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CV Lies - Don't Get Caught Out
 In
a small business, you know how important it
is to hire reliable, hard working staff.
Your employment practices are designed to
bring in the best candidates possible; but
are you aware that 50% of CV’s include at
least one inaccuracy, while 20% include
significant lies or omissions.
A study by employee screening specialists
The Risk Advisory Group (TRAG) of over 3700
CV’s has found that one in five applications
have serious issues including:
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Not declaring County Court Judgements
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Not declaring directorships of companies
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Including false or inaccurate academic
qualifications
-
Lying about dismissals or suspensions
from previous employment
The number of CV’s with minor inaccuracies
is also on the increase, this means it is
harder than ever to know if a candidate who
seems perfect for the job is actually
suitable.
Examples of CV liars:
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A financial services candidate claimed
he had worked for three months in Japan
before resigning to return to the UK. A
reference said that the candidate had
“left in traumatic circumstances”. When
questioned further, the referee told
TRAG that the candidate was arrested and
charged with shoplifting and assaulting
a shop assistant, for which he was fined
and returned to the UK.
-
One potential recruit for an FSA-registered
position was found to have been the subject
of an internal investigation by her previous
employer, which revealed that she had been
divulging sensitive information to a
competitor. The results of this
investigation were reported to the
Authority. The company further advised that
the candidate resigned as a consequence, as
there had been a breakdown in the
relationship between employer and employee.
-
A candidate for a manufacturing company
declared that he had been dismissed by one
of his former employers, which was
subsequently confirmed. This was not,
however, the only occasion that the
candidate’s employment had been terminated.
The candidate’s most recent employer was
only prepared to confirm his dates of
employment, although there were other
comments to be made. Yet another previous
employer confirmed that he had been fired
due to his bad attitude, poor work and poor
timekeeping although this was not what the
candidate had stated as his reason for
leaving.
Sal Remtulla, Head of Employee Screening for
The Risk Advisory Group, said “This year’s
results have yet again brought to our
attention how unscrupulous candidates can be
when applying for jobs, and highlight their
apparent lack of conscience towards
potential new employers.”
This news highlights the importance of your
recruitment process, and should be a
reminder that a CV is not always fact; you
need to be sure that the candidate has the
skills and ability they claim. Improving on
your interview and recruitment skills is a
worthwhile exercise for any manager,
especially if it helps you avoid the one in
five applicants that could be lying about
their skills or past.
Find out more about employment issues in our
Employment and Personal Development portal.
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