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In the News |
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December 28, 2005:
Beware of lying on your resume
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BANGALORE: India Inc is now getting smart towards resume
frauds : job applicants who send in resumes with false
information. Companies are increasingly hiring
professionals to run background checks on job
applicants.
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Background checks verify identification in several
ways. Verification of address, education and
employment records, court checks of criminal records
are commonly used.
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checks are not entirely new to Indian companies. But
these were earlier viewed more as a formality but not as
a stringent necessity, says B.S. Murthy, Bangalore-based
HR consultant. The process has now become tougher and
organised following the entry of foreign competitors.
Background checking now covers education, previous
employment records, criminal verification, sexual
harassment history, corruption and credit defaults.
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| As companies
scale up, the screening has expanded to more sectors. IT
and ITES sectors were among the first to adopt
background screening. Now hospitality, healthcare,
transport, education and FMCG sectors have followed
suit. In 2000 US financial services companies were our
main customers. Now Indian BPOs, insurance and; oil and
gas sectors also use our services, says Yogesh Bhura,
the managing director of First Advantage Quest Research,
a leading employee-screening firm in Mumbai.
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| Earlier this
year, Wipro chief Azim Premji made a starting
revelation: a background check revealed that one per
cent of Wipros workforce had submitted false documents
at the time of interview.
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| Awareness is
growing, as risks involved are huge, says Ajay Trehan,
CEO, another screening company AuthBridge Research in
Gurgaon. This has meant better procedures and quality of
checks.
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But lack of laws making screening
mandatory and unavailability of online records in India
makes background screening difficult, says Shehan
Menezes, director, of Mumbai-based screening company
BlackJag Consulting. Recruiter's look out for 'red
flags' or false claims in resumes across all levels.
This is done now more than before because
decision-making responsibilities that affect a company's
future is delegated to people down the chain," says Gautam Ghosh, Hyderabad-based HR consultant.
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Resume fraud is seen across all
levels in India, most people lie about educational
qualifications. According to a BBC Risk Advisory Group
2004 study, a quarter of CVs they received had a lie.
Most common lies pertain to previous employment,
achievements and education. Costs of screening per
employee ranges from Rs175-6,000, depending on the type
of check undertaken. In India the primary focus is on
education and work experience, while in the West it is
criminal records and personality screening.
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Next > The
AuthBridge Team |
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