October

In light of the recent political scandal in which a main political party in the UK finessed areas of her CV, it is recommended that employers explore their legal positions in the discovery of a fraudulent CV.

If discovered during the pre-employment process, employers have the right to withdraw an offer before acceptance of the offer by the employee and if discovered during employment, the severity of the dishonesty should be judged on a case-by-case basis. Employers are encouraged to perform checks on employment history and assess verbiage in offers and contracts, as well as employee handbooks.

More than half (56%) of UK employers admit that candidates ' online profiles actively influence their hiring decisions, according to a new survey that highlights the increasing integration of social media into the recruitment process.

The research, from jobs board Monster and YouGov, suggests most HR professionals actively consult social networking sites such as Twitter, LinkedIn and Facebook during the hiring process. Around a third (36%) of the 4,000 HR professionals surveyed said they had declined to interview a candidate, or had rejected an applicant they had already interviewed, after checking their social media posts, while 65% Googled prospective employees. The process works both ways, however: 28% of jobseekers said their view of an organisation was influenced by what they read about it on websites such as Glassdoor, and they were less likely to apply if they formed an unfavourable impression.

"All self-employed tutors should be legally required to have a criminal records check before they can offer private lessons to children in the UK, children's charity the NSPCC says. A current loophole means self-employed tutors do not have to undergo Disclosure and Barring Service checks.

The NSPCC says this loophole creates an ""ideal scenario"" for ""any predatory adult seeking to harm children"". The Home Office said it would ""carefully consider"" the comments. Many tutoring agencies will insist on an up-to-date check on their staff, but some do not - and individuals setting up privately are not legally required to have a DBS certificate. Employers and licensed bodies can request DBS checks, but individuals cannot, meaning parents and tutors cannot run such checks. Now, the NSPCC is calling for a tightening of the law to ensure every individual giving private tuition undergoes a check, saying the same rules should apply for self-employed tutors as for classroom teachers."