Identifying CV Frauds
A recent CIPD survey found that one in four
companies has rescinded a job offer because of CV fraud. If you are involved
with recruitment it is your job to spot it.
Falsification
on CVs range from inflating examination grades to fabricating former employers
to give the impression of greater experience. If you’re regularly involved in
interviewing candidates, you really need to know how to spot fiction from fact.
These tips should help you establish whether the person sitting in front of you
is the genuine article.
Creative licence
Before you start the recruitment process, it
is vital to ask yourself a few searching questions about what you will accept
from candidates, what will you overlook on the grounds of exaggeration, and what
will make you consign the candidate to the list of cast-offs?
For example, if you see a candidate with the
perfect skills who meets all of the requirements in your job specification, does
it really matter if they have given themselves a slightly more grandiose job
title on their CV? You need to decide how important issues such as this are to
your organisation and then put in place the appropriate checks to ensure that
potential employees meet your benchmark.
Test the content of the CV
Take the time to understand exactly what you
are looking for so that you have complete clarity when interviewing.
One way to test skills,
especially if you’re recruiting large numbers, is to use tools such as online
practice tests to measure core skills such as numeracy or verbal reasoning.
The evidence suggests
that inappropriate candidates withdraw from the selection process when they see
that they fall short of the required performance levels. For candidates who do
well, the practice test experience can encourage continued participation.
The interview itself is your opportunity to
get the candidate to elaborate on their CV face-to face. The interview is a
two-way process, so you should give candidates every opportunity to explain any
discrepancy on their CV – and then decide if they have made a genuine error or a
premeditated attempt to mislead.
Ask your candidate to talk through the
chronology of their CV and probe further if you see any gaps or areas for
concern. You should soon be able to spot whether someone has embellished their
CV if they are not able to respond to your questions in a coherent manner.
After the first interview
Using more than one selection method during
the recruitment process has been proven to increase an organisation’s chances of
employing someone who will be successful.
Where appropriate, ask candidates to complete
ability tests, personality assessments and work-sample exercises. Robust and
reliable personality assessments will often include a built-in ‘social
desirability’ measure which indicates the extent to which the candidate has
sought to provide the answers that they think the employer is looking for.
Ability tests, if correctly chosen and appropriately administered, can be a
useful predictor of later job performance.
The job offer
Finally, remember that you haven’t finished
your safety checks, even when you have decided which candidates will receive job
offers. You shouldn’t make an unconditional offer until you have received
satisfactory references from former employers and proof of academic/vocational
qualifications. Certain careers will also require additional checks such as
those carried out by the Criminal Records Bureau. Whenever you are in doubt,
remember that if you recruit in haste, you will repent at cost.
Top tips:
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When
reviewing CVs, check for gaps and unusual job moves
-
When
interviewing, use a competency-based approach to gain evidence of how the person
would perform
-
Consider
using work-based ability tests to provide real data on each candidate’s ability
to do the job
-
Always
take up employer references as soon as possible and ideally before the
individual starts with your organisation – consider using a reference-checking
specialist to do the legwork for you
-
Insist on
seeing original certificates for all relevant qualifications
-
Always
include a probationary period as part of the employment contract – if
misrepresentation comes to light once an individual has joined the company, it
will be easier to release them
-
If you
use an external recruitment agency, find out if they have any specific policies
in place in relation to fraud and ensure you understand where your
responsibilities lie and what will be handled by the agency
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