Over a quarter (28%) of UK job hunters lie on their CV, according to new research from independent job board CV Library.
The survey of over 2,000 job hunters revealed that, of those that admitted to lying, 9.2 percent said their false information was significant, suggesting that recruiters should be on their guard.
Lee Biggins, managing director of CV-Library, comments:
“For businesses, this is just another reason to make sure they’re one step ahead when it comes to recruiting. Whilst the majority of candidates are honest, it’s important to prepare for the minority that aren’t. A few simple but probing questions during the interview process will normally unveil anything suspicious.”
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From the findings, the number of people who admit to lying on their CV may actually seem surprisingly low but the research showed this could be due to ambiguity of what constitutes a lie.
Some candidates believe it is acceptable to embellish details of hobbies, previous salaries and experience, whereas the majority of respondents said it is unacceptable to lie about qualifications, previous employment and criminal convictions.
Only a third of professionals (35.5%) feel that any form of lie is unacceptable, with 12 percent believing anyone found to lie shouldn’t be offered the job.
Other top findings show:
· Men are more likely to lie on their CV than women (30.4% vs 24.9%)
· Of those that have lied on their CV, 91.2 percent say their boss has never found out
· When it comes to the interview itself, only 17.3 percent would still lie, with 82.7 percent stating they would never lie in an interview
· 75 percent of job-hunters believe it is the company’s responsibility to uncover lies during the interview process, as opposed to the candidate being honest
· 52 percent of candidates believe it is necessary to lie on a CV in order to get an interview, due to high levels of competition
Steff joined the HRreview editorial team in November 2014. A former event coordinator and manager, Steff has spent several years working in online journalism. She is a graduate of Middlessex University with a BA in Television Production and will complete a Master's degree in Journalism from the University of Westminster in the summer of 2015.
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