If you’re in the fortunate position to be employing staff, that’s a good thing…pat yourself on the back! The bad news is that you need to screen job applicants as many people will lie on their CVs just to get shortlisted for a job.
So you need to guard against employing people who are dishonest or likely to commit fraud, says the Fraud Advisory Panel (the ‘FAP’), the independent fraud watchdog. Afterall, if they can lie to get the jobs, what else would’t they lie about once they’ve got your advertised job!
“Pre-employment screening can provide an organisation with some assurance that a prospective employee is trustworthy and has the skills and experience required for the role they have applied for”, says Ros Wright, Chairman of the FAP and a former Director of the Serious Fraud Office. “It can also act as a deterrent to dishonest individuals applying for a position in the first place.”
It is estimated that one in six CVs contains some form of discrepancy – most commonly dates of employment, academic and professional qualifications and undisclosed directorships.
If you’ve been down the recruitment process before, you’ll know how time-consuming it can be…not to mention the costs involved in advertising in the first place. So once you have your shortlist, be sure to take appropriate steps to make sure you don’t end up with an undesirable working for you!
Screening does not have to be expensive and should be proportionate to the risks associated with the advertised role.
As a minimum, you should check that the applicant is who they say they are; lives at the address provided; has the right qualifications and immigration status and has given accurate information about their previous employment history.
? Identity can be checked with a passport, photo driving licence or birth certificate.
? Residential addresses can be verified by a recent bank statement or utility bill, or through a specialist address verification service.
? Contact the awarding body directly to check educational and professional qualifications.
? Work history and references should be confirmed with previous employers.
? The UK Border Agency’s website explains how to check a person’s right to work in the UK (www.bia.homeoffice.gov.uk).
? Criminal history information can be accessed through the Criminal Records Bureau (www.crb.gov.uk), Disclosure Scotland (www.disclosurescotland.co.uk) or AccessNI (www.accessni.gov.uk).
It is important to obtain signed consent from the prospective employee before you make these checks. A sign that you have a fraudster on your hands is someone who refuses to sign. If a prospective employee has provided a serious falsehood on their application form, you should withdraw your offer of employment and report the matter to the appropriate authorities, such as the police or UK Borders Agency and to any relevant employment agency involved in the recruitment process.
