It is natural that candidates want to present themselves in the best possible way when competing for an attractive job opportunity. However many, such as last year’s eventual Apprentice winner – Lee McQueen, take this too far and end up falsifying information in their CV's.
Areas that are expressed inaccurately can include:
- Job titles and accountabilities; implying a greater level of seniority than was in fact the case.
- Achievements; taking credit for achievements that belong to others or were, in reality, the result of a team effort.
- Dates of employment; obscuring gaps or positions of short duration.
- University degrees; claiming they achieved higher grades, attended more prestigious establishments or completed courses that they did not actually finish.
- Professional qualifications; covering up the fact that they did not pass all the necessary examinations.
While Lee may have got away with it in Alan Sugar’s eyes, most do not. In our experience, the sad fact is that in the majority of serious cases the candidate’s genuine details would have been acceptable, but the dishonesty itself was sufficient cause for withdrawing them from the shortlist.
When we place advertisements we list the outline candidate requirements, but in many instances these are ideals. Every application we receive is reviewed objectively in detail to establish whether one factor which appears to be a little outside the parameters may be compensated for by others which are exceptionally relevant.
Good recruitment consultancies interview in depth, check shortlisted candidates’ stated qualifications rigorously and, unless the client wants to do so themselves, take up full references. People who misrepresent their credentials are highly likely to be found out before appointment and it really is not worth it.
In very minor cases of inaccuracy, the consultant is likely to judge that these should simply be brought to the attention of the client. After all, few people could say that they have never painted things in a favourable light at some stage. More serious cheating, on the other hand, brings into question the underlying integrity of the candidate and therefore the validity of everything they say now and in the future.
The message is clear – go ahead and apply even if you are a bit wide of the specification, stating your particulars accurately. Cheating will be discovered and in serious cases may eliminate future opportunities. There really is no need to gild the lily.
