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CV or not CV? That is the question
"Technical Skills and Hobbies: Advanced knowledge of Java programming language, extensive use of MySQL and primary developer of the first commercial atomic clock. Atomichron.
BASE jumping, deep-sea diving and bullfighting; Indonesian Snake Charming apprentice during my spare time."
We sometimes hear of cases where employees have lied about particular aspects of their educational background and previous employment on their curriculum vitae. Take the (in)famous case back in 2007 of Patrick Imbardelli. After progressing rapidly through his career in the hotel industry, Mr Imbardelli became Chief Executive of the InterContinental Hotels Group's (IHG) Asia Pacific region. As well as an annual remuneration of £350,000, Mr Imbardelli was named ‘Asia Pacific Hotelier of the Year' and was highly regarded as one of the best in his industry. However, following a check on his acadmic background, IHG discovered a slight anomaly with the three degrees Mr Imbardelli claimed he had from the universities of Victoria and Cornell. The anomally? He didn't actually graduate! (The Independent on Sunday, 2007). Perhaps it didn't matter so much in this case as he was clearly very good at his job!
Deception is a concern though. You might think that such cases are few and far between, however, The 2008 Recruitment and Retention Survey performed by the CIPD found that each year, a quarter of UK employers found that applicants / employees had lied on their CV (CIPD, 2008). As an employer, this may seem like an awfully high – and somewhat worrying – figure.
Last year a senior NHS HR manager, Kerrie Devine, was given a six-month suspended prison sentence and ordered to pay £9,600 in compensation after claiming falsely she held a degree in HR Management and was part way through a CIPD course.
In March, a senior NHS manager was given a 12-month suspended prison sentence and told to carry out 200 hours of unpaid community work. Hasan Tahsin made fraudulent claims about his qualifications and memberships of professional bodies when he applied to several posts at five NHS trusts between March 2004 and March 2009. The skills required, including project management and estates management, were essential for each position.
Mr Tahsin was found out following an audit of senior managers' qualifications for the trust. He was arrested and interviewed by the NHS Counter-Fraud Service in May 2009 – when he admitted he had lied to get the jobs – which fraudulently earned him £245,246 during his time there.
That said, there are a number of steps that you can take throughout the application and employment process to help ensure that your employee is qualified for the job.
Finding the right applicant starts at the recruitment and screening stage. Firstly, you must decide whether you want your applicants to simply hand in an up-to-date CV, fill in an application form or both. Application forms can be designed and populated in such a way as to collect the exact data specific to the job role. It also makes the comparison of information submitted by a large number of applicants easier.
Next comes the interview stage. As the interviewer, you will need to gather as much information as possible relating to the applicant's skills and competences within a relatively short period of time. Prepare in advance questions that seek to explore your applicant's academic background and work experience. Use open questions to ensure that you give your applicant the chance to make the best of themselves during their interview and give you the satisfaction that you have formed a good and accurate impression of said applicant.
Ask applicants to bring in original certificates and qualifications and take a copy.
We always recommend some form of relevant testing to gather additional data. Any tests used must be relevant, non-discriminatory and consistently applied.
When you're at the stage of making an offer, do take up references. DO NOT trust your instincts! When contacting referees, you can request the following information:
- Start and end dates;
- job title and final salary;
- number of days absence due to sickness;
- any disciplinary sanction which is still live;
- whether the employee resigned or was dismissed;
- appraisal rating.
Finally, there is the probation period. This is normally a three month period at the beginning of employment where you (and your employee) have a right to terminate his/her contract of employment should you see fit. A probation period gives the chance for:
- you to assess an employee's skills and whether his/her experience can be shown in practical terms;
- you to see if the new employee works well with the rest of the team and see if the team are happy with his/her performance;
- your new employee to become comfortable with the day-to-day tasks and daily office routine within you company and raise any issues he-or-she may have.
Whatever your decision when considering your recruitment process, it is important to know how to manage the process efficiently and effectively. Russell HR Consulting provides expert knowledge in the practical application of employment law. Visit our website: http://www.russellhrconsulting.co.uk/ for further details.
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