Resumes tell the Truth or Face the Consequences
We're all liars, well at least half of us are according to a recent employment survey in the UK that revealed as many as 50 percent of all CVs submitted by job applicants in the last 12 months contained at least one falsehood. And a staggering one in five CV's contained significant inaccuracies or, to be blunt, lies.
The most common lies included discrepancies about academic qualifications and accurate employment dates. Other included failing to declare directorships that could be linked to bankruptcies and other credit infringements.
The survey of more than 3,700 CV's submitted by job applicants in 2006 was carried out by employee screening specialists The Risk Advisory Group (TRAG) who described the inaccuracies as not merely simple mistakes'.
Sam Remtulla, Head of Employee Screening for TRAG said that the results have "brought to our attention how unscrupulous candidates can be when applying for jobs, and highlight their apparent lack of conscience towards potential new employees".
One example quoted in the report involved a financial services jobseeker who had been working in Japan for three months before deciding to return to the UK due to "traumatic circumstances". After further investigation it was revealed that this worker had actually been arrested in Japan for shoplifting and assault and was deported back home.
And another case involved a potential candidate for an investment bank who forgot to declare the fact that he currently had 5 outstanding County Court Judgments registered in his name and that there was a catalogue of bankruptcy orders against him for a series of failed business ventures.
So does this mean that employers will now be more rigorous during the application process and will we start to see interviews as interrogations rather than two-way means of communication? It seems unlikely. But as Remtulla adds, "the seriousness nature of these discrepancies emphasizes the need for heightened attention during the recruitment process".
Ultimately, lying about your achievements and qualifications will catch up with you sooner or later whether it be through checks made by the recruiter or employer or, if you get the job, by your weaknesses that will become obvious during the day to day performance.
