It's Halloween, which means it's time for people to dress up as things they're not. But forget the ghosts and vampires—this year's scariest costume is candidates dressing up as "qualified" for jobs they have absolutely no business applying for.

And let me tell you, the disguises are getting disturbingly convincing.

The Costume Store Called "Resume Padding"

Walk into any job search support group and you'll find candidates comparing notes on how to "optimize" their resumes. That's code for "how to dress up my actual experience as something it definitely wasn't."

Popular costumes this Halloween season:

• "Senior Engineer" (worn by someone who once fixed a WordPress plugin)
• "Marketing Director" (scheduled some social media posts in 2022)
• "Project Manager" (was CC'd on emails for a project)
• "Data Analyst" (made one Excel chart)
• "Sales Leader" (sold Girl Scout cookies door-to-door)

The creativity is impressive. The accuracy? Not so much.

When AI Makes the Costume Too Good

Here's where it gets actually terrifying: AI resume builders and ChatGPT are making these costumes way too convincing. Candidates are using AI to:

• Generate accomplishment statements that sound impressive but describe work they never did
• Translate basic tasks into executive-level responsibilities ("Managed stakeholder communications" = emailed coworkers)
• Create technical skills sections listing tools they've never touched
• Write cover letters that expertly explain their passion for industries they can't even spell

According to fraud detection data, candidates are almost four times more likely to misrepresent themselves than in 2021. The costume technology has gotten TOO good, and recruiters are the ones getting jump-scared in interviews.

The Classic Costume: "I Definitely Know This Software"

My personal favorite Halloween costume? The candidate who lists 47 software platforms on their resume, then reveals in the interview that they "know of" these tools in the sense that they've heard the names before.

Resume says: "Proficient in Salesforce, HubSpot, Marketo, Pardot, and Eloqua"

Reality: Once clicked through a Salesforce demo video, thought about maybe signing up for a free HubSpot trial, and has definitely heard of the other ones

Interview question: "Can you walk me through how you used Salesforce in your last role?"

Answer: [Nervous laughter] "Well, I mean, we used it for... CRM stuff... you know, managing customer... things."

Spooky!

The "10 Years of Experience" in a 5-Year-Old Technology

This is the classic that never gets old. Candidates claiming a decade of experience in technologies that have existed for three years.

Job posting: "Must have 5+ years experience with Claude 3.5"

Candidate resume: "8 years of extensive Claude 3.5 expertise"

Actual Claude 3.5 release date: 2024

Time travel is apparently a qualification now. Terrifying!

The "Startup Founder" Costume (They Made an Instagram Account Once)

The startup founder costume is particularly popular this year. Candidates are "founding" companies left and right, except these "companies" are:

• An Etsy shop they opened and never stocked
• An LLC they registered to look official but never actually operated
• An Instagram account where they posted twice and called it a "brand"
• A Substack with zero subscribers
• A side hustle that made $37 total

But on the resume? "Founded and scaled [Insert Official-Sounding Business Name], driving market penetration and revenue optimization through strategic growth initiatives."

Translation: Sold some stuff to their mom.

The Most Convincing Costume: "Culture Fit"

Here's the truly scary one: Candidates who research your company, memorize your values, and perform "culture fit" in interviews like they're auditioning for a Broadway show.

Company value: "We value transparency and direct communication"

Candidate in interview: "Absolutely, I'm extremely direct and transparent. In fact, transparency is basically my middle name. I wake up every morning and think about how transparent I can be."

Same candidate after hire: [Hides every mistake, blames teammates, ghosts on emails]

They studied your website, memorized your mission statement, and delivered an Oscar-worthy performance. Then they showed up to work and revealed they were just wearing a really good mask.

The Scariest Part? We Keep Falling For It

95% of hiring managers have hired someone who misrepresented their qualifications. NINETY-FIVE PERCENT.

Which means these Halloween costumes aren't just convincing—they're fooling almost everyone. We're all walking around handing out candy (job offers) to candidates dressed as "qualified," and we don't realize it's a costume until they show up to work and can't do the actual job.

How to Spot the Costume

Here's how to tell if a candidate is dressed up as "qualified" versus actually qualified:

Ask for specifics:

• "Walk me through exactly what you did" (not "tell me about your experience with")
• "What was your specific contribution versus your team's?" (watch them squirm)
• "What challenges did you encounter and how did you solve them?" (generic answers = costume)

Test the skills:

• Take-home assignments that require the actual skills listed
• Live technical assessments (not Googling while on video)
• Portfolio reviews that you actually verify aren't stolen from someone else

Verify the references:

• Actually call them (shocking, I know)
• Ask specific questions about the work the candidate claims to have done
• Use reference check tools that detect fraud patterns

Check for consistency:

• LinkedIn profile matches resume? Or totally different experience?
• Dates and job titles consistent across platforms?
• Can they explain gaps without dramatic storytelling?

The Most Honest Costume

You know what would be refreshing? A candidate who shows up as themselves. No padding. No exaggeration. Just:

"I have 2 years of experience with this specific technology. I'm still learning. I'm excited about the role because I want to get better at these specific things. I'll work hard, ask questions, and not pretend I know things I don't."

That candidate wouldn't need a costume. They'd just be qualified—actually qualified, not Halloween qualified.

The Bottom Line

This Halloween, the scariest thing isn't ghosts or zombies. It's opening your ATS and realizing that 80% of your applicant pool is wearing costumes, pretending to be qualified for jobs they'll never be able to do.

The truly terrifying stats:

• Candidates are 4x more likely to misrepresent qualifications than in 2021
• 95% of hiring managers have hired someone who lied on their resume
• 78% of candidates admit to lying or considering lying on resumes
• AI tools make the costumes more convincing than ever

So this Halloween, while you're handing out candy to trick-or-treaters, remember: at least those kids are honest about wearing costumes. The candidates in your pipeline? Not so much.

Happy Halloween! May your candidate pool be less terrifying than your neighbor's decorations.

Key Takeaways:

• Candidates are "dressing up" as qualified using AI-enhanced resumes
• Common costumes: fake titles, exaggerated experience, fabricated skills
• AI tools make resume fraud more convincing than ever
• 95% of hiring managers have hired someone who misrepresented qualifications
• Candidates 4x more likely to lie on resumes than in 2021
• Solution: Ask specific questions, test actual skills, verify everything
• The truly scary part: we keep falling for it