With more matriculants unable to find
places at institutions of higher learning due to a lack of funding, employers
could find themselves with inadequately trained employees as the number of
people lying on their CVs constantly increases.
According to the latest figures, as much as 18% of job seekers lied on their CVs last year, with the largest portion coming from the younger generation, Managed Integrity Evaluation index said recently.
"The younger generation is more prone
to taking risks, while the older generation are more inclined to be more
patient as they are aware that one needs to follow steps towards growing in
their respective careers," Ina van der Merwe, CEO of Managed Integrity
Evaluation, said.
She said younger job seekers were more
prone to take risks as they have a tendency to seek instant gratification in a
quest to achieve their goals.
The index also shows that about 15.64% of
job seekers lied about their qualifications, with outright fraudulent
certificates or changing symbols on their certificates.
If you use a reputable firm, you will find
out almost immediately if someone has lied on their CV
She said matric tended to be the most
qualification lied about as many positions need matric as a minimum
requirement, with alterations made on symbols achieved being one of the most
common trends.
"Entry level positions are mostly
targeted. although people also lie in order to get promotions, largely through
job hopping," she said. In terms of qualification beyond matric, the BCom degree is most lied about, however, no specific university is targeted.
She said the index also shows that about
7.5% of job applicants lied about being members of a professional body in order
to enhance their prospects of finding employment.
Ina said, universities normally look at the
problem differently with institutions like Unisa preferring to lay criminal
charges on those involved.
Wits University registrar Carol Crosley
said the university also tended to take a legal route in order to deal with
fraudulent qualifications.
"We enforce strict management of our
academic administration and will not hesitate to consider legal action should
there lie the possibility of reputational damage," she said.
Ina advises companies to use a reputable
firm to help them with background checks as this has proven to have the highest
success rates.
"If you use a reputable firm, you will
find out almost immediately if someone has lied on their CVs," she said.
