Tackling hiring fraud guidance – free download

Download our free anti-fraud guide, ‘Tackling hiring fraud: the response to a growing problem’, compiled by leading fraud prevention experts Better Hiring Institute, Reed Screening, Cifas and ST Smith. The first-of-its-kind guide features typical cases of recruitment fraud and explains how to prevent them.

3 mins read
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Hiring fraud is an insidious practice that undermines trust and poses significant financial and reputational risks for businesses. As employers strive to find the right talent, they must remain vigilant against fraudulent activities that can tarnish their operations and brand integrity.

Hiring fraud manifests in various forms, from falsified credentials and fabricated work histories to identity theft and impersonation. These tactics often deceive even the most astute recruiters, leading to the unwitting employment of unqualified or dishonest individuals. The consequences can be dire, ranging from decreased productivity and morale to legal liabilities and damage to company reputation.

Detecting fraudulent applications has become increasingly challenging. However, employers can use several strategies to safeguard their recruitment processes.

Most recently, Reed has contributed to the first guidance of its kind to help organisations protect their recruitment practices. ‘Tackling hiring fraud: the response to a growing problem’ serves as a frontline tool in the battle against fraudulent hiring activity.

Steps to a secure hiring process

The guide, fronted by the Better Hiring Institute, identifies nine types of fraudulent activity: reference fraud, qualification fraud, fake application documents, CV-based fraud, employment scams, manipulation of artificial intelligence, dual employment, immigration fraud and fraud as a result of recruitment agency usage. Each is addressed in detail with case studies and expert guidance on prevention.

As a rule, thorough background checks are indispensable. Employers should verify the authenticity of educational qualifications, professional certifications, and employment histories provided by candidates. Utilising reputable background screening services, such as Reed Screening, can help uncover discrepancies and ensure that prospective hires possess the credentials they claim.

Identity verification measures are essential. Adopting biometric authentication or identity verification technologies will help, reducing the likelihood of impersonation and identity theft.

Stringent interview processes can also serve as a deterrent against fraudulent candidates. Conducting multiple rounds of interviews, including in-person assessments, and soliciting detailed responses can identify genuine candidates from impostors.

Technology can automate and streamline recruitment processes. Candidate tracking systems equipped with fraud detection algorithms can flag irregularities in applications, adding a further layer of protection.

It can also help to raise awareness of hiring fraud with your employees – encouraging them to report suspicious activities and provide avenues for whistleblowing. Providing guidance on how to spot red flags can have a ripple effect, protecting both the business and employees from falling victim to fraud in their career.

Protect your business with our hiring fraud guidance – free download

Technology has enabled criminals to take advantage of traditional recruitment processes, and organisations must adapt if they are to avoid CV fraud, employment scams, manipulation of AI tools and many more tactics.

Reed Screening, together with Better Hiring Institute and other partners, have defined hiring fraud as any fraud committed during the hiring process, which may be committed by an individual against an organisation, or by an entity against a jobseeker.

This comprehensive guide, ‘Tackling hiring fraud: the response to a growing problem’, identifies how employers can protect their organisations, using expert advice on how to prevent the most common criminal activity.

"Employers should be very worried about hiring fraud. At Reed Screening, we have made huge progress over the last few years in making hiring faster globally, including being referenced by UK government for our work on digital right to work. However, with the development of technology and improvements in the speed of hiring, we have seen an acceleration and amplification of fraud."

Keith Rosser
Director of Group Risk & Reed Screening – Reed

The new Better Hiring Institute free guide on tackling hiring fraud, co-written by Reed Screening and Cifas, contains a really useful checklist for HRDs (human resources directors) and CPOs (chief people officers) to use to ensure the company they represent has all the right defences in place.

Download our free hiring fraud guidance to help safeguard your organisation using the button at the top of this page.

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Scientific CV Template
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Scientific CV Template

​If you are looking for your next position in the science industry, it is important to optimise and tailor your CV to give yourself the best possible chance of securing your dream role.

Build the perfect scientific CV with our free template below:

[Full Name]
[Home Address]
[Contact Number] • [Email Address]

Personal Statement

This section is your chance to summarise the rest of the CV, and convince the recruiter to get in touch. It is important to keep it brief, between 50-200 words and outline; who you are, any specific skills you have to offer (including ‘soft skills’) and your career aim.

Depending on the role, the key ‘soft skills’ employers are likely to look for include: communication, decision making, leadership skills, problem solving and being a team player. Be sure to reference your ability in these areas wherever possible in your CV.

I have gained valuable experience in [area of expertise] at [organisation name] and have a particular wealth of experience and skills in [specific area]. I graduated in [year] from [university name] with a [degree class] degree in [subject], and am now an [industry] professional.

My important achievements include working alongside the [team name] team at [organisation], and contributing to projects such as [project name]. I was responsible for/organised [task] and increased/decreased [profit/other metric] by [£X/X%].

I am looking for my next opportunity within an [business type/industry] organisation, where I can bring real value and develop my [scientific/research] skills further.


Education

This is your chance to talk about your qualifications, academic and vocational. This is a particularly important section for those with no relevant work experience. You should give detail about what you studied, where and when, and list them in chronological order. If you have many of one qualification, such as GCSEs you might find it useful to group them together.

  • [University Name]

  • [Date M/Y– Date M/Y]

Degree subject and class achieved (list Masters/PhD first)

  • Modules studied

  • Skills used

  • Dissertation brief

[College/School Name]
[Date M/Y– Date M/Y]

A-levels:

  • [Subject] – [Grade]

  • [Subject] – [Grade]

  • [Subject] – [Grade]

[College/School Name]
[Date M/Y– Date M/Y]

GCSEs:

  • [Number] GCSEs, grades [range], including Maths and English

Skills

This section is useful to clearly outline the laboratory/scientific skills you’ve gained at university or in industry. Include even minor relevant skills to increase your chances of being discovered in a CV database search.

Work experience
This should be brief and, as a general rule of thumb, focus on the last five years of your career, or last three roles, in chronological order with most recent at the top.

If you are a recent graduate then work experience should be listed before your degree details - if the work undertaken was relevant. If it was not relevant to your industry then list detailed degree/dissertation information first.

You should highlight your key achievements and use bullet points rather than lengthy descriptions.

[Job Title], [Company Name] [Location]
[Date M/Y- Date M/Y]

Achievements and responsibilities:

  • Brief role overview

  • Worked alongside [team] to produce [project]

  • Implemented [change] which resulted in [benefit]

  • Received an [award name] for [reason]


Hobbies and Interests

This section is not essential to include, but you may wish to depending on the role you are applying for. It can be a useful chance to show a little more of your personality. However, be warned this can be very subjective, ensure anything listed here reinforces your application and the idea that you’ll be the right fit for the role. If you don’t have any real relatable hobbies, it is probably best to omit this section.

I organise a weekly [sport] game, manage bookings, transport and help to coach the team.

Undertook a [course] in order to improve my [skill].


References

References are available upon request.

Download our full scientific CV template.

Coaching for intersectional inclusion
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Coaching for intersectional inclusion

​Everyone has multiple layers to their identity, and no one is one label. There are other aspects of their identities to consider, and no one should be put in a box. Many businesses, which celebrate Pride Month, for example, are perceived as not doing enough for people who are underrepresented in more than one way.

Recent research by Culture Amp in ‘The Workplace Diversity and Inclusion Report 2024’ found disabled women and black women are more doubtful of their employers’ equality, diversity, inclusion and belonging (EDI&B) efforts than any other group.

This is likely because women might feel their entire identity and additional barriers aren’t being considered, if they are part of more than one underrepresented group. Some employers’ initiatives provide a base-level overview of inclusion for women, but they might only explore the perspectives of white women, for example, or women in general, with no specific solutions explored for LGBTQ+, disabled or black women, for instance. Each may have very different experiences of what it means to be a woman.

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Q: What's the difference between coaching, mentoring, and other types of training, especial