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Latest research has revealed that over a quarter of UK job hunters lie on their CV, with some admitting that their lie was a significant one.

Independent jobs board CV-Library surveyed over 2,000 people in the UK who were actively looking for jobs. Their findings show that 28.6% of people have lied on their CV, with over 9.2% saying that their fib was a big one.

Many candidates feel that it is acceptable to 'embellish' the truth when it comes to hobbies, previous salary and experience, however, the majority wouldn't lie about criminal convictions, qualifications or previous employment.

Only a third of professionals (35.5%) feel that any form of lie is unacceptable, with 12% believing anyone found to lie shouldn't be offered the job.

Other findings showed that:

• 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% say their boss has never found out

• When it comes to the interview itself, only 17.3% would still lie, with 82.7% stating they would never lie in an interview

• 75% 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% of candidates believe it is necessary to lie on a CV in order to get an interview, due to high levels of competition

With over a quarter of job hunters willing to lie in order to get an interview, it's worth pointing out that it seems that CV lies won't always help with getting a job, with 47.3% admitting their fibs didn't work.

According to the jobs board, the most common ways for job-hunters to get caught out are through interview questions, a previous job reference or via social media.

Lee Biggins, managing director of CV-Library, said, “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.”


Simon Dolan is the Sales & Marketing Manager for Contractor Umbrella Ltd, one of the UK’s Most Respected Umbrella Companies and founder member of AllUmbrellaCompaniesAreEqual.
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