Getting your first passport is a rite of passage, and something most of us do as a child when our parents apply for a passport on our behalf. But if you’ve never had the chance to apply for a passport as a child then getting your first adult passport is quite a different process. Most people apply for a passport…
The end of the year is always the time for reflection and statistics, so it’s no surprise that the end of 2019 saw the release of an interesting survey into the state of the pre-employment checking market. Although every employer does their own style of checking or vetting, the broad trends identified in the survey can help candidates predict what…
Disclosure and Barring Checks, also known as CRB checks or PVG checks in Scotland, are a way of looking at whether or not candidates for a job have a criminal record. A surprisingly high number of people have had a minor brush with the law in the past. Some estimates are that up to a third of men have some…
Asking for referees from candidates applying for jobs is nothing new. Although pre-employment checks have extended to encompass everything from social media screening to credit checks, checking references is still as important as ever. There are a lot of myths around references, and what employers can and cannot do. It’s Illegal To Give a Bad Reference One of the biggest…
After over three years of political wrangling and discussion, the UK finally left the European Union on 31st January 2020. We’re now in a transition period which is due to last until the end of the year, giving the government and the EU the opportunity to thrash out a trade deal. The aspect of Brexit which affects most of us…
Surely there’s no harm in increasing that D grade pass in GCSE maths to a B in order to apply for your dream course at college? Or claiming a 2:1 in your degree when you actually dropped out half way through the second year? It’s one of the most common fibs on CVs and application forms – either claiming qualifications…
A few years ago, biometrics seemed like something out of a science fiction movie, but in 2020 we think nothing of just looking at our phone to open it, or using fingerprints to pay for our kids’ school lunches. Biometrics refers to everything in our physical person which makes us unique. Fingerprints were recognised as being unique and identifying in…
You’d think it would be easy to prove your identity. Most of us like to think that everyone we come into contact with is honest, and that’s often the case. But when it comes to applying for jobs or dealing with government bureaucracy, nothing is taken at face value. Employers need to check up on the people who are applying…
There is a very wide range of situations in which you might be asked to prove who you are. Opening a bank account, applying for a job, applying for benefits – the list is endless. For young people who are still living at home with their parents or in student accommodation, proving their identity can be tricky, as their names…
According to a recent survey by the University of Portsmouth, the cost of recruitment fraud in the UK has reached the staggering figure of £24 billion. This figure covers the cost of advertising positions, salaries for recruitment staff, and the losses which could be encountered by a business if they take someone on who isn’t who they say they are.…
