One in five admit to lying on their CV
One in five people have put a significant lie on their CV in a desperate bid to secure a new job and impress their future employer. The shocking findings show more and more job-seekers have become unscrupulous when it comes to job hunting but some employers are now fighting back with highly publicised sackings and in some cases prosecution.
One of those highly publicised cases involved the wife of Common's Speaker John Bercow who was sacked from a leading City firm after it claimed she had lied about having a degree from Oxford University.
The company accused her of having lied on her CV. It also claimed that Mrs Bercow - who at the time was known by her maiden name, Sally Illman - had used 'multiple CVs' with different 'facts' about her past on each one.
The disclosure is doubly embarrassing for the Bercows. It comes after Left-wing Mrs Bercow announced she will stand as a Labour candidate in next year's elections for Westminster City Council. And it conflicts with the crusade by her husband, Tory MP and Speaker John Bercow, to restore Parliament's reputation for honesty in the wake of the expenses scandal.
The controversy over Mrs Bercow's CV dates back to 1994, when she applied to join Consolidated Communications. Sources at the firm say they were told by Mrs Bercow that she had an Oxford degree.
However, some time after she was hired they phoned Oxford to check - and were - and were shocked to learn that she had attended the college but had not
completed her degree
Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1229912/Speakers-wife-lost-job-Oxford-degree-wasnt.html#ixzz0jeyIFnMF
First woman in the country to be imprisoned for lying on a CV
Rhiannon Mackay, became the first woman (27th March 2010) in the country to be imprisoned for lying on a CV, when she wrongly claimed to have two A-levels and made up references. The 29-year- old, who used the fake CV to apply for 11 other jobs, held the post of capital projects administrator in the NHS from May 2008 until last October.
But suspicions were raised about her performance and she admitted lying on her CV when challenged by bosses at Plymouth Hospitals NHS Trust. Plymouth magistrates heard the post required applicants to have at least two A-levels and Mackay, a former Royal Navy sonar operator, claimed she had two grade Bs.
When asked to provide a reference she forged a letter of recommendation and signed it using the name of her now husband, a chief petty officer.
Mackay, of Plymouth, admitted fraud by making a false representation and asked for 11 similar offences to be taken into consideration. She also admitted making a false instrument - the reference and a forged naval discharge certificate.
Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1260901/Woman-lied-CV-A-Levels-bag-NHS-job-jailed.html?ITO=1490#ixzz0jezpeoil
Comment
In both of these cases the CV lies where not uncovered at the time of recruitment, only when they failed to perform was their experience and qualifications re-examined. This makes a perfect case for professional employee screening.
Eurocom C.I. was launched in 2006 to provide pre-employment screening services following the increase in employee fraud being investigated by our parent company Carratu International Plc. We are now working with NHS Trusts, local Authorities and blue chip companies to developing a range of specialist screening packages to cover the appointment of everyone from Snr Management to the cleaners. To discuss your specific screening requirements call us on 0845 880 5888.
In this issue
The Vetting and Barring Scheme
The facts about CV lies
Whilst a little white lie on a CV may seem harmless in the eyes of the law it is committing fraud by false representation which carries a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison!
Under the 2006 Fraud Act anything from a little white lie to a quickly offered exaggerated reply can be considered if the offender knows it to be untrue.
Whilst everything from inflated exam results to overstated job responsibilities can and will be treated as outright lies, so to can the wrong body language. Even a nod or a wink can land you in trouble if they appear to confirm a lie.