This is worrying as four out of five candidates who have lied on their CV claim that they have yet to be found out
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Some jobseekers might think nothing of providing false information on their CVs to stand out from the competition – however, it seems that HR professionals have been failing to check the facts.
A recent report from adzuna has found that 48% of HR leaders admit to not always checking an employee’s qualifications.
After interviewing over 3,500 employees and candidates, 37% claimed to have lied on their CV, with 83% claiming their deceptions still have not been uncovered.
Almost half (43%) stated that their lie directly contributed to their success, whilst 37% of jobseekers said they are prepared to tell ‘a big lie’ to bag a dream job. A worrying 96% of lying jobseekers said they are prepared to repeat the offence.
According to the report, most people lie about their skill sets, work experience and education. The most common CV liar was found to be a male jobseeker, aged between 25 and 34 years old looking for a job in marketing or advertising.
Alongside the report, adzuna interviewed business leaders on their experiences with fibbing candidates.
“My colleague and I were interviewing for a new PR account manager and this candidate was really pushing home her fabulous contacts with ITV,” said Ruth Sparkes, director at EMPRA.
“I asked her for examples of work she’d done, stories she’d placed – she listed three – all three were our actual clients and I had personally placed those stories [...] I got up from my chair and opened the office door for her. I asked her to ensure the front door was closed behind her.”
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David Vallance, head of content LeaseFetcher, also had an account of lying candidates.
“In all our job ads, we've had one non-negotiable requirement – must be interested in cars. I was amazed at how many people claimed to have a lifelong love of all things motoring on their CV or covering letter only to discover they hadn't the foggiest idea in their interview!”