Husband lied on CV - offered job but they want a reference!

[PeanutyButtery]

DH lost his job last February and he's finally been offered a job back in his field. He's been working in a supermarket for the last six months.

He left the supermarket job off his CV because it's not relevant and instead put that he's been working as a consultant for an organisation (prestigious well-known company that's relevant to the new role) from last March until now. Problem is that he won a tender to provide that organisation with services, signed a contract and everything but they never actually sent him any work.

HR called this week to say that they are offering him the job and does he accept. He said yes and then they asked for references. He gave two people from his previous employer but HR replied asking specifically for a reference from X organisation as it's his "current employer".

He replied to say that since that consultancy has ended, HR can contact the company he is working for right now (which is a freelance client he has actually been working for). But he did put the email address for a contact person at X organisation.

I'm so worried they are going to contact X organisation who will say sorry but this guy never worked for us, and that they'll rescind the offer (it's only an oral offer anyway). DH doesn't seem so worried. He was convinced they wouldn't contact references, but actually his previous employer and freelance client have both said they've already been contacted.

Is there anything he can do to fix this situation? It's been two days and nothing... they contacted the references immediately who both replied that same day

"who wants a dishonest employee."

Every employer surely? I'll see how it goes next time I say on the phone 'x doesn't want to talk to you'.

Well, I have never lied on a CV, really what is the point?

Gwen, so are you saying you actively look out for dishonesty in a job application and if you spot it, view it as a positive? I dont really imagine that’s the case.

DH employs people - he would think amiss of someone who lied on their CV
Anyone who takes any job he would be in favour of. So e.g. a chap who had to keep the mortgage going took a vermin elimination type job ( well mice and rats ) - His wife did not like it but it kept body & soul together. DH is very much in favour of anyone who gets a job whilst waiting for another job.

Always easier to get a job when you have one aleady

But Dh has said to DS - NEVER lie on your CV. Just not worth it ever.

Update: the written job offer came through today!

It says that the offer is conditional on receiving positive references and proof of right to work in UK though. So I'm thinking maybe they're still waiting for that third reference. They've asked for him to reply confirming he accepts the terms of the offer.

Today DH also got invited to another interview for job number 3 this week - no prizes for guess which CV he had applied with...

That's three companies in the last few weeks, after only 2 interviews in the last 13 months, it's mad. And it's not because he's not had the consultancy on his CV before, because it's the same CV he's been using over the whole 13 months - as he put it on there when he won the tender and never took it off.

Thanks for your advice @WombatChocolate - it was helpful in creating the new CV to send to job number 2. He sent them the new CV and they got back with the invite for the zoom interview so it's still going ahead.

Funnily enough we were looking at the CV of the person who he would be reporting to at job number 2 and their CV is very vague. They haven't put the months just years of past employment and they have three 'current' overlapping positions of varying lengths - so they can't all be full-time. Maybe in his industry it's okay to not be too specific about whether freelance work is full-time, part-time or ad hoc.

I wouldn't expect freelance to be full-time. More that its an alternative word to self-employed. So by definition it means working for more than one client.

Well good luck to him.

Have you seen The Apprentice when that Claude rips people's CVs apart? Maybe there are no Claudes in his industry.

Luke say he’d use the cv format from a friend and realised he’d not deleted this particular job

@PandaFluff

Have you seen The Apprentice when that Claude rips people's CVs apart? Maybe there are no Claudes in his industry.

I don’t think Claude’s style is the acceptable face of recruitment for any industry.