It is not unusual at all for a job applicant to blag their way in an interview hoping that they will eventually learn the ropes and not get cought. Sometimes it works, other times it can blow up in their face. Below is an interesting article from the Guardian which highlights how an employer can get cought out if their referencing process is not up to scratch...
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guardian.co.uk, Wednesday 24 June 2009 10.37
by Harriet Marsh
Nick is a teacher at an English language school in Tokyo. Nick is also deceiving his employers. On his arrival in Japan eight years ago he obtained what he expected to be a temporary job teaching English by claiming he had a degree from Oxford University. He backed up the claim with a false degree certificate obtained in Bangkok.
In reality Nick has one A level and no degree. He fabricated a university career because he felt that it would dramatically increase his chances of employment. He was right and Nick has no plans to return to the UK. Backed by his bogus qualification he is now, after eight years, the longest serving foreign teacher in his school.
Yet he admits it can be hard to live the lie. "Several years ago the school hand-picked me to accompany a group of students to Oxford on the basis that I knew the city well because I had spent three years studying there. In reality I had been there once for the weekend to visit some friends. Yet I had to maintain the charade: to come clean now would be unthinkable," he says.
Getting a job can be highly stressful and candidates feel pressure to enhance their achievements to present themselves in the most favourable light.
In their book Deception in Selection, Liz Walley and Mike Smith suggest that, in such circumstances, people are pushed to deception in the belief that "everyone else is doing it".
Certainly lying on CVs is on the increase. Surveys suggest as many as a quarter of job seekers deviate from the truth on their CV. The common distortions include bogus or exaggerated qualifications, changing the dates of employment to hide career gaps and exaggerating the pay received in a previous job.
Every job-hunter faces the challenge of presenting their qualifications and past experience with as positive a gloss as possible. So just where does harmless exaggeration end and outright deception begin? It is a difficult question to answer, just as it is hard to define what are company perks and what is simple theft.
While exaggeration is widespread and generally accepted, it is unwise to resort to outright lies. This is not merely moral advice, it is also expedient. Outright lies such as qualifications or invented jobs will work against you.
At best, the cost of lying to future employers is the embarrassment of being found out. At worst, it can cost you the job. Under the terms of the contract of employment, prospective employees are required to tell the truth.
A CV acts as a personal history form and if a job offer is made on the basis of information contained in a CV that the employer believes to be correct, then the employer is legally entitled to withdraw the job offer if they discover the CV contains false information.
Take the example of a young man recently employed by a major household goods manufacturing company, who discovered this the hard way.
He joined the company claiming his previous salary to be 25% higher than it actually was. Yet when the payroll system processed the tax details from his former employer the deceit was uncovered. Four hours after arriving at his desk he was marched from the building.
In Deception in Selection, Walley and Smith put forward the theory that job candidates often fabricate an element of their CV in the belief that it will only be a short-term measure. Yet, if not discovered early on, they find it hard to turn back the clock and escape their deception.
Showing posts with label cv discrepancies. Show all posts
Showing posts with label cv discrepancies. Show all posts
Wednesday, 14 April 2010
Tuesday, 23 March 2010
CV Liers can get prison time
It is not unusual for job applicants to turn their CV into a document of complete fiction. What most of them don't realise is that this little bit of marketing chicanery is a criminal offense that can land them in pretty hot water. Most recently a senior NHS manager was given a criminal record for lying on his CV. The article below was originally published in personneltoday.com. Read on...
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Suspended sentence for NHS manager who lied on his CV
Louisa Peacock 22 March 2010 16:18
A senior NHS manager who lied on his CV has been given a 12-month suspended prison sentence and told to carry out 200 hours of unpaid community work.
Hasan Tahsin, former head of estates and capital projects at Mid Essex Hospital Services NHS Trust, made fraudulent claims about his qualifications and memberships of professional bodies when he applied to several posts at five NHS trusts between March 2004 and March 2009. The skills required, including project management and estates management, were essential for each position.
Tahsin was discovered following an audit of senior managers' qualifications for the trust. He was arrested and interviewed by the NHS Counter-Fraud Service in May 2009, when he admitted he had lied to get the jobs - which fraudulently earned him £245,246 during five years.
Tahsin, 54, of Chadwell Heath in Romford, Essex, held responsible positions within the NHS dating back to 1990.
Investigating officer Alan McGill, of the NHS Counter-Fraud Service, said: "It is regrettable that Tahsin managed to secure senior management posts within the NHS for so long. Such deceptions are the exception and the vast majority of NHS staff are of high integrity.
"This case demonstrates that when suspicions of fraud are brought to the attention of the NHS Counter-Fraud Service, we will thoroughly investigate and, where fraud is found, will seek to prosecute."
The case follows that of senior NHS HR manager Kerrie Devine, of Lympstone, Devon, who lied on her CV by claiming she held a degree in HR management and was part way through a CIPD course. Devine was given a six-month suspended prison sentence and ordered to pay £9,600 in compensation.
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Suspended sentence for NHS manager who lied on his CV
Louisa Peacock 22 March 2010 16:18
A senior NHS manager who lied on his CV has been given a 12-month suspended prison sentence and told to carry out 200 hours of unpaid community work.
Hasan Tahsin, former head of estates and capital projects at Mid Essex Hospital Services NHS Trust, made fraudulent claims about his qualifications and memberships of professional bodies when he applied to several posts at five NHS trusts between March 2004 and March 2009. The skills required, including project management and estates management, were essential for each position.
Tahsin was discovered following an audit of senior managers' qualifications for the trust. He was arrested and interviewed by the NHS Counter-Fraud Service in May 2009, when he admitted he had lied to get the jobs - which fraudulently earned him £245,246 during five years.
Tahsin, 54, of Chadwell Heath in Romford, Essex, held responsible positions within the NHS dating back to 1990.
Investigating officer Alan McGill, of the NHS Counter-Fraud Service, said: "It is regrettable that Tahsin managed to secure senior management posts within the NHS for so long. Such deceptions are the exception and the vast majority of NHS staff are of high integrity.
"This case demonstrates that when suspicions of fraud are brought to the attention of the NHS Counter-Fraud Service, we will thoroughly investigate and, where fraud is found, will seek to prosecute."
The case follows that of senior NHS HR manager Kerrie Devine, of Lympstone, Devon, who lied on her CV by claiming she held a degree in HR management and was part way through a CIPD course. Devine was given a six-month suspended prison sentence and ordered to pay £9,600 in compensation.
Tuesday, 22 December 2009
Senior Public Sector Worker spared prison over lies told on CV
Powerchex Warns of the Consequences of CV Embellishment. This is our most recent press release following another case where the courts got serious about lies on CVs and a major UK employer learned a lesson in retrospective screening. Read on.
A senior NHS Human Resources manager who exaggerated her qualifications has been given a six-month suspended prison sentence and ordered to pay nearly £10,000 compensation.
The individual in question was found to have made the claims when her Trust merged with another in 2006: staff were asked to submit expressions of interests for new posts, and she made a series of misrepresentations in an attempt to obtain alternative employment.
She last week pleaded guilty to six counts of fraud by false representation at Exeter Crown Court. As well as the fine, she must also carry out 150 hours of unpaid community work. The conviction follows an investigation by the NHS Counter Fraud Service.
Alexandra Kelly is the Managing Director of city pre-employment firm, Powerchex. Kelly has considerable experience of similar situations and is well aware of the repercussions that CV embellishment can have on both in the individual and the company affected.
“Jobseekers should be aware of the perils of being caught lying on their CV or any other documentation used in order to gain employment. More and more employers are outsourcing their pre-employment screening to professional firms with the tools and experience to uncover CV embellishments or even outright fabrications. While this particular situation is unusual in its severity, most employers will look to terminate if they get wind that you have misrepresented yourself at any stage of the hiring process.”
Perhaps even more saliently, employers need to be aware of the reputational damage CV embellishment can cause to their company, especially if information comes to light after the individual has already started their employment. “Sadly it is no longer enough for firms to simply ask their employees to sign a declaration stating that any information supplied about themselves is true,” continues Kelly. “Like the above situation, such incidences can gain bring considerable negative exposure, with associated financial and reputational consequences. Firms must make clear to their potential employees that the information they provide during the recruitment process will be subject to relevant checks, and that employment is conditional upon verification of all information supplied. Unfortunately, the risks are now too great not to err on the side of caution.”
A senior NHS Human Resources manager who exaggerated her qualifications has been given a six-month suspended prison sentence and ordered to pay nearly £10,000 compensation.
The individual in question was found to have made the claims when her Trust merged with another in 2006: staff were asked to submit expressions of interests for new posts, and she made a series of misrepresentations in an attempt to obtain alternative employment.
She last week pleaded guilty to six counts of fraud by false representation at Exeter Crown Court. As well as the fine, she must also carry out 150 hours of unpaid community work. The conviction follows an investigation by the NHS Counter Fraud Service.
Alexandra Kelly is the Managing Director of city pre-employment firm, Powerchex. Kelly has considerable experience of similar situations and is well aware of the repercussions that CV embellishment can have on both in the individual and the company affected.
“Jobseekers should be aware of the perils of being caught lying on their CV or any other documentation used in order to gain employment. More and more employers are outsourcing their pre-employment screening to professional firms with the tools and experience to uncover CV embellishments or even outright fabrications. While this particular situation is unusual in its severity, most employers will look to terminate if they get wind that you have misrepresented yourself at any stage of the hiring process.”
Perhaps even more saliently, employers need to be aware of the reputational damage CV embellishment can cause to their company, especially if information comes to light after the individual has already started their employment. “Sadly it is no longer enough for firms to simply ask their employees to sign a declaration stating that any information supplied about themselves is true,” continues Kelly. “Like the above situation, such incidences can gain bring considerable negative exposure, with associated financial and reputational consequences. Firms must make clear to their potential employees that the information they provide during the recruitment process will be subject to relevant checks, and that employment is conditional upon verification of all information supplied. Unfortunately, the risks are now too great not to err on the side of caution.”
Friday, 7 August 2009
Graduates are stretching the truth to get work in uncertain economic times
Powerchex has released their annual survey into CV discrepancies. Here is how it was reported in the Guardian:
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Under-21s told 29% more lies on job applications this year than last
Jessica Shepherd
guardian.co.uk, Thursday 6 August 2009 15.47 BST
More under-21-year-olds in the UK are lying on their CVs this year compared with last, a poll has found.
Of 4,735 job applications from all age groups sent to finance firms between June last year and this May, 899contained false information.Powerchex, a company which screens CVs and application forms on behalf of finance companies, found that of the 307 belonging to under-21s, 18% contained lies, an increase of 29% from last year, when only 14% of forms contained false information.
Under-21s are now the most likely to lie on job forms, the company says. Their most common lie was to claim a 2:1 university degree when they had been awarded a 2:2.
Others exaggerated menial jobs to make themselves sound more important. Another common lie was to claim they had left a job because their contract had expired rather than because they had been made to leave.
This year's final-year university students face the highest levels of graduate unemployment in a generation.
Alexandra Kelly, managing director of Powerchex, said: "The pressure of the recession on job markets seems to have led more applicants to believe that they should lie or make embellished claims to get jobs."
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Under-21s told 29% more lies on job applications this year than last
Jessica Shepherd
guardian.co.uk, Thursday 6 August 2009 15.47 BST
More under-21-year-olds in the UK are lying on their CVs this year compared with last, a poll has found.
Of 4,735 job applications from all age groups sent to finance firms between June last year and this May, 899contained false information.Powerchex, a company which screens CVs and application forms on behalf of finance companies, found that of the 307 belonging to under-21s, 18% contained lies, an increase of 29% from last year, when only 14% of forms contained false information.
Under-21s are now the most likely to lie on job forms, the company says. Their most common lie was to claim a 2:1 university degree when they had been awarded a 2:2.
Others exaggerated menial jobs to make themselves sound more important. Another common lie was to claim they had left a job because their contract had expired rather than because they had been made to leave.
This year's final-year university students face the highest levels of graduate unemployment in a generation.
Alexandra Kelly, managing director of Powerchex, said: "The pressure of the recession on job markets seems to have led more applicants to believe that they should lie or make embellished claims to get jobs."
Saturday, 1 August 2009
Research finds that Linkedin profiles are more accurate than CVs
Candidates are often more honest in their LinkedIn profiles than in the CVs they send employers. At least that’s what LinkedIn founder Reid Hoffman said at the Social Recruiting Summit held recently at Google’s headquarters in Mountain View, CA. I suppose that this makes quite a bit of sense, if you consider that a LinkedIn profile can been seen by thousands of people who know the applicant and can expose any lies or exaggerations.
HR and screening staff should always look at discrepancies between CVs and online claims, but in addition they should also look at discrepancies between an applicant's CV and what they state on their screening/application form. We have found cases where the screening form was accurate and truthful, but did not bare any semblance with the CV on the basis of which the applicant was interviewed and made an offer.
Monday, 23 March 2009
CIFAS Staff Fraud Database
CIFAS FRAUDSCAPE
The CIFAS Staff Fraud Database is a data-sharing scheme that enables responsible employers to file proven cases of staff fraud in order to prevent the perpetrator moving unchallenged to a new employer to commit further fraud.
An employer accesses the database in order to:
file data about identified staff fraud cases
check staff fraud records filed by other CIFAS Members.
This can be done either to pre-screen applicants or to screen current employees. Almost 120 employers already share information in this way. As a member of the Staff Fraud Database, Powerchex can access the database on behalf of CIFAS members.Click on the link below for an analysis of the cases of staff fraud filed to the CIFAS Staff Fraud Database by those organisations.
http://www.cifas.org.uk/download/fraudscape.pdf
The CIFAS Staff Fraud Database is a data-sharing scheme that enables responsible employers to file proven cases of staff fraud in order to prevent the perpetrator moving unchallenged to a new employer to commit further fraud.
An employer accesses the database in order to:
file data about identified staff fraud cases
check staff fraud records filed by other CIFAS Members.
This can be done either to pre-screen applicants or to screen current employees. Almost 120 employers already share information in this way. As a member of the Staff Fraud Database, Powerchex can access the database on behalf of CIFAS members.Click on the link below for an analysis of the cases of staff fraud filed to the CIFAS Staff Fraud Database by those organisations.
http://www.cifas.org.uk/download/fraudscape.pdf
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