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December 23 2009

Top CV Lies That Employers Need to Watch Out For

Bedford Today reports how Common CV lies range from stretching the truth on how the applicant left their previous position, to blatant falsehoods about bogus degree qualifications from made up universities.  Everyone knows that the way to land that dream job is to make your CV look as impressive as you possibly can.  But according to Bedford company Verifile some job seekers go to extraordinary lengths to give themselves the edge.

Common CV lies range from stretching the truth on how the applicant left their previous position, to blatant falsehoods about bogus degree qualifications from made up universities. Our CEO Eyal Ben Cohen, which is based at Bedford iLab in Stannard Way, said: "The risk of employing the wrong person for the job depends on the company and the particular role, but with some extra checks, these risks can be mitigated before you offer a job to anyone."  Eyal Ben Cohen set up Verifile in 2003 after finding a gap in the market for checking the honesty and integrity of job applicants.

Common lies on CVs include:

  • Position or Job Title-Many people stretch the truth when it comes to job title.  Sometimes applicants might stretch their previous job title to appear more suited to the role they are applying for next.
  • Dates of Employment-Some candidates might state that they have been in a job for longer than they actually have so it looks as though they are more experienced.  People with long gaps of unemployment sometimes think that it might look better to stretch dates so that the gap looks insignificant or even nonexistent.
  • Fake Employers-Candidates may claim to have worked for companies that may not exist any more. More creative applicants might even provide a number or a website with themselves at the other end ready to give a glowing, and false, reference.
  • Income-Employees know that more and more employers are providing less information on standard references. Some applicants choose to take advantage of this by inflating their salary.
  • Reason for Leaving- No-one is proud to have been made redundant from a job, let alone be dismissed.  Many applicants will try and hide the real reasons they left a previous employer.
  • Education-The most common lie when it comes to education is inflating the classification of degree achieved. For example a pass degree may be promoted to a 2:1. A growing phenomenon is people buying degrees for as little as £99.