CV lies revealed

Job applicants are choosing to lie on their CVs to help them secure new employment, it has emerged.

A study by The Risk Advisory Group showed that over 50% of 3,800 CVs had inconsistencies.

The worst-offending age group was the 36- to 40-year-olds category, with 62.9% of CVs showing irregularities.

Often, credit checks can reveal information about debt and fraud that candidates have neglected to tell the employer, the company found.

This follows a warning earlier this week from the External Affairs Director at Equifax, Neil Munroe, who noted the importance of a clear credit history for graduates when applying for finance jobs.

Head of Employee Screening for The Risk Advisory Group, Sal Remtulla, stated that the problem has arisen from an increasingly competitive jobs market.

She stated: 'CV discrepancies are on the increase and becoming more serious.'

'Many of the discrepancies we uncover are simple errors of omission, but a significant number will be something more serious, such as bankruptcies, criminal convictions or even fraud against employers.'