The temptation to embellish (or even lie) on one's CV in order to heighten one's chances of employment is common - but costly. Teryl Schroenn of Accsys gives some advice to job-seekers on how to keep it clean.

The value of secure employment within challenging economic conditions is such that people resort to any number of tactics to gain advantage – including lying on the Curriculum Vitae (CV). Recruitment specialists at Accsys (Pty) Ltd., a national supplier of payroll, HR, Time & Attendance and Access Control solutions, suggest that this practice can only have negative consequences.

Recruitment and HR practitioners are concerned about the level to which some candidates embellish their credentials, particularly with reference to work experience, qualifications and salary.

“I have noticed about one in three CVs with information that is misrepresentative of the truth. It is obvious that candidates understand the importance of this document as a marketing tool and are trying to make them as attractive as possible,” says Ngoni Munetsi, a Recruitment Consultant with Accsys PeoplePlace.

Among the most common misrepresentations are the use of friends as references, blatant untruths about designations and responsibilities, inaccurate dates and over-emphasis or misleading details about strengths, achievements and successful projects.

Teryl Schroenn, CEO at Accsys, says it is difficult to quantify the situation and there is no real way of measuring the precise degree to which people are padding their CVs.

The best advice she offers to candidates to truly stand out amongst competitors, in the right way, is to tell the truth and highlight the positive, whilst not attempting to hide the negative.

“There is a way to highlight the positive and explain any negatives, clearly and professionally. This is the best approach to take in terms of anything that may be construed as negative or a blemish on a record,” adds Schroenn. “This is the message we are attempting to get through to the marketplace and we believe, as is the case with most areas of skills development, education and recruitment, the more people are made aware of the situation and implications, the better.”

Accsys has established a recruitment services division, called Accsys PeoplePlace, which continues to serve the interests of job seekers and companies seeking to acquire much-needed skills sets. The division engages a number of sources (including referees, previous places of work, any supporting documentation) to confirm information supplied by candidates and regularly come across formal CVs that contain misleading information.

For more information, click through to www.accsys.co.za or (011)719-8000.

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