This week a woman was jailed for 6 months for forging references and lying on her CV. This is astounding considering a survey commissioned by Tate, specialists in office support recruitment, has revealed that over 40 per cent of people have at some point lied or made slight exaggerations on their CV to get a job.
Jo Edwards, Tate’s Managing Director said, “increased incidences of people falsifying their CVs isn’t surprising, especially with the slow rate of change of unemployment. Utilising a recruitment agency’s expertise, including comprehensive assessments, behavioural interviewing and referencing, is essential when identifying anomalies in job seekers’ applications.”
With unemployment rates reaching the highest level for 14 years, job applicants are embellishing CVs in an attempt to mislead employers and secure a job in this competitive market.
There is an expectation that false claims made by job applicants will continue, as the official unemployment rate is now at 7.8 per cent. The only way to truly know whether an applicant has the relevant level of skill and experience that they say they have, is via thorough competency based interviewing and corresponding background checks.
