As students begin the graduation process at the end of the year, your business is likely to get an influx job applications. Although most businesses slow down towards the end of the year in terms of hiring and advertising, this does not stop job seekers from pushing forward. This is further exacerbated in January when many people are trying to stick to new year’s resolutions and get that ideal job. Although your business is probably winding down for the festive season here are a couple things to remember for the new year when considering hiring new people.
The ideal candidate
As a business, you want to hire the most qualified and skilled people to add value to your operations. The first thing to consider is whether or not your potential employee has the necessary skills, experiences and education to complete the tasks in the position they are applying for. You want to hire people that are capable, which means employees with the potential for growth who are able and willing to take on more responsibility as they grow with your business.
You should also consider if the candidate is compatible and fits in with your corporate culture. This is a critical thing to consider when hiring new people as candidates who will not get along with your current employees and management team will cause disruption. You need to consider whether the candidate shares the same values and expectations that your business is founded upon, as well as whether they can understand adopt the relevant policies and procedures.
Why candidates lie
When hiring new people, it is important to be aware that some candidates may lie both on their CVs and in the interview process. There are a variety of reasons that candidates lie, but the leading theory is that high rates of youth unemployment lead to youth searching for ‘creative’ ways by which to earn a living.
According to SAFPS Executive Director Manie van Schalkwyk, youth are becoming increasingly anxious and agitated when considering their financial future.
“In this environment, you cannot write off the temptation that confronts young people to commit fraud when doors slam shut in their faces or do not even open in the first place. The obvious temptation is CV doctoring. By adding a few tweaks, candidates may make their application appear more professional than they actually are and increase chances for a job interview.”
What to look out for in the next hiring season
The South African Qualifications Authority (SAQA) recorded a total of 1‚276 fake qualifications (444 national and 832 foreign qualifications) at the beginning of 2017. So it is apparent that fake qualifications are not a rare occurrence. When hiring new people it is important to be vigilant and cautious.
Look out for the following as, according to TimesLive, these are the top areas where candidates lie on their CVs:
- Making up fictitious companies and saying you worked there.
- Saying you’re still employed when you in fact have left the company.
- Listing your friend as a reference instead of the person you reported to.
- Not revealing that you have a criminal record.
- Stating incorrect employment dates to cover gaps in your career.
- Hyping your previous salary.
- Bogus qualifications.
- Exaggerated job title.
- Inaccurate reason for termination.
- Proficiency of required skills for the job.
What to do
As an employer there a few steps you can take to ensure that your candidates are not lying to you. You could run a social media audit and see if anything suspicious appears. You can also run a criminal background check and verification reports for matric and tertiary education qualifications. At MarisIT, we can provide you with the ultimate peace of mind by offering both and providing you with a comprehensive report that contains in depth information and we do so in a cost-effective manner, with a quick turnaround time. The cost associated with running these checks is usually a small cost considering that you are receiving accurate information from accredited sources that could potentially save you a lot of money in the long-term that is associated with hiring unqualified people.
Get in touch with MarisIT today to find out how we can help you hire the best people for the job at hand.
