Fans of the hit TV show will know that now it’s official: Who Lies Wins. Recruitment sales manager Lee McQueen last night beat 15 other candidates and has been crowned Sir Alan Sugar’s £100,000-a-year apprentice, despite telling a huge whopper on his CV - and, more unforgivably still, being caught.  He claimed that he attended Thames University for two years when he had stuck it out for just four months.

However, his admission that he lied on his CV has provoked controversy.

He is by no means the first high profile job candidate to be caught out embelishing his qualifications: below is a selection of the most infamous cases

Name: Alison Ryan

Job: Communications manager, Manchester United

Claim: First-class degree from Cambridge

Truth: She got a second class degree and had been banned from practising as a lawyer

What happened: Ryan got the £125,000-a-year job after being interviewed by Sir Alex Ferguson but was sacked after lies were exposed.

Name: Patrick Imbardelli

Job: Chief executive of the Asia Pacific arm of UK-based InterContinental Hotels Group.

Claim: Two degrees from Cornell University in the US and one from Victoria University, Australia

Truth: He attended classes at both universities but did not graduate from either

What happened: Imbardelli resigned

Name: Ronald Zarrella

Job: Chairman and chief executive of Bausch & Lomb

Claim: MBA from the Stern School of Business at New York University Truth: Mr Zarrella did not have an MBA and was exposed by a business website

What happened: He offered to resign following an “error of judgement” but the board backed him to continue. Forfeited a bonus of more than £500,000

Name: James Stocks

Job: Chef at top Scottish hotel Balbirnie House in Fife

Claim: Worked for Marco Pierre White and Gordon Ramsay

Truth: They denied knowing him

What happened: He admitted “beefing up” jobs he had done at previous restaurants on his CV and resigned.

Name: David Edmondson

Job: Chief executive of electronics retailer Radio Shack

Claim: Degrees in theology and psychology

Truth: He only completed two terms at the Pacific Coast Baptist Bible College in California

What happened: He resigned but received a payout of more than £500,000

Lee McQueen was clearly by the end of the Series the right man for the job and we say to him congratulatons. However, as ethical recruiters and members of the Recruitment and Employment Confederation, we have to advise our candidates that “Factual Discrepencies” or Fibs are not at all to be condoned. Yes of course your CV is a sales document but if the Employer is going to make a hiring committment to you as a permanent staff member you can be sure that checks on ‘details’ will be made. So if you were thinking of putting a little extra polish on your CV, please don’t. If like Lee, you were meant for that role, it will be yours anyway without the need for a lie.

The very nature of the global internet means a candidate may apply for a position practically anywhere,  subject of course to securing the necessary work permissions. This company regularly receives inquiries from India in particular. I was therefore interested to read that at a 3 day event called E-Cube 2008 held this week in Calcutta that Indian engineering (mechanincal, electrical, civil) undergraduate intake is currently 10.8% and enrolments are expected to grow to 15% by 2015.  That is staggering.

Conversely in the UK the popularity of engineering degrees among undergraduates is still in slow decline. 2006/7 only 5.9% of UCAS entrants took an engineering or technology subject, compared with 6.5% in 2000.

There are many barriers affecting the supply of UK engineering undergraduates principally lack of awareness of what an engineering career entails (poor careers advice and let’s be honest folks no iconic role models) and lack of mathematical preparedness from a GCSE and A’Level education.

Annual demand for engineers in the UK increases year on year by around 2% while 95% of firms report difficulties in finding candidates. So what is the future for the UK engineering industries and UK education system?

Well it would appear that in India, teaching of mathematics to a relevant standard and also encouraging students to enter engineering as a career choice is not a problem. So if a Purple Squirrel is the elusive candidate with exactly the right qualifications and capabilities to match the client requirements, then maybe future civil, mechanical and engineering Purple Squirrels will be found from India?

Lately it seems like every time you take your car out,  petrol and diesel prices are up again! Many of us have taken jobs that involve a significant daily commute so we can’t avoid the regular fill-ups once or twice a week.

Whilst you keep looking for that ideal career move with the next job close enough to cycle from home; here are some tips from Purple Squirrel to help you with your fuel economy and save money:

–  Drive Sensibly
      Aggressive driving (speeding, rapid acceleration and braking) wastes
      fuel. It can lower your fuel mileage up to 33 percent at motorway speeds
      and up to 5 percent around town.

  –  Observe the Speed Limit
      While every vehicle reaches its optimal fuel economy at a different
      speed, fuel mileage usually decreases at speeds above 60 mph. As a rule
      of thumb, you can assume that each 5 mph you drive over 60 mph is like
      paying an additional 4pence per litre of fuel.
 

  –  Remove Excess Weight
      Avoid keeping unneeded items in your vehicle, especially heavy ones.
      An extra 50kg in your vehicle could reduce your fuel economy by
      up to 2%. The reduction is based on the percentage of extra weight
      relative to the vehicle’s weight and affects smaller vehicles more
      than larger ones.

 –  Oil Changes
      Regularly changing your oil will add many miles to your engine.
      Changing your engine oil according to your car manufacturer’s
      recommendation in your owner’s manual will help lubricate the engine,
      minimize friction and carry away excessive heat, all of which will
      lead to greater fuel efficiency.

  –  Use the Right Grade
      Make sure that you are using the right grade of motor oil for your
      vehicle. This is usually printed on the oil cap or in your owner’s
      manual.

    –  Air Filter
      Filters are a crucial part of regular vehicle maintenance and act as
      the ‘vehicle’s lung’. Dirty air filters make it harder for the engine
      to breathe. If the flow is restricted by a clogged air filter, the
      fuel economy and vehicle performance will suffer. Replacing a clogged
      air filter can increase your mileage by up to 10 percent.

  –  Tyres
      Under-inflated tires affect your mileage by increasing resistance and
      making it more difficult for the engine to move the car along the
      road. For every 1-psi you are under the optimal rate, you lose
      0.4 percent of your mpg. The average person can improve
      mileage by approximately 3.3 percent by inflating their tyres to the
      proper psi for their vehicle.

  –  Avoid Excessive Idling
      When your vehicle is idling, you are getting 0 miles to the gallon.

  –  Use Cruise Control
      By using cruise control on the motorway you will be maintaining a
      constant speed and saving fuel.

  –  Secure Filler Cap
      Make sure your filler cap is on and not loose or damaged. 147 million
      gallons of petrol vaporize every year due to these conditions.

With petrol prices expected to keep rising, now is a crucial time to work on that career move! You can’t control the price of petrol, but you can take steps to reduce your daily commute. Purple Squirrel recruitment consultants are here to help elusive candidates find their ideal employers in Engineering, Industrial and Technical sectors, so register your CV to get started!