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Original poster

CF unqualified applicant got the job

59 replies

Justilou1 · 09/05/2021 05:56

My DH has been working in a position that will likely be rolled in with another at the end of the year. It is a specialist government job with a lot of competition. (In Australia, but Govt is Govt, pretty much...) The job description was very clear. He has just been informed that the person who was appointed is not qualified to have even applied for the position, so either they lied in their application, or the person responsible for checking their qualifications did not do so. My question is this... How does it look if my DH complains? Does it further his chances or shoot him in the foot completely? (He can show proof that the other guy has no professional qualifications, btw.)

OP posts:
1992EM · 09/05/2021 06:01

I personally wouldn't. You don't no the ins and outs of the agreement. They may have agreed to train them on the job or the person who got the job is about to complete the necessary qualification. It might make you oh sound bitter and at the end of the day, they will find out if the applicant has lied and that could impact your oh chance of applying and getting the job again.

Cuntryhouse · 09/05/2021 06:04

It depends what the professional qualifications is.

Original poster
Justilou1 · 09/05/2021 06:44

The professional qualifications are a degree and post-degree professional membership which requires six-monthly courses. He has none of the above.

OP posts:
Original poster
Justilou1 · 09/05/2021 06:45

It is not likely that this place would fund his training, btw - it was very clear that it was an application requirement.

OP posts:
Cuntryhouse · 09/05/2021 06:49

Do they definitely know that he hasn't got the qualification? Or is this yet to be discovered?

KatherineJaneway · 09/05/2021 06:54

Does your company have a whistleblowing policy? That might be one way of raising awareness. The other is to put in a grievance but he'd better be sure what he has been told is 100% correct and not just gossip.

RoseAndRose · 09/05/2021 06:54

What is your DH hoping to achieve ?

Greater understanding of how the candidate was selected from the field?
Expectations of how the team will manage someone who comes in with different qualifications to those listed?
Making sure that if this chap is a fantasist (did he lie outrageously on CV?) that it's known early, in the interests of avoiding damage?

If he needs to know for a sensible reasons, then a quiet enquiry to one relevant person (line manager, as they're same role) might be the best way ahead.

You say he 'has been informed' - he needs to be absolutely sure he is talking about something that he knows, not something that he's heard, regardless of the source.

Once candidate starts, then that gives more of an opportunity to find out facts of unsuitability (during probation) which again can be quietly relayed to management (before position made permanent)

BusyLizzie61 · 09/05/2021 07:28

@Justilou1

It is not likely that this place would fund his training, btw - it was very clear that it was an application requirement.
It can be a requirement, but they have the discretion to amend these if there's a lack of applicants they believe are a good fit.

It's their role to fact check and request evidence etc.

Don't get involved, else risk looking like a petulant child.

Gizlotsmum · 09/05/2021 07:31

Who informed him? Has the applicant started? Have they rolled the jobs together already so your DH doesn’t have a job? Did he apply and this person get chosen over him?

boatyroo · 09/05/2021 07:40

Was this an application requirement or a list of desired criteria on a job spec?
Is it a regulated qualification definitely necessary for the role? Or just something standard to have?
Did the person claim to have the qualification? Do they have other relevant experience?

Obviously you know the situation better, but with current info it's hard to know how serious this is.
My company always puts that you need a degree in the job spec but if someone applied without one and was otherwise the best candidate they'd still have a very good chance (assuming they hadn't lied about having one).

Original poster
Justilou1 · 09/05/2021 08:11

It was a mandatory requirement, not desirable. It has been confirmed that he is not a member of the professional body and has contributed no application.

OP posts:
Newestname001 · 09/05/2021 08:12

Maybe your DH can ask for formal feedback about why the other candidate was offered the job rather than him? Ask whether it was based on experience in the required field or qualifications and, if so, what he needs to do to improve his circumstances for the future - and for him to get a clear explanation of why he wasn't successful in his application. 🌹

Original poster
Justilou1 · 09/05/2021 08:12

We can get evidence of this tomorrow (Monday our time) and we should be able to get a third party to get the HR department to re-run the checks on his resume.

OP posts:
memost · 09/05/2021 08:20

We made a type of degree qualification essential on the Job Ad- but those who applied with this degree (even Phd qualified) were missing essential people skills - we took the decision that we could train the knowledge element the successful candidate was missing but we couldn't change or train the personal qualities - which the successful candidate had in spades.
Now if one of these candidates raised a grievance - they still wouldn't get the job - even if they took us to a tribunal - they simply were not the right fit. Would we have prefered the successful candidate to have the degree we specified - sure, because now we have to do more training to get them up to speed, but they are bright and keen and it will be fine - but they were the best candidate from the candidates who applied - you have to make compromises somewhere.

Rainbowqueeen · 09/05/2021 08:21

Does he have the right of appeal as a government employee?

AccidentallyOnPurpose · 09/05/2021 08:22

Did your DH apply for the job too and didn't get it? Or will he just work under this person?

If he does raise it, he needs to make sure he has all his facts straight and genuine (including not gained by any breaches of confidentiality for example) proof .

Alltheprettyseahorses · 09/05/2021 08:23

Are you talking about someone else in a new job or is it an established colleague and a case of taking out the competition?

toomuchfaster · 09/05/2021 08:24

@Newestname001

Maybe your DH can ask for formal feedback about why the other candidate was offered the job rather than him? Ask whether it was based on experience in the required field or qualifications and, if so, what he needs to do to improve his circumstances for the future - and for him to get a clear explanation of why he wasn't successful in his application. 🌹
This is really the only way your OH can approach it. It may be well known that the other candidate doesn't have the degree etc, and they have to go ahead with him anyway.
CovidCorvid · 09/05/2021 08:26

Does he legally need the qualifications to do the job?

I applied and got a job that clearly stated in the qualifications it needs a phd. I don’t have one, I don’t even have a master’s though technically I could say I’m working towards my master’s. I didn’t lie. They know I don’t have these qualifications. They still offered me the job and have promoted me since.

CovidCorvid · 09/05/2021 08:27

And my job advert it was in the essential criteria, not desirable.

Whythesadface · 09/05/2021 08:28

The person who informed your DH is perhaps the person to talk to.
Along the lines of, hey John you know X who starts the new job, since he hasn't got the Degree and the application said it was a must for getting the job, how does that work?

Original poster
Justilou1 · 09/05/2021 08:28

The successful applicant hasn’t worked either in that SPECIFIC field or in Government at all. It is very strange. My DH has been receiving phone calls all day from people regarding this applicant’s appointment.
While it is a Government position, it is a sports coaching position. They have turned down several people who are experienced coaches of that specific sport who meet the criteria and have chosen someone with no experience in this sport and no professional qualifications. Legally, I don’t see how it can hold water.

OP posts:
Cyw2018 · 09/05/2021 08:30

It is worth reporting, it's amazing what bold, dishonest people can achieve simply by having the confidence that no one will want to interfere.

www.google.com/amp/s/amp.theguardian.com/society/2005/aug/18/health.healthandwellbeing

Timeandtune · 09/05/2021 08:31

If this is the case surely it will come out when the employer asks to see proof of the qualifications/ membership of professional body etc?
In the UK any appointment would be dependent on these. I don’t think your DH should get involved except to ask for feedback on his own interview performance.

Morph2lcfc · 09/05/2021 08:34

Will the person who has got the job actually be able to do it in practise? We’ve had this happen at work previously where people big themselves up on their experience at interviews but somehow seem to forget they will actually need to know how to do the job.