Time to fess up...

[xoggoth]

It would have been nice if they had got the contract. I could have spent 6 months in North Vietnam.

Erm.

[Lucifer Box]

Worse than that. I have been to a meeting with a company's client and had to pretend I was an employee when I wasn't even a contractor, just an unpaid someone who would have got a contract if they had the got the contract. Obvuously I could not have helped much.

Interestingly enough, not really that unusual in the manufacturing/engineering world. When I am tendering for contracts, I sometimes get a technical expert in from the end supplier on visits to the client's premises for fact finding, pre-sales or some such. Standard procedure is for them to present themselves as a representative of MyCo. In fact, I would be livid if they did not and would certainly never deal with them again.

[xoggoth]

Worse than that. I have been to a meeting with a company's client and had to pretend I was an employee when I wasn't even a contractor, just an unpaid someone who would have got a contract if they had the got the contract. Obvuously I could not have helped much.

[Rebecca Loos]

NSW, you are so right

[Not So Wise]

Candidates applying for jobs at finance firms

Rather susprised it's not double that for the finance sector, at least in IT financial sector seems to be getting more and more unreasonable in skill combo's combined with centurys of experience in some particular bank department or another.

Some of them are quite laughable when if you think about it there are probably less than 10 people in the whole world who truthfully match the required spec and these financial companys are probably some of the biggest complainers about a "skills shortage in the uk". No folks what it is stupid, unreasonable and generally unnessary requirments.

[Joe Bloggs]

Couldn't agree more Milan, me ol' chav.

I've met my share of contractors over the years who blagged a thing or two, but most, with a few exceptions, were people who were up to the job but just didn't quite fit the spec for one reason or another.

On the other hand the number of times I've worked with people from consultancies, Andersons, Cap/E&Y, Computer Sciences etc where people were being charged out at silly money while not even understanding the basics - eh, whats an 'array' - well, what can I say....

As someone else said, it'd be interesting if they did a study of how many jobs don't match the ad/details shown, or how many companies/consultancies bs about their/their staff's experience when they don't have any.

[milanbenes]

furthermore,

it is not only individual candidates who are guilty,

just do an audit of cv's from the big consultancies of candidates they have out in the market place on projects,

those companies will happily give somebody a book on friday and sell them into the client as the expert on monday

Milan.

[Rebecca Loos]

that's right, a CV is nothing more than a glorified marketing brochure. And is doctored as such, of course.

[milanbenes]

it is not possible for anyone successful to have not glorified past victories on their cv at some stage in their carrier

Milan.

[Jabberwocky]

No, it means they didn't find the lies on the other 75%.

[Rebecca Loos]

does that mean that 75% of CVs contain no lies at all???

I am truly amazed....

[SupremeSpod]

For contracts in the UK I generally leave a few of my qualifications off the CV as recruiters worry you're too academic.

So people embroidering their CV are adding stuff like having an O level in English I guess...

Of course you do.

Your medication will be along soon Mr Threaded.

[threaded]

For contracts in the UK I generally leave a few of my qualifications off the CV as recruiters worry you're too academic.

So people embroidering their CV are adding stuff like having an O level in English I guess...

[Chico]

Who has been lying on their CV? From Auntie

Details incorrect 'on 25% of CVs'

Candidates applying for jobs at finance firms are increasingly likely to lie on their applications, research suggests.
A quarter of CVs contain incorrect or false information, The Risk Advisory Group (TRAG) said in a report.

Based on a study of 3,000 CVs, the group found the biggest lies involved academic qualifications, previous jobs, gaps in employment and directorships.

It found incorrect CVs now had an average of three pieces of misleading information on them.

'Bogus' claims

"These results are a warning to employers of taking too much at face value when hiring people," TRAG deputy director Richard Prior said.

"Clearly any candidate could make a mistake when preparing a CV, but three mistakes are unlikely and effectively mean that these CVs are bogus."

TOP FIVE FINANCE CV LIES*
Employment dates
Academic dates
Previous positions
Academic qualifications
Undeclared directorships
*SOURCE: The Risk Advisory Group

Have you enhanced your CV?

The findings back up another recent study which found half of UK firms rarely or never checked the academic qualifications of prospective employees.

The Chartered Institute of Personnel Development (CIPD) warned UK firms were a "soft touch" for CV fraudsters.

But its study did have a warning for people thinking of embroidering the truth on their application.

One in four bosses have withdrawn job offers after finding lies on a CV, while 23% have fired a member of staff they later found had lied to get the job.