CV lies: the risks of failing to carry out pre-employment checks

One quarter of employers in the UK withdrew at least one job offer in the last year after discovering someone had lied or otherwise misrepresented their application. And nearly as many (23%) dismissed someone who was already in post for the same offence, according to the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development's (CIPD) annual Recruitment and Retention Survey.

The survey also asked employers how often they carried out various checks on candidates' applications, and found that many employers do not carry out routine checks on the people they employ:

• 23% of employers do not always take up candidates' references;
• 20% of organisations either rarely or never check on absence records;
• 24% of organisations never (11%) or rarely (13%) check on academic qualifications;
• Employers seem likely to satisfy themselves about an employee's application mostly on the basis of a check on their most recent employment history - only 6% never or rarely check this.

Rebecca Clake, Recruitment Adviser at the CIPD, said:

"Employers need to be careful. A strong economy and low unemployment means many employers are struggling to find applicants. But there are risks that go with rushing candidates in to fill vacancies without pausing to make basic checks. If you don't have rigorous pre-employment checks in place, you risk being a soft touch for people who are willing to be dishonest to get work or advance their careers. On the other hand, if all employers carried out checks on a more regular basis, it's more likely those people who genuinely fit the criteria for the job will be successful.

"CIPD recommends that employers should always take up references to check facts such as qualifications gained and previous jobs held. However, employers should also take care not to rely on subjective opinion with regard to competence or performance."

The CIPD has published a free fact sheet on references, available from www.cipd.co.uk, to help employers put in place appropriate systems for checking applicants are not misrepresenting themselves when applying for jobs.