Nearly 100,000 job applicants lie on their CV

Almost 100,000 job applicants have lied about qualifications in the past three years and are getting away with it, as employers fail to check credentials before offering a contract.

According to a new survey by AXELOS, almost half (48%) of UK-based HR professionals do not always check that applicant’s qualifications are valid.

Many organisations only find out members of staff have lied on their application after they have started work. Some 14% of HR professionals said they had dealt with at least five incidences within the last three years of employees not holding the qualifications they had claimed – the equivalent of around 100,000 jobseekers.

Qualification checks also vary between companies. Nearly a third (30%) of organisations think checks can be waived if the candidate has previous experience in the role they are applying for. One in ten will waive checks if someone in a senior role at the business has recommended the candidate.

Exaggerating qualifications such as degree results or modules can have serious repercussions – 37% of survey respondents said they would dismiss an employee if they discovered qualification results had been exaggerated. This increases to over half (54%) if a job applicant outright lies about qualifications they do not hold and is later found out.

More than half (53%) of HR professionals said that poor performance was the most significant risk from under-qualified staff. Reputational impact was the second most important issue, with more than one quarter (26%) of those surveyed listing it as their chief concern about hiring someone not properly qualified.

John O’Brien, Head of Membership at AXELOS, said: “In an increasingly competitive jobs market, there are clearly many people who are willing to exaggerate or lie to win that much sought-after role. So it’s hard to believe so many organisations do not routinely check the qualifications of job applicants.

“Lies can quickly get out of hand – it can soon become apparent that the individual is having difficulty meeting the expectations set out in the new position. While the employee could face their contract being terminated, the employer has a lot to lose, both financially and in terms of its reputation.”  

The survey also revealed that before employing someone new, 62% of HR professionals believe you should check references, and just under half (47%) think you should check a candidate’s qualifications. Other concerns like salary expectations and a candidate’s social media accounts were significantly less important to respondents (9% and 6%, respectively).