by Charlotte Gurney
CV fraud is an issue that can have a big impact on a business, creating internal staff management issues and damaging culture and productivity. It’s a wide-ranging issue and one that few businesses have yet put measures in place to protect themselves from. However, as CV fraud can lead to a 50% hiring failure rate, this is an expensive and time consuming mistake to make, especially when there is such a wealth of information available to ensure that the content of a CV is credible.
Is CV fraud really an issue?
Lying on a CV is something that many candidates wouldn’t dream of doing. However, there are others - many others - for whom this is simply part of the course. This could range from a small exaggeration on a CV to a complete lie that allows the candidate to pass an initial vetting stage or even be selected over someone else for a role. This is something that can only ever happens when candidate checks and vetting are being carried out on the basis of gut instinct - a face-to-face (or via a screen) interaction that someone within the business has judged as being the most effective way to get a sense of who this person is. The current conditions in the job market mean that it is more difficult for candidates to get ahead than it has been in previous years and this could see a tidal wave of CV fraud from those who don’t feel like they can reach their employment goal any other way.
Where does CV fraud most often arise?
One survey found that around a third of jobseekers are committing CV fraud every year, this is a much more common problem than many people realize. The same survey identified that 40% of job applicants lie about academic qualifications and 11% even went to the extent of completely fictionalizing a degree qualification that they did not actually have. These are some of the other very common areas where CV fraud is most likely to arise:
-Moving employment dates around so that a candidate looks like they have the requisite number of years of experience to suit the role in question.
-Faking current or a previous salary and job title. Both of these can be used as leverage to negotiate with a new employer and so some candidates will simply increase the figures - or pick a more senior title to fraudulently land a better deal with a new company.
-Criminal records. Many candidates who have a criminal record simply won’t mention it, even if it’s clear that this would immediately exclude them from the role.
What is the impact for employers?
A survey carried out by CV Check indicated a 73% of job applicants in the financial services have padded their CV’s, with 71% in the leisure and hospitality and 63% in the IT and healthcare showed signs of employment application fraud. It not only means that your business may get into a contractual situation with someone who is not qualified for the job but that they may be representing your organization when they don’t have the experience to do so. The financial and reputational issues, as well as the impact on internal culture and productivity could be significant.
How to eradicate CV fraud
As an employer what can be done to root out these fraudulent applications? First step would be implementing small processes such as spotting inconsistencies between an applicant’s CV and their LinkedIn profile. Another would be to look at implementing formal testing of an individual’s aptitude and skills and a comprehensive check on the candidates background to cover educational qualifications, membership to professional bodies and past employment records, including specific positions, such as directorships.
Through Volt we can fully project manage this process in finding your business the right talent. Get in touch today!