In an increasingly pressurised economic environment, the significance of effective and competent staffing has become even more far-reaching.
But it also raises the importance of screening of prospective employees as a critical element in the protection of a company’s assets, staff and brand, according to Rudi Kruger, GM of Lexis Nexis Data Services.
“Despite the marginal decrease in the unemployment rate to 26.7% in the last quarter of 2017 according to the latest Stats SA survey, there remains a certain amount of desperation amongst job seekers,” he says. “This can lead to prospective employees falsifying information such as qualifications and experience on CV’s and applications.
“Employees are a company’s biggest investment with regards to time, resources, training and money expended,” Kruger adds. “The risks of hiring a candidate who is not qualified for the role, or who has a criminal record that has been hidden are increased if comprehensive candidate screening is not carried out. This makes reference and experience checks crucial in the employment process.”
Areas that are often embellished upon in job applications include work experience and previous periods of employment.
“Employees want to look qualified for the role offered to secure the position and the salary. They also want to show that they are dependable and stable by being employed for longer,” Kruger says. “They may also exaggerate the time they worked at a company to hide periods of incarceration or dismissal due to theft or lack of performance.”
Lexis RefCheck offers 24/7 online access to verify the personal details of a candidate prior to offering employment.