Porkie Pies Don’t Cut It in the Real Job Market

A few white lies about his educational history didn’t prevent Lee McQueen from being named The Apprentice. However, the latest annual employment survey from the CIPD suggests “Sir Allun” may have let his protege off lightly…

Job applicants are being warned that lying on their CVs is a big gamble, and at the end of it, some will find they will get fired. The warning follows Lee McQueen’s victory in the BBC TV show The Apprentice, despite having been found to have used his CV to exaggerate the length of time he spent at university.

The 2008 Recruitment and Retention Survey from the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development has shown that in one year a quarter of employers in the UK withdrew job offers after discovering someone had lied or otherwise misrepresented their application. Earlier research from the CIPD shows nearly as many (23%) dismissed someone who was already in post for the same offence.

Deborah Fernon, CIPD Recruitment Adviser, said:

“A CV is not the best place for modesty. There’s nothing wrong with selling yourself when you’re applying for a job. But if you lie on your CV, you need to prepare to be caught. And if you do get caught, you could get fired.

“You may be lucky enough to get an employer like Sir Alan Sugar who’s willing to give you a second chance. But then most job interviews don’t last 11 weeks and don’t offer so many second chances. Employers still place a high value on honesty. One little lie on your CV could be enough to leave you out of a job, and with even more explaining to do next time you’re in a job interview.

“School and university leavers about to start applying for jobs need to know that employers do check CVs for accuracy, and will take a dim view of dishonesty. Real business life is often a million miles away from the twists and turns of TV’s the Apprentice. Basic values like honesty and genuine team-working abilities are valued far more highly by most employers than the impression given of business by The Apprentice.”

Other highlights from this year’s Recruitment and Retention research:
* Almost 90% of employers mostly or always take up candidates’ references
* 72% of employers check the academic qualifications of job applicants
* 75% of employers check on absence records