High profile people in positions of power such as Andrea Leadsom are usually heavily criticised when a chink in their armour is discovered and this is usually followed by a media scandal which can prove extremely damaging for the individual or the institution to which they belong.

This week previous Prime Ministerial candidate, Andrea Leadsom, has been in the firing line for  falsifying certain elements of her CV and in doing so, breaching the trust of the nation.

As a candidate who was a hopeful contender for the role of the next UK Prime Minister, we assume that there should be some level of transparency and that we can trust her claims of experience. It was expected that any job history or information provided would be accurate and honest and that she would be fully qualified to handle this role. However, in Leadsom’s case it was revealed that she had exaggerated her previous job roles in the financial sector. Leadsom boasts 25 years’ experience in the finance sector in job roles in a position of power with her original CV listed Leadsom as a financial institutions director at Barclays. However, an updated version of her CV was published by her staff on July 6 containing amendments and downgrading her seniority in this job position to deputy financial institutions director. Yet, despite her honesty in the end, it was clear that the damage was already done and faith in her authority was already compromised due to her falsification. As a candidate who was running to be the second female Prime Minister, this was even more so disappointing.

So why are we actually blogging about this?  Well, it’s a great example of how even at the highest levels lies are still rife and continue to go unnoticed and have the potential to cause massive reputational damage.  Many employers are still having the wool pulled over their eyes – if we can’t trust our potential leaders to tell us the truth on CVs, how can we expect more from everyday candidates?

Unfortunately for Leadsom, lies get found out at some point.  Former colleagues have come forward and stated that she had clearly over exaggerated the importance of her role within the company and former senior executives claim they don’t remember her, despite her claims of being the bank’s youngest ever director. Not only is this a hit for Leadsom’s reputation which now appears to be crumbling, but it can also be regarded as an embarrassing situation for the people who put her in a position of power without thoroughly checking her credentials. It’s unacceptable for candidates to lie on a CV, no matter what position they are going for but unfortunately, 80% of them do and employers would be foolish not to question them when they could have so much information available at their fingertips. Particularly in senior roles, if a candidate has lied on their CV, it can result in them being out of their depth in a job role with devastating and irreversible consequences. When searching to fill a role as an employer, any incompetent candidate can affect a whole organisation (or if Leadsom had been successful in her bid for PM, a whole country).

This should be a lesson for all UK employers – no matter who you are interviewing, there is still the possibility that they could be exaggerating previous roles or accomplishments. This is where a referencing check comes into its own and should very much be part of your recruitment process.  A referencing check can validate the information that a candidate provides and will leave you with information from their previous employers, leaving you with a clear picture of who you’re really employing rather than blindly believing the false claims of someone who is clearly just trying to get ahead.

If you would like more information about referencing checks or background screening, you can call us on: 01443 799 900 or email us on: info@cbscreening.co.uk

(Image taken from metro.co.uk)