3 ways to stay off the qualification fraudsters database

A new year is a good time to make a fresh start - by finding a new job, for example - but no matter how much you want the position, it is never OK to exaggerate your CV.

"Desperation among job seekers can lead them to dishonesty and blatant fraud in terms of their CVs and qualifications," says Ina van der Merwe, CEO of background-screening company Managed Integrity Evaluation.

She has this advice:

• The consequences for such CV fraud are serious and long-lasting. In a bid to increase your chances of employment, you are putting yourself at risk of being found out, ruining your professional reputation and lowering your odds of finding similar employment in future;

• Your chances of getting away with this are getting smaller as more companies use verification agencies to check candidates. Demand for qualification verification alone has increased year on year, with Managed Integrity Evaluation verifying the qualifications of more than 500,000 candidates in 2016; and

• There is a database with the names of individuals who have committed qualification fraud. To remain clean, and stay off the list, be honest on your CV and in interviews. Go through your CV with a fine comb and double-check your work experience, periods of employment, titles, experience and skills, reasons for resigning and the reporting structure. And make sure that you haven't inflated any points or added incorrect information.