“Technology makes stretching the truth riskier than ever,” it said in a statement.<\/p>\n
Candidates, even when headhunted, should realise that checks would be conducted, and access to networking sites such as Google, LinkedIn, Facebook or Twitter was becoming increasingly valuable, MD of Jack Hammer Executive Headhunters Debbie Goodman-Bhyat said.<\/p>\n
“We are using these tools more and more frequently to supplement the research we conduct within our large corporate networks – so to embellish your CV when fact verification is so accessible is downright foolish”.<\/p>\n
Furthermore, independent verification agencies were used in almost all professional appointments prior to extending an offer.<\/p>\n
Being caught out could damage a candidate’s reputation, a case in point being Co-operative Governance Minister Sicelo Shiceka’s “Masters degree in political economy” from the University of the Free State, which the Mail & Guardian reported on.<\/p>\n