Lies on CVs increase as the job market worsens

SkillsActive - 03/06/09

Surprisingly perhaps, the survey showed that salary was deemed the second most acceptable thing to lie about on a CV after hobbies and pastimes, followed by secondary education qualifications (GCSE’s and O’Levels). Fibbing about having a driving licence, however, was voted a resounding no-no – worse even than being untruthful about previous criminal convictions.

Those living in the Capital were found to be significantly less truthful than the rest of the country – more than a quarter of all London-based respondents (27%) admitted they lie on their CV, bucking the national average by almost 10%.

The results of this research show that, when it comes to recruitment, employers need to be more careful than ever to double check information supplied and contact references. This can, however, be very time-consuming.

Two years ago SkillsActive launched ActivePassport, an online facility which records skills, qualifications and achievements of staff. This UK skills passport has garnered a great deal of support from the sector with over 17,000 passports having been set up so far either by individuals, employers or training providers. 

Stephen Studd, Chief Executive of SkillsActive says: “As available jobs become increasingly scarce, some candidates are bound to bend the truth if they think it will give them a better chance. Online systems such as ActivePassport help candidates stand out as the employer knows unequivocally that what they see is what they get. Inevitably perhaps, some people will see this as a Big Brother measure but this is certainly not the case as no individual’s records may be stored without their permission.”