- 63 per cent of job applications featured errors in first half of year
- Employment overtakes education as the area where people are mostly likely to be inaccurate
- Errors in financial services applications reached 68 per cent, with a high of 71 per cent in February
Nearly two thirds (63 per cent) of job applications contained errors in the first six months of 2016, according to research released today by HireRight, the global candidate due diligence company.
Employment has just nudged out education as the top area for issues: 33 per cent of jobseekers included incorrect details about their work history, and 32 per cent shared an incorrect grade, qualification, institution or course date.
HireRight’s latest Candidate Health Check is based on the analysis of more than 500,000 checks of 70,000 applications, and reveals where recruiters need to focus background checks.
Steve Girdler, Managing Director for EMEA at HireRight comments: “We’re in a time of economic uncertainty and the temptation could be to rush applications or exaggerate claims to beat the competition.
“More and more businesses are carrying out thorough due diligence so, for jobseekers, accuracy and honesty is absolutely key in order to ensure your chances of being hired.”
Financial Services Focus
HireRight’s Candidate Health Check goes on to find that 68% of applications in the financial services industry were inaccurate in the first half of this year, hitting a high of 71% in February.
Steve Girdler continues, “With the recent introduction of the Financial Conduct Authority’s Senior Manager’s Regime, Certified Regime and Conduct Rules, there is no doubt that the financial services industry is more thorough than ever when it comes to making hiring decisions.
“In carrying out such in-depth checks, HR and risk departments ensure that they only consider the absolute best leaders and talent, and can focus on establishing whether individuals are a cultural fit for the future their company envisages.”
