The cleared recruiting world is high-trust, high-stakes. And that means the résumés crossing your desk aren't just about skills. They're about risk. Whether it's padding experience, inventing credentials, or flat-out identity theft, fake résumés are on the rise. And in the national security space, a bad hire isn't just a bad hire. It's a vulnerability.
How do you spot the fakes and protect your organization from costly mistakes?
Here are the red flags every clearance recruiter should know.
1. The "Too Good to Be True" Unicorn
When someone claims:
* 12 years of cybersecurity experience but graduated college in 2019
* TS/SCI with every poly under the sun but no related job experience
* Expertise in 10 unrelated mission areas
...it's time to investigate. Talent can be impressive, but no one masters every skill in half a decade. Look for logical career progression. If it reads like ChatGPT generated the perfect candidate... it might have.
Pro tip: Ask candidates to walk you through each role. Real people remember what they actually did.
2. Shaky Clearance Claims
"Active TS/SCI" is the new "fluent in Excel."
Common tricks:
* Claiming "eligible" = "active"
* Saying "I had a clearance at my last job" with zero details
* Providing no sponsoring agency or contract
Verification is everything.
Ask: Who was your FSO? What contract? What level? When was it last in scope? If they hesitate, that's your answer.
3. Suspicious Employment History
Fake résumés often include:
* Short stints at well-known contractors
* Vague job titles ("Analyst" - of what?)
* No listed supervisor or reference
* Company names that sound real... but aren't
Check the overlap.
Are they working full-time at Booz Allen and Lockheed and Deloitte - at the same time? Even Superman only had one day job.
4. Education and Certification Inflation
* Degrees from universities you've never heard of?
* Certifications earned at impossible speed?
* "Stanford Online" listed like Stanford University?
Watch for these tactics:
* Diploma mills with official-sounding names
* "In progress" degrees with no start date
* Certifications without verifying bodies or IDs
Most cert issuers (CompTIA, ISC²) allow validation. Use it.
5. AI-Generated Résumés
Thanks to AI, résumés are cleaner, buzzword-heavy, and... eerily generic. You'll see:
* Perfect formatting with zero personality
* Overuse of jargon ("leveraged synergies to optimize mission outcomes")
* Responsibilities copied word-for-word from job descriptions
The giveaway:
Ask for specifics. "Tell me about a time you used Splunk." If the answer sounds memorized or vague, you're talking to the résumé, not the person.
6. Inconsistent Storytelling
Good résumés tell a story. Fake ones crumble under pressure.
During the interview:
* Dates don't line up.
* They can't explain acronyms they supposedly used.
* They "forget" responsibilities listed on their own résumé.
When the narrative shifts, that's not nerves, it's fiction.
7. Reference Red Flags
References that:
* Only use Gmail or Yahoo
* Won't answer the phone
* Can't clearly state how they know the candidate
* Seem overly rehearsed
8. Trust Your Gut. And Verify Everything
In this business, intuition is a security feature. If something feels off, you're probably right.
Use your tools:
ClearanceJobs.com
OPSEC knowledge
Open-source checks
Past performance context
Internal employee networks
Why It Matters More in the Cleared World
Fake résumés aren't just annoying. They're dangerous.
* They slow mission timelines.
* They open the door to insider threats or foreign actors.
* They erode trust in the pipeline.
The adversary only has to get it right once. We have to get it right every time.
The Good News
Most candidates are honest. Veterans, career professionals, and mission-driven technologists aren't trying to game the system, they're trying to serve.
Your job as a recruiter isn't just filling seats. It's protecting the mission.
Spotting fake résumés is the first line of defense. Unfortunately, today it's harder than ever to tell if a candidate is fake based on resume alone. And it's critical to follow-up with an AI-proof interview strategy to help ensure the candidate you interview is the same one reflected on the resume and the same one who arrives at the job. It's an incredible important and difficult task. But not one that employers can afford to take for granted.
Recruiting is national security. And taking the steps to combat against bringing fake resumes to the table is mission critical.