One in five CVs include significant lies

20% of CVs submitted for job applications include significant lies, such as omitting County Court Judgements, not declaring directorships and disclosing inaccurate academic qualifications, a new survey shows.

The study of more than 3,700 CVs submitted by job applicants in 2006, which was conducted by employee screening specialists, The Risk Advisory Group (TRAG), reveals that discrepancies on candidates’ CVs are becoming more serious and are not merely simple mistakes.

Other inaccuracies screened for by TRAG’s specialist employment screening unit over the last year range from discrepancies in employment and academic dates to bankruptcy and other credit infringements.

The results also show that the number of CVs which contain discrepancies is on the increase. Over 50% of the screened CVs included one or more inaccuracy.

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.

The serious nature of these discrepancies emphasises the need for heightened attention during the recruitment process.”

Examples of CV liars:

• One candidate for an American investment bank stated that he attended a prestigious UK University on undergraduate and postgraduate courses and provided copies of his graduation certificates to the HR department. The University’s Student Records Department advised TRAG that the candidate was never a registered Student at the University at any time and had never been awarded any qualification. The candidate’s certificates were forgeries and were not issued by the University. A new University in the same city was contacted and confirmed that the candidate actually attended their University for four years but left without graduating.
• Credit checks conducted on a potential recruit of an investment bank revealed that the candidate had five County Court Judgements registered against his name, for a total amount of £3,330, at an undeclared address. Credit referencing databases also indicated that a bankruptcy order was issued against the candidate at this address, and that he had also held a number of directorships at the same address. The candidate had not declared any adverse credit history or corporate interests in his application form.
• 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.