Partner Article

Legal case highlights risks posed by CV lies

With the story this week that a former senior Conservative councillor is facing jail after admitting she pretended to be a qualified barrister to get ahead, it is clearer than ever that businesses can never be too cautious when hiring staff.

Monika Juneja, who rose through the ranks to become deputy leader of the Conservative group at Guildford Borough Council, pleaded guilty at the Old Bailey to three counts of forgery dating back to 2000, to obtaining pecuniary advantage by deception, and a charge of “wilfully pretending to be a barrister” between January 2010 and May 2014.

The prosecutor in the case commented that the defendant applied for jobs where a law qualification was an asset that would give her higher earning potential. In August 2003 she began work at Bromley Council as a licensing support officer, but the court heard that she would not have been offered the job had the Council known that she had lied in her application.

However, I would argue that there is no excuse for hiring people that are unqualified or otherwise inappropriate.

It should be taken as a given that some job candidates may embellish their credentials, or look to conceal details they would rather not disclose to a prospective employer. Organisations must be extremely sensitive to possible inconsistencies in applications, and perform the necessary employee screening in order to ensure that they are hiring the correct people.

Just one rogue candidate can have a detrimental effect on business. Don’t take any information at face value; delve deep into a candidate’s past, and then verify and verify again. The case of Monica Juneja is proof that aside from having a reputational and financial impact on business, when elected officials are caught out it can have a significant impact on public trust.

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Michael Whittington .