TCS probes fake resume racket

BANGALORE, INDIA: India's top IT services provider Tata Consultancy Services (TCS) has initiated an internal investigation to identify and take action against employees who had submitted fake resumes.

A news report said that TCS sacked at least 20 employees who had provided fake resumes to get jobs with the company.

TCS mentioned about a racket in an e-mailed statement, which hints at the involvement of more people.

Earlier, instances of recruitment firms acting in collusion with jobseekers who fudge their resumes to improve chances of getting jobs were reported in the media. Wipro even approached the police against a few such firms.

“As a customer focused organization, security is of paramount importance to us," a TCS spokesperson said in the statement. "We have a stringent background verification process in TCS. We take this process very seriously and have issued action against the errant employees. We have launched an internal investigation to identify the entire ecosystem and all involved in the racket.”

The spokesperson, however, refused to provide more information. "We will not be able to share more than (what is said in) the statement," he said.

Last week, Infosys Technologies said it had sacked 100 employees in the fiscal year `07 due to discrepancies found in the resumes submitted at the time of joining.

No respite

The menace of fake resumes assumed alarming proportions in 2006. Though it served as a warning bell, the industry has not witnessed any respite. Indian IT firms are taking stringent measures against those who indulge in "padding" or fudging their resumes.

Earlier firms used to make reference checks only on those with more than 10 years of experience. But now almost all employees had to undergo such checks.

Quoting industry sources, Madan Padaki, co-founder and CEO of MeritTrac Services, said anywhere between 15-25 per cent of all CVs in the marketplace are fake. CVs are faked in three major areas: with reference to skills, technical knowledge and work experience, salary, designation and qualification and references.

The problem of fake resumes is universal in nature and not confined to any specific sector. The magnitude of the problem though varies based on the scale of recruitments.

"Recognition of this problem by companies has again been dependent on the scale of recruitments. While the IT industry was quick to sense this menace and take measures to curb it," Padaki said.

The existing talent landscape has precipitated the problem of fake CVs becoming a major area of concern for corporates.

He added: "The scarcity and diffusion of employable talent and the sheer numbers in terms of applicants as well as the great demand for talent has placed tremendous burdens on recruiting teams. In the chase for numbers and quality along with the lack of bandwidth of recruiting teams has over time resulted in the slackening of procedures contributing to this scenario."

What next?

Padaki opined that scientific assessments are the most important element in eradicating this problem, but the whole recruiting process needs to be geared up to leave no loose ends.

"CV screening should act as a first checkpoint, followed by scientific testing of skills, personal interviews and thorough reference checks. These are just some of the scientific measures that can be adopted internally. Apart from this efficient vendor identification and management of talent sources is essential," he further said.

Nasscom's National Skills Registry helps in background checks. Speaking at the recently concluded Nasscom annual HR summit in Chennai, Raju Bhatnagar, vice-president, Nasscom, said about three lakh registrations have been done online so far.

A panel of about 13 nominated members helps in checking the background and claims of those registered.

Further, Nasscom in January launched NAC-Tech with MeritTrac as the assessment partner, which aims to certify skills for the IT space and create a national benchmark for quality.

Earlier, Bangalore-based MindTree Consulting published a book titled All About Integrity, in a bid to check the menace of fake resumes, which had been around since the 2000 IT boom.