask specifics. It’s hard to provide specifics convincingly when lying. Or you may catch them in a lie.

2. Social media
Most candidates don’t realise how transparent they are on social media. They think that everything is private, but it’s way easier to locate a person’s past posts, comments, and pictures than most people know. These posts can be quite damning at times. This is especially true if a candidate has posts trashing their previous employers or inappropriate pictures. Many people don’t realise that these things can make others believe that you are misleading them about their character and beliefs. Simply try adding them as a friend on social media. You can also feel free to look at anything they post publicly.

3. Verify past employers and education
It’s sad to say, but you can’t take a resume for face value. Many people lie about their qualifications. It’s your responsibility to do the proper research. Verify that the candidate actually did go to the school they say they went to and worked for the employers they worked for. If you can’t get verification, you need to seriously wonder why. Anybody who lies on their resume should be disqualified for the position immediately.

4. Run a background check
You need to dig into a candidate’s background more than just their education and work history. You don’t want to hire employees who may have a history of violent crime or theft. A background check can dig into a persons criminal history to make sure they aren’t hiding anything. A background check can also tell you much more, such as residential history and marriage history. You may be surprised what you find. However, you’ll be happy you uncovered it before you hired them.

5. Ask for references
One way to ensure potential employees are telling to truth is to ask for references. Ask for professional references to learn about a person’a work ethic at a previous job. You can ask about attitude, attendance, and skill. You can also ask for personal references to learn more about a person’a temperament and heart.

The people who work for you make a big difference. Hire the right people by using these tools to discover the truth.