Who is handling your money?
September 2009, Security Services & Risk Management

40% of résumés contain inaccurate information, such as false dates, positions and responsibilities.

It is common for candidate employees, when applying for a job, to choose not to include their total employment history, for a variety of reasons.

The reason for leaving one job can be falsified, and the history of employment can show the next position to be found immediately, so the applicant can state that the job change was deliberate, either due to a change of address from one state to another, or for advancement. Both reasons are frequently given when this type of falsification is carried out. If an investigation shows only when each employee finished working for each employer, the lie will not be revealed. Only full employment history verification will reveal this.

There are reasons for falsifying the position held and level of responsibility. If a certain amount of previous experience in management is required for the job offered, there are those that will falsify the seniority of their previous post.

Prior work history is a good predictor of future performance and the number one predictor of workplace violence is past problems. Given the enormous price tag of a bad hiring decision, it is no surprise that employers of all sizes are turning to various tools to boost the effectiveness of their hiring process.

A company also has a duty of care to existing employees and must ensure that they are not endangered with the employment of a new employee. A company also needs to ensure that the person hired is who they say they are. Pre-employment screening is an effective risk management tool that has been proven to significantly reduce the risk of a bad hire.

An effective employment history verification is essential to ensure that the employer is not guilty of negligent employment in the event of an employee, or anyone else, being harmed through the employment of someone where the problem could have been foreseen.

By virtue of both common law and legislation, an employer is entitled to all facts material to the possible employment of candidates they are interviewing. To this end, the CGC Crime Prevention Programme has developed a database which contains a factual history of the movement of people within the industry. This database will provide a clear employment history of candidates (within the industry), thereby facilitating a more informed employment process.

There may not always be employment history and the obtained reference number that has to be recorded, will begin with an N. This means that the person has no employment history record with other CPP member companies. Should there be an employment history and this particular applicant person has moved in the FMCG Industry, the reference number will begin with a P. The P reference number does not mean any criminal activity as the database holds no discriminatory information. This does, however, indicate that the individual has previously worked in the industry. The database will provide the relevant employment company as well as period of employment, as submitted by such company, which allows the verification of employment history of applicants before employment.

Selma Black