Powerchex

Infobox_Company
name = Powerchex Ltd.
type = Private Company
foundation = 2005
company_
location = flagicon|UK City of London, UK
key_people = Alexandra Kelly, Founder, MD
industry = Financial Services
products = Background Check
revenue = Undisclosed
operating_income= Undisclosed
net_income = Undisclosed
homepage = http://www.powerchex.co.uk

Powerchex is a UK based pre-employment screening company specialising in the financial services sector in the City of London. [citenews|title=Third of applicants tell lies to get a job|publisher= ERT Weekly|date= September 1, 2005|url= http://www.accessmylibrary.com/premium/0286/0286-11432072.html] Powerchex is a full member of the UK chapter of the National Association of Professional Background Screeners or NAPBS, [ [http://www.powerchex.co.uk/documents/NAPBS%20press%20release.pdf Powerchex Joins the National Association of professional background Screeners] ] and was started by Alexandra Kelly in 2005 who is the current MD and full owner of the company.

In 2007, Powerchex won 3 awards at the Thames Gateway Business Awards, including the 'Growth Business', 'Business of the Year', with Kelly scooping 'Business Person of the Year'. [ [http://www.powerchex.co.uk/documents/Docklands%20company%20scores%20hat-trick%202.pdf Docklands Company Scores Hat-trick at Thames Gateway Business Awards] ] Powerchex also won the 'Service Business of the Year' award at the Natwest Start-up Awards 2007. [ [http://www.powerchex.co.uk/documents/Docklands%20company%20scores%20hat-trick%202.pdf Powerchex are scooping awards whilst boosting the UK economy] ]

Every year Powerchex commissions the Shell Technology and Enterprise Programme to conduct market research into trends in applicant fraud. In the 2007 research it was discovered that 89% of undisclosed criminal records are found on the CVs of temps and that overall, discrepancies on CVs have fallen by 18% from 31% in 2005/2006 to 13% in 2006/2007. The findings were published in the national press including The Guardian. [ [http://money.guardian.co.uk/workweekly/story/0,,2141051,00.html Money Guardian] ]

In its 2008 Annual Survey on CV Discrepancies [ [http://www.powerchex.co.uk/documents/The%20Powerchex%20Annual%20Survey%202008.pdf The Powerchex Annual Survey on CV Discrepancies 2008] ] , Powerchex uncovered that 43% of applicants from the UK’s lowest ranking universities had some form of major embellishment hidden in their application, compared to just 14% of applicants from the Top 20 rated schools. The subject studied also made a difference; maths and finance graduates were considerably more honest on their CV than their arts and humanities counterparts who had a very high rate of embellishment. The findings were published in the national press including the Financial Times, [ [http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/f5112740-56bb-11dd-8686-000077b07658.html A Degree of Creativity] ] The Times, [ [http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/life_and_style/career_and_jobs/graduate_management/article4382967.ece The week in work: July 24] ] The Daily Telegraph, [ [http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/2439358/Arts-graduates-more-likely-to-lie-on-CVs.html Arts graduates 'more likely to lie on CVs'] ] and BBC News Online. [ [http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/education/7517918.stm some students tell more CV lies] ]

Further reading

* [http://www.powerchex.co.uk/documents/The%20Powerchex%20Annual%20Survey%202008.pdf "Powerchex Annual Survey 2008"]
* [http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/f5112740-56bb-11dd-8686-000077b07658.html "A Degree of Creativity"] in Financial Times (July 21st, 2008)
* [http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/life_and_style/career_and_jobs/graduate_management/article4382967.ece "The week in work:July 24"] in TimesOnline (July 24th, 2008)
* [http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/2439358/Arts-graduates-more-likely-to-lie-on-CVs.html "Arts graduates 'more likely to lie on CVs'] in The Daily Telegraph (21st July 2008)
* [http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/education/7517918.stm "Some Students Tell More CV Lies"] in BBC News Online (July 21st, 2008)
* [http://money.guardian.co.uk/workweekly/story/0,,2141051,00.html "Honesty in the City? Well just on CVs] in The Guardian (August 4th, 2007)
* [http://www.recruitermagazine.co.uk/Articles/330492/The+trouble+with+references.html "Beware the pitfalls of a dodgy reference"] , Recruiter Magazine (October 21st, 2005)
* [http://www.management-issues.com/display_page.asp?section=research&id=2468 "Truth of fiction"] , Management Issue (August 18th, 2005)
* [http://www.powerchex.co.uk/documents/Business%20Europe%20-%20newsfeed.htm "Firms 'sloppy at vetting staff"] , Business Europe (August 16th, 2005)
* [http://www.powerchex.co.uk/documents/How%20to%20implement%20an%20effective%20screening%20policy.pdf "Implementing an effective screening policy"]

ee also

*Background Check
*Criminal record check
*Security clearance
*vetting
*governance, risk management, and compliance
*recruitment
*human resources

References