Twenty-nine percent of employers have caught fake references on candidate applications, according to a survey from CareerBuilder. Additionally, 62 percent said that when they contacted a reference listed on an application, the reference didn't have good things to say about the candidate.

Other findings include:

• Fifteen percent of workers reported that they have listed someone as a reference, but didn't tell that person.
• Eighty percent of employers said they do contact references when evaluating potential employees. Sixteen percent of these employers will contact references even before they call the candidate for a job interview.
• Sixty-nine percent of employers said they have changed their minds about a candidate after speaking with a reference, with 47 percent reporting they had a less favorable opinion and 23 percent reporting they had a more favorable opinion. Thirty-one percent said references haven't swayed their decisions on a candidate.

Harris Interactive conducted the study from Aug. 13, 2012, to Sept. 6, 2012. It included 2,494 hiring managers and human resource professionals.

Staffing Industry Analysts is a sister company of Workforce Management. Comment below or email editors@workforce.com.

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