Court case highlights risks posed by CV lies

Michael Whittington

Businesses must be vigilant about what candidates claim on their CV, warns Michael Whittington.

The story this week that a former senior Conservative councillor could be facing jail after admitting she pretended to be a qualified barrister to get ahead, should act as a warning to businesses that they can never be too cautious when hiring staff.

Monika Juneja, 36, who rose through the ranks to become deputy leader of the Conservative group at Guildford Borough Council, pleaded guilty at the Old Bailey to three counts of forgery, to obtaining pecuniary advantage by deception, and “wilfully pretending to be a barrister”. The offences took place 2000 and 2014.

The prosecutor in the case commented that the defendant applied for jobs where a law qualification would give her higher earning potential. In 2003 she began work as a licensing support officer at Bromley Council, but the court heard that the council would not have offered her the job had it known that she had lied in her application.

A recent analysis of a sample of 3,000 CVs by The Risk Advisory Group found that despite people revealing more about themselves online than ever before, 63% of CVs contain discrepancies – a rise of 15% in the last decade.

There is no excuse for hiring people that are unqualified or otherwise inappropriate. It should be taken as a given that some job candidates may embellish their credentials, or look to conceal details they would rather not disclose to a prospective employer. Organisations must be extremely sensitive to possible inconsistencies in applications, and perform the necessary employee screening in order to ensure that they are hiring the correct people.

Just one rogue candidate can have a detrimental effect on business. Don’t take any information at face value; delve deep into a candidate’s past, and then verify and verify again.

The case of Monica Juneja is proof that aside from having a reputational and financial impact on business, when elected officials are caught out it can have a significant impact on public trust.

Michael Whittington is head of employee screening at The Risk Advisory Group.