Curriculum Vitae fraud must be detected
The high unemployment rate is influencing the proliferation of CV fraud. This has led to a growing industry of fraud detection and reference checking, in South Africa and internationally.
Companies need, however, to ensure that the pre-screening and vetting practices they deploy do not transgress the privacy laws, the relevant labour legislation, or the constitution, directly or indirectly.
There is no company that is immune to fraud. A silent and not so obvious culprit in the fraud equation is the previous employer.
It is a concern that there is too often a lack of honesty from previous employers in reference checks. Reading testimonials from previous employers, every potential employee is a model employee.
It is understandable that no manager wants to destroy the chances of an employee getting other employment, but the lack of honesty makes a mockery of reference checking.
In fact it is fraud, especially if fraud means "wrongful or criminal deception intended to result in financial or personal gain".
Complexities of pre-screening may make the task of verifying CVs seem impossible, but through increased awareness and sharing of tools and solutions ranging from polygraph tests and online assessments to background checks, companies can minimise the problem.
To get the best talent, new skills and knowledge are a necessity in order to understand global customs and laws that could impact on the accuracy of the verification process.
Qualifications can now be bought via the Internet. So regardless of the certifications and credentials provided by the applicant, it is incumbent on the organisation to check the backgrounds of all employees.
The government has always been consistent in its strong message of zero tolerance to any kind of fraud, which has been further strengthened by the work taking place in the public sector on data verification of CVs. The private sector can thus not afford to relax practices despite the targets that need to be met, especially in chartered sectors.
Trevor Woodburn of Woodburn Mann Headhunters asserted in June 2003 that a shocking 50 percent of South African managers (middle, senior and executive) had at least embellished their CVs, with companies losing up to five times the value of the annual package as a direct result.
Meeting BEE targets must not be an excuse to relax vigilance around pre-employment screening efforts. BEE is designed to increase our competitive trajectory by emphasising that employers should recruit and select individuals on the basis of the inherent requirements of the job.
It does not promote getting candidates into the workplace that will be liabilities rather than assets.
Companies cannot afford to be caught up in the debate of whether CV fraud is all hype or a reality. They need to ensure that they close the gap of opportunity and rather prevent fraud than find the cure.
Potential fraudsters must know that the company has the recourse of a disciplinary enquiry, which must be specified in the employment contract to cover the company if it discovers that there was misrepresentation. Thus crime just does not pay.
Dudu Msomi is chief executive of the Institute of People Management. The annual IPM convention takes place at Sun City from August 28 to 30. For information call 011-785-6809 or visit www.ipm.co.za