Lying on Your CV or Job Application

In a highly competitive employment market, many job applicants try to make their CV or job application more impressive by extending their qualifications, fabricating their experience or including blatant lies to enhance their suitability for a role.

The job market throughout the UK is one of the toughest in the world thanks to increased applicant numbers, economic cuts resulting in fewer vacancies, technological advancements that move away from human workforces and greater demands on applicant's experience and qualifications.

Some false information on a CV or job application may be an extension of the truth or simply an attempt to market oneself in a more favourable light. However, some lies can be far more serious and can result in legal action, as considered in the following guide.

Can I be dismissed if my employer finds out that my application or CV contained false information?

Employers have the legal right to dismiss any member of staff that is found to have lied on their CV or job application. An offer of employment will have been made based on the information contained within the CV or application, and the employment contract will have been formed based on this. Effectively, that contract will be void if it comes to light that the applicant lied in the initial stages of their application.

How can an employer dismiss a member of staff on the grounds of misrepresentation or lies on a CV or job application?

If an employer discovers that a member of staff had lied on their CV or job application, they must be able to prove their findings in order for a dismissal to be recognised as fair. What is more, the employer must be able to demonstrate that their choice to dismiss on these grounds was because the lies were the contributing factor to the dismissal.

An employer will be entitled to dismiss the employee on these grounds if the worker lied about having relevant skills or experience that were required to complete the duties of the job. If the employer is able to prove that an offer of employment would not have been made had true information been provided from the outset, an employment tribunal would recognise the dismissal to be fair.

Will the law support me if I have been dismissed unfairly even though I lied on my CV or job application?

If you lied on your CV or job application but believe that you have been unfairly dismissed by an employer for other reasons, you may still be able to take legal action against them. However, this could be a complex case, particularly if your employer knows that you lied on your job application before the employment contract was issued.

If you believe you have been unfairly dismissed it is wise to discuss your case with a specialist employment solicitor in order to determine how strong your chances are of being successful in any subsequent claim.