HireRight, a leading provider of on-demand employment background checks, announced the release of the HireRight Employment Background Screening Trends. The report is based on more than 218,000 checks done in India from January 2014 to April 2015. Almost three out of 10 screenings conducted by HireRight in India from January 2014 contained a lie or a discrepancy. The discrepancies HireRight finds through their background screening include lies or inaccuracies on CVs most commonly relating to educational, employment background and professional licenses. On a lesser scale, there can also be inaccuracies in their criminal history or identification documents provided. Hiring a candidate who does not have the right qualifications can have serious consequences on an organisation. Aside from damaging a company’s reputation, a bad hire can pose a security and legal risk to organisation if they misuse office assets and confidential information, ultimately affecting a company’s productivity. While there has been an increase in hiring in the last quarter in India, the percentage of discrepancies found in the screenings undertaken in India has also increased year-on-year, doubling from 13 percent in 2013 to 26 percent in 2014.

KEY FINDINGS AND ANALYSIS:

• Discrepancies related to education are the highest at 52 percent.  
• This is followed by employment discrepancies at 11 percent. 
• Out of 218,427 checks done from January 2014 to April 2015, 23 percent were found to have discrepancies.
• 13 percent of the resumes were found to have inconsistencies in 2013, a figure which doubled to 26 percent in 2014.
• India ranks 4th compared to the rest of Asia Pacific in the amount of discrepancies 

1. Philippines – 30 percent
2. Malaysia – 27 percent
3. Japan – 26 percent
4. India – 23 percent
5. Singapore – 22 percent
6. Australia – 21 percent
7. China – 18 percent

“With greater competition in the job market, job candidates may fabricate or embellish qualifications or job experiences on resumes to stand out from the pack,” said Mr Edward Hickey, Managing Director, APAC of HireRight, commenting on the increase in discrepancies. He further adds, “India is gradually becoming a strong hub of MNCs establishing their bases. The pro-employment intent of the current government is already witnessing an uptake in terms of talent acquisition. With Employment Background Screening being the most underrated and usually overlooked component of a recruitment process, this report is a clear testament of background verification being a quintessential process in hiring for organisations to mitigate risk and ensure quality hires.”