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It is all too tempting for job hunters to do: lie on a resume to secure THAT job. Employers may be left red faced however when their recent star recruit doesn’t actually have the qualification/s required or the previous experience as they claimed – and it is only discovered after they have accepted the job and commenced work.

This scenario is what eventuated at an Australian department store in 2014. It discovered that a new senior level employee had lied about his previous retail management experience. The employee’s employment was promptly terminated and following a police investigation, he was later charged with a number of deception charges.

Conducting pre-employment checks of a candidate’s qualification or work history is a step that all employers must take in their recruitment processes, particularly for senior level positions.

Employers should ask candidates to provide original and/or certified copies of certificates or academic transcripts. Where this cannot be done, employers should consider contacting the issuing educational institution or professional body to verify the claimed qualification and/or membership. This is particularly important for positions that have a financial responsibility or a responsibility for safety. Consider for example, an engineer who is responsible for designing and / or checking the safety of bridges but never finished the degree or a real estate agent who does not have a licence.

Employers are also reminded that membership of an association or professional body should not be relied as evidence of a candidate’s qualification or current membership status. For example, the applicant may be banned, disqualified or their membership may have lapsed.

A candidate’s work history should not be relied upon as evidence of their actual experience. For example, just because an applicant has claimed on their resume that they worked as an Accountant at Company X does not mean they actually did so or have the necessary professional body membership. Often, all it takes is a simple phone call with previous employers to confirm the previous position and period of employment.

To minimise the risk of hiring a dishonest candidate and to ensure due diligence, employers should consider:

• Implementing pre-employment screening checks as a standard part of the application process.

• Candidates should affirm that the information they have provided is true and correct and consent to the business carrying out employment and qualification checks. The Standards Australia Employment Screening Standard provides guidelines for employers and agencies carrying out the process.

• Where a recruiter is used, even if they have conducted their own screening process, employers should still rely on their own enquiries to verify qualifications, references and work history or have involvement in the questions that need to be asked - sometimes it is the way things are said that reveals the truth.

• Having carefully drafted employment contracts which specify that possession of the relevant qualification is a condition of employment and that an employee’s employment may be terminated if references, licences and qualifications are not valid and true and correct.

Having a thorough recruitment process where appropriate measures are taken to verify qualifications and experience will help to ensure that the best person for the job is selected for your business and avoid potential embarrassment for the organisation in the future.

Information provided in this blog is not legal advice and should not be relied upon as such. Workplace Law does not accept liability for any loss or damage arising from reliance on the content of this blog, or from links on this website to any external website. Where applicable, liability is limited by a scheme approved under Professional Standards Legislation.