With forty eight applicants seeking every graduate vacancy and employees unlikely to take graduates without work experience, 1 the temptation to lie on a CV is considerable.
According to the Charted Institute of Educational Assessors, nearly one in three jobseekers have embellished a CV, reflecting a long-term trend of jobseekers disguising their work histories and their identity.
Pollsters Opinion Matters surveyed 2000 workers finding that more than 19% had ‘expanded on the truth’ about their qualifications 3 In addition, a 2009 background check survey found 15% of employees lie about their identity, and that 20% will lie about their references to get an interview. 4
However, employers can now background check employees within a few clicks on 192.com.
Use 192.com to:
· Verify basic identity by confirming where the candidate lives, their approximate age and marital status.
· See how long they’ve lived at an address and check to see if this tally’s with their employment history. If a jobseeker claims to be working in Newcastle for a year, why do edited electoral roll records on 192.com show them to be living in Southampton?
· Check out past employees. Job seekers will fake references and even whole companies to cover up periods of unemployment. With 4.5 million registered UK businesses, 192.com has a more comprehensive business database than any other single source. A few clicks will tell you if the past employer exists at all.
· Identify the names of company directors, and contact them directly for a reference.
Dominic Blackburn, Product Director of 192.com said: “We advise employers to take control of their recruitment, and ID check job candidates thoroughly to ensure you’re getting the employee you imagine.”
According to Business Link, the government’s online resource for businesses, no other background check should be conducted until you verify the person is who they claim to be and that electronic checks should be backed up by obtaining original documents to support all ID claims.