1 in 3 Workers Say They Have Faked Their Skills. Here Is How Small Employers Can Check Before the First Shift.
· 5 min read
On Oct. 27, Chicago-based Addison Group released its first 2026 Skill Security Report. One finding stood out: 36% of the U.S. labor force, or about 64 million people, say they have exaggerated their knowledge, skills, or experience because they felt pressure to stay competitive or appear capable. HR Dive covered the report on Oct. 29 under the headline "About 1 in 3 workers say they're faking their skills."
Why now: many small businesses are hiring for the holiday season this month, often in a hurry. When you fill a shift in a few days, a confident answer can stand in for proof. A few small changes to how you post and interview help honest candidates stand out.
What the Addison Group survey found
The survey was conducted online by Wired Research from Aug. 28 to Sept. 2, 2026, among 1,000 U.S. adults, 656 of whom were working or looking for work. Among the findings:
- 93% say at least one part of building a successful career has become harder over the past five years.
- 83% took at least one step in the past year to stay competitive. The most common was teaching themselves to use an AI tool (43%).
- 63% say they took on a professional challenge without feeling fully prepared.
- 58% are not confident in their ability to adapt as the skills their careers demand keep changing.
- 36% exaggerated their knowledge, skills, or experience.
Most of these workers are under pressure, not out to cheat anyone. Many are stretching to meet a bar they cannot see. The fix: make the bar visible, then give every candidate a fair chance to clear it.
Five ways to check skills without slowing down
HR Dive's coverage points to a simple principle: build an application process that assesses skills and knowledge. Here is how that looks for a small business hiring hourly staff.
1. Name the skills in the job post
Research from employment platform JobLeads, reported by HR Dive on Oct. 26, looked at nearly 1.4 million U.S. job postings. Posts that got clicks but no applicants leaned on words like "motivated" and "hardworking" rather than "specific, checkable expertise." The report's advice: name the skills the role actually uses, the systems a new hire will work in, and what success looks like in the first few months. "Can run a register and close out a cash drawer" tells a candidate far more than "detail oriented."
2. Ask every candidate the same practical questions
Pick three or four questions tied to the skills in your post and ask them in the same order every time. "Walk me through opening the shop on a Saturday" is harder to bluff than "Are you good with customers?" Same questions also make fair comparison easier.
3. Let candidates show you
Where it fits the job, ask for a short demonstration during the interview: describe how to handle a refund, explain a safety step, or talk through a recipe. Keep it brief and directly related to the work. If you want someone to perform actual work for your business, talk to your payroll provider or an employment adviser first about pay rules. This post is general information, not legal advice.
4. Call references with specific questions
Skip "Was she a good employee?" Ask "How many tables did she usually cover on a Friday night?" or "Did he open or close on his own?" Specific questions get specific answers.
5. Confirm identity and screen before day one
A skills conversation tells you what someone can do. It does not tell you that the person in front of you is the person on the application. After a conditional offer, identity verification and a background check close that gap.
A hypothetical example
Picture a hypothetical bike shop with six employees that needs two seasonal mechanics. The owner rewrites the post to list the real tasks: truing wheels, adjusting brakes, writing repair tickets. In each video interview she asks the same four questions, including "Talk me through fixing a rubbing disc brake." One applicant with a strong resume cannot describe the steps. Another, with less on paper, explains them clearly. She makes a conditional offer to the second, then runs identity verification and a background check before the first shift. This example is illustrative only, not a real business or a reported result.
Why ReadyATS
ReadyATS gives small teams a simple way to put these checks into practice:
- Live interviews, without the back and forth. Schedule interviews with Google Meet or Zoom links, so you can ask your practical questions face to face, even when you are hiring between shifts.
- Background checks through Checkr. Order Checkr background checks through the ReadyATS Checkr integration once you make a conditional offer.
- Identity verification through the same integration. Add Checkr Identity Verification, where the candidate takes a live selfie that is matched to a government ID, so you know who you are hiring.
ReadyATS does not test skills for you. The skills questions are yours; ReadyATS helps you schedule the conversation and screen the person you choose.
FAQ
How many workers say they have faked their skills? 36% of the U.S. labor force, or about 64 million people, according to Addison Group's 2026 Skill Security Report, released Oct. 27, 2026.
Why do people exaggerate their skills? Respondents said they felt pressure to stay competitive or appear capable.
What is the simplest way to check skills in an interview? Ask every candidate the same practical questions tied to the real tasks of the job, and let them explain or show how they would do the work.
Does identity verification check skills? No. Checkr Identity Verification matches a live selfie to a government ID to confirm who the candidate is. Skills still need to be checked in the interview.
Should my job post list skills or personality traits? Skills. JobLeads research reported by HR Dive found posts heavy on traits like "motivated" were more likely to get clicks without applications.
A resume tells you what someone claims. A good interview shows you what they can do.
Sources
- Addison Group, "1 in 3 Americans Have 'Faked It' at Work, Addison Group Finds" (2026 Skill Security Report), Chicago, Oct. 27, 2026. https://addisongroup.com/insights/americans-faked-it-to-stay-competitive-at-work/ (primary)
- HR Dive, "About 1 in 3 workers say they're faking their skills," Caroline Colvin, Oct. 29, 2026. https://www.hrdive.com/news/lying-on-resume-lying-on-job/873208/
- HR Dive, "Vague job postings get fewer applicants," Lara Ewen, Oct. 26, 2026 (JobLeads research). https://www.hrdive.com/news/vague-job-postings-get-fewer-applicants/872770/
Hiring for the holidays? Check skills before the first shift
Set clear skills in your post, interview face to face, and screen your new hires before day one.