Can you believe that there are people out there just sitting waiting to claim against a company for their recruitment practices or similar? In fact, some people can be quite infamous for making a living out of doing this and being quite inept and skilled in the ways in which to spot a weakness in a company’s recruitment policies..  This week it was reported that bogus job applicants are actually on the rise and the reasons for this is once again linked to the downturn and credit crunch that we have been hearing so much about. With so many now out of work and eagerly seeking employment this is an area that is more and more under attack. What these people are setting out to do is to catch employers out on discrimination laws and earn themselves money at tribunals.

Hr and legal experts across the country are warning that this is now posing serious threats to firms as the economy slumps further. Employment tribunal judges are telling us  that job cuts in the near future will multiply the numbers of fake candidates who apply for one job with two CVs – one containing information about their minority status, such as being Asian or disabled, and the other avoiding it.

Employers who reject the minority application but accept its more mainstream counterpart can be taken to an employment tribunal for recruitment discrimination, resulting in compensation for up to six months’ of prospective work lost.

Nathan Donaldson, partner at law firm Davies Arnold Cooper (DAC), confirmed to me that many employers receive bogus CVs but often discover them only after it’s too late.

“Large employers who get hundreds of CVs for positions are the main targets, and they will get no warning before receiving the claim letter,” he said.

A spokesman for conciliation service Acas said the service had encountered isolated instances but didn’t collect data on it.

So in light of all this dishonesty the best way for a company to take precautions to avoid discrimination pitfalls are summed up as follows,

Use application forms, not CVs, to filter candidates. Set up  a database listing all applicants, names addresses and contact numbers.

Document the basis on which applicants are rejected, minute all meetings that involve a selection panel and keep that panel intact throughout the full process.

Put clear deadlines on job ads and clear selection criteria using if possible, desirable as well as essential criteria.

Be aware of all legislations that affect a recruitment process such as equality laws and disability laws and up to date codes of practice. Be vigilant and aware that times are changing, know that there is no longer room for errors in a recruitment process as it can turn out to be a costly affair.